By An invitation to a house party started it all—and Olivia and Colin remember it exactly the same way. It was love at first sight, and it all started with an elevator.
"Olivia invites me to this house party in Chicago," Colin remembers. "I know not a single person there, and as it turns out, it is a party full of people who have known each other since grade school. I accepted her invitation and stormed the gates...she met me at the elevator."
"As the elevator doors opened, we saw each other for the first time; it was love at first sight," said Olivia. "He showed up to a party full of my childhood friends, which was a bit daunting—but he handled it very well. I remember thinking we were at the party alone. It was as if everyone else disappeared. My friends knew something was up as I tuned out their conversations and focused my all attention [on] Colin. It was so natural, we just got along. We spent the whole night together; every second, focused on each other."
Colin recalls it identically. "At that very moment I knew we would stay together, hand in hand. For me, that was it. It just got better after that..." In asking the bride what it was about her groom that created an instant, cosmic spark, she can't help but gush. "Colin was designed for me; a California skateboarder, a classical pianist, and an attorney. He's a rare find and I thank the stars I found him."
Friends describe the couple as calm, relaxed, incredibly natural around one another, and most importantly, always laughing. The meant-to-be duo dated for two years before Colin proposed to Olivia. Per their meet cute, the couple's proposal seems straight out of a rom-com. "I woke up on a Saturday morning and my bulldog, Mabel, greets me with something attached to her collar," says Olivia. "It’s a ring and she was the perfect ring bearer. I was in a haze, as I just woke up, and remember being overtaken with happiness. [Colin] didn’t shut down Times Square, but it was intimate, personal, and I loved it."
Colin proposed with a vintage art deco ring by Cartier. "[It was a ring] my mom had from the '80s," said the bride. "It was originally set in yellow gold, but . she suggested it be reset in white gold to make it a little more modern—it feels totally me."
In keeping with their personal style, the two settled on planning a destination wedding in the Irish countryside, tapping event planner and designer, Alise Taggart, to bring their vision to life. "She is American, but married an Irishman from Belfast; and I knew she'd be the perfect co-conspirator!," said the bride of her choice of planner. Taggert, according to the bride, recommended and hand-selected the couple's team of vendors, including BAZAAR Bride top photographer M.K. Sadler and Story of Eve videography. The bride came across her stationer, Emily Rose Ink, on Instagram—luckily, the two were both based in Chicago, and collaborated on the couple's paper suite in their hometown, which featured a mix of offbeat calligraphy, classic font, a letterpress monogram, watercolor floral illustrations, and a black wax seal.
"We wanted the celebration to be a getaway, for everyone, not just us," said the couple. "Ireland is magical, the people are lovely and they just...warm your soul. We wanted to be surrounded by the landscape, the history, the people; we both have Irish heritage and tracked our lineage back to the various counties in Ireland."
The couple had a hard time choosing which of the many amazing venues in the country they'd wed in, but landed on Gloster House & Gardens in County Offaly. "Any venue in Ireland is wonderful, but Gloster House was a fairy tale," recalls Olivia. "The grounds are beautiful; lush greens, beautiful ponds and, if you look over there—it’s a causally strolling peacock."
"The owners, Tom and Mary Alexander, who live full time at [the property] are the most incredible and inviting people. They serve your every need. They purchased a decrepit noble home whose last heir had died, and out of sheer passion and a labor of love, Mary, restored the home over the course of 15+ years almost to its original glory. The architecture is well-worn and drenched in history, and the grounds are far from stuffy—[it's] whimsical and cozy," said the bride.
The couple were also pleased that their dream venue was located only two hours from Dublin. Plus "it has the grandeur and unique Old World beauty that American girls dream of when planning their wedding in Europe or the UK!," explains Olivia.
The couple hosted their rehearsal dinner at a gastro pub, Matt the Thresher, in Dublin the evening prior to their ceremony and reception. The goal? A casual and intimate evening aimed at giving their guests a sense of place before their trip to the countryside for the wedding.
The bride wore J.Mendel, which she paired with Valentino pumps and a silver and Swarovski crystal headpiece she found on Etsy. On her dress shopping process, Olivia explains that it was her love of craftsmanship and quality that originally attracted her to the gown. "I was a dress designer in New York for several years after college before returning home to Chicago to get my MA in Interior Design. I know a lot about dresses and had the luxury of watching very talented people make them every day in our workroom. I think subconsciously I wanted something that those people would have appreciated. I wanted something unique—and a little edgy—but still classic and simple. The minute I [tried] it on I knew it was the one. I continued to try on an a lot of other [dresses], but nothing really came close." The bride accented her look with a whimsical bouquet of spray roses, lisianthis, dahlias, snowberry, amaranthus and chrysanthemum wrapped in hand-dyed silk Adorn ribbon. The groom donned a bespoke suit by Hall Madden, which he accessorized with Tiffany & Co. cufflinks, a gift from the bride.
As for the bridal party, the couple chose to skip the pomp and circumstance of bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, and page boys. Guests arrived to the sounds of of an Irish bagpiper playing and were treated to glasses of Champagne and Guinness as they walked up the stone path towards the manor for the ceremony, which was held in the upper gallery of Gloster House, with the room's fireplace as its centerpiece.
The couple wrote their own vows, and forewent readings, choosing to keep the ceremony predominantly personal. Said the bride, "[I] did weave in a statement that expresses my true devotion to Colin: 'I will be truthful and faithful in word, deed and thought. I will seek your happiness as my own...and feed the fish when you’re not home.'" The couple tapped their floral designers, Sugi Parfum and Patsie & Co., to create their ceremony marker, which was "composed of autumnal foraged leaves, spray roses, lisianthis, dahlias, snowberry, amaranthus, chrysanthemum, ferns, beech branches, ivy and Virginia creeper vines."
Olivia walked down the aisle with her father as an Irish harpist played. The non-denominational ceremony incorporated the Celtic tradition of hand-fasting which involves binding the hands of the couple with a ribbon to symbolize marriage vows.
After the ceremony, the couple invited their guests to dinner catered by Posh Nosh Ireland, during which toasts, and an a capella performance of "She Moved Through the Fair" by an Irish group entertained the guests. To complement the look of the wedding, which Olivia describes as "natural, moody, clean, streamlined, ornate and painterly," the couple's long, family-style communal tables were draped in a smokey grey muslin, set with matte black plates, crystal glassware, and antique silver taper candles.
The centerpieces stole the show: gestural centerpieces and cloches artfully designed with deep, moody-toned blooms and rich fruit like figs, grapes, and pomegranates for a look that felt Dutch Masters inspired, yet modern. The couple's signature drink which flowed at the bar? Jameson. On the rocks.
After dinner, guests hit the dance floor as The Bentley Boys performed, and the bride changed into a short dress by Reem Acra, a style aptly called "First Love," and green velvet flats.
On the planning process, the bride—like anyone who has successfully found their perfect fit when it comes to planning, design, catering and more—speaks adoringly of the process, as well as the day itself. "I loved the planning process. I felt like a Creative Director putting together my dream team of talented artists. The whole process was collaborative. With our guest experience, we aimed to strike a balance between structure and freedom; a blend of shared and individual experience. Go off on your own, go to the bars, the museums, explore Ireland and then come back to celebrate, with us."
Olivia and Colin's theory? "Surround yourself with good people and you'll always have a good time." As for advice for couples planning a destination wedding: "Relax as best you can and enjoy the process," said Olivia and Colin. "Make it personal and add a few surprises. Soak in every minute you are all together. It will be very rare to have all the most important people in your life in one room so happy, in their Sunday best, drinking and being merry." After the wedding, the couple continued their journey in Ireland for a mini-moon, spending a few days at Ballynahinch Castle.
Carrie Goldberg is HarpersBAZAAR.com’s Weddings & Travel Director. She oversees the site’s BAZAAR Bride channel, travel & dining content, and styles fashion and bridal editorials for BAZAAR.com. When she’s not traveling, she spends her free time in her hometown–New York City–where there is no shortage of new places to shop, eat, drink, see and explore.
