Woodland Animal Outdoor Wedding Huntington Castle

It’s all about the woodland feels this week on the blog, and todays real wedding of Keith and Emma does not disappoint, with a woodland animal outdoor wedding Huntington Castle, Ireland. It truly was a family affair from start to finish with 2 years of meticulous planning from knitting, fittings, cake making and floral arranging. Here we catch up with Emma, who goes through her and Keith’s personal love story from first meet – a holiday romance, to first dance at Huntington Castle surrounded by family and friends at their woodland animal outdoor wedding…

“Keith and I met while on holiday in Benalmádena on the Spanish coast nine years in an Irish pub, Molly Malone’s. In Ireland we lived about 50 miles from each other so after we got home, for our first date, we decided to meet up at a restaurant in between. When we got there, the owner of the restaurant told us to sit in beside a couple and their new born so we could get some practise in. And so it began.”

The Proposal

“After travelling together and apart for a number of years, we eventually set on London as our home. Keith proposed on New Year’s Day in 2016 in an East London pub we always went with friends to have pizza, surrounded by our friends and looking forward to the New Year ahead. At a certain point, when we were alone for a moment, Keith asked if I would like for us to get married, and that was that. We continued to celebrate into the evening with lots of bottles of bubbles.”

The Planning – An Irish Castle and Woodland Animals

“We spent two and a half years planning the wedding, the venue was the first thing we decided on. Huntington Castle and its magical gardens are just a few minutes from where I grew up and always visited as a child. I thought it would be a beautiful setting for our wedding. A traditional hotel was never going to be our thing. We thought a woodland theme would fit in perfectly at Huntington castle, it’s forest and animals that roam around the Irish countryside.”

“I mentioned to my mother about potentially knitting some of animals as the centre pieces, so she set to work making twenty of them for the next 2 years. My father made so many of the smaller details, like the coasters we personalised for each guest and he even built a fire pit from scratch which we used for smores when it got dark.”

The Dress – Going Bespoke

My wedding dress was bespoke. Originally it was two separate pieces, the skirt is off the rack from Berketex Bride. I loved the waistband and train, and the pockets – every bride needs pockets. I think I got more compliments about these than anything else from the whole day. The top piece was custom made by the absolutely wonderful Ami Matona at Ami Bridal Couture who combined both elements into a dress. Ami usually works with Indian brides and is a master in embroidery and lace. We designed the shape together and it was sent to be hand embroidered in India. I had three friends help me along the way with designing and sourcing my dress. Each of their perspectives and advice was invaluable.”

The Details – A DIY Family Affair at Huntington Castle

“We had so much help from our families, who made the day so incredible for us. My father and father in law made games for everyone to play throughout the day in the sunshine which seemed to have gone down a treat. Two of my incredibly talented aunts arranged all the flowers for us. I wanted wild flowers, nothing set or too ridged, and they rose magnificently to the challenge. My cousin made my gorgeous cake which I just loved. It was 3 tiers, plain white with a fern pattern. I made 2 little foxes to set on top. For the table plan, I wanted something a little different. I made 20 miniature animals from plasticise, to match the ones my mother had knitted.

Favourite Part

“My Dad walking me down the aisle was my favourite part of the day. We had a lady playing Celtic music on the harp which was so magical in the setting of the castle and beautiful gardens. I choose the longest aisle I could to savour the moment. The humanist ceremony was beautiful and a very special part of our day. I think Keith driving us off in his father’s DeLorean may have been one of his highlights. We loved our first dance too, Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan.”

Words Of Advice

“My advice for other couples would be DO NOT STRESS. It is simply one day in your life, it should be enjoyed and who cares if something goes wrong. Also, have the type of wedding you want to have. If you don’t want to incorporate traditions in there, don’t. Finally, make a budget. Then double it!”