Luttrellstown Castle Wedding

For Jenya and Steven, we flew all the way from Toronto to be part of their beautiful day at the Luttrelstown Castle in Dublin, Ireland. Yes, you read it right! A castle. But not just any castle! It’s the same castle where the Victoria became a Beckham. Add in the fall season, and the rich colours bring a whole level of romantic and magical ambiance.

We’re not the only ones who did all the traveling! Steven, Irish and Jenya, Canadian, live in Hong Kong, their friends and families traveled to Ireland from all over the world!

Weddings are such a perfect excuse to get together as a family, especially when everyone is located in different parts of the world. For Steven and Jenya, the wedding was not only special because they got to marry the loves of their lives, but also because their families were able to unite and witness it. We feel that days like these are most treasured within the couple’s families, creating a legacy for all the generations to come.

If everyone is from everywhere, how did this couple meet? The couple’s love story ironically began when Jenya came up to Steve to pick a fight at a dive bar in Hong Kong just shortly after she had moved there. Ever since then, she’s still waiting to have one! Together, they made a home out of Hong Kong and brought some pieces of it to their wedding. Their invites, for example, were designed by a local Hong Kong artist! It has Steve illustrated picking up Jenya in a carriage driven by an ostrich, and sheep are brought as gifts. Both animals can be found in the ceremony and their dinner menus! Even the red velvet cupcakes were sheep-shaped and everyone thought they were too cute to eat! Steve gave the idea of gifting guests with sheep and ostrich behinds wine bottle stoppers. We love how unique, personal, and fun they got with the details!

Jenya and her bridesmaids brought a piece of Hong Kong to Ireland with their custom-made cheongsam dresses, adding a unique visual element to their intimate bridal party. With Jenya’s Giambattista Valli wedding dress, the whole squad looked Vogue chic.

The couple wanted to see each other for the first time during the ceremony. Naturally, walking down the aisle was the most anticipated moment for this bride. She ran through the scenario ever since Steve proposed and even had thoughts like “Should I be fashionably late? Will I breathe quickly or slowly or hold my breath?” When the moment finally came with Des’ree’s Kissing You performed on harps for the “sappiest” effect, we wanted to make sure to capture it well so she can continue to run through the scenario, this time as a memory, for years to come.

We didn’t realize that our last minute decision to turn off the chandeliers in the dining room for a candlelit entrance ended up being Jenya’s favourite part of the day! The dark and romantic mood of the moment created a breathtaking scene. She claims she still has wrinkles on her face and neck from smiling so hard. It’s so rewarding for us when we can make our brides that happy!

So what’s the secret to planning such a perfect wedding? Jenya shared her tips:

“No idea is too silly or crazy, it is your day! Make sure the process of planning is as fun as possible: dim lights, light candles, drink wine. We slow danced, listened to a lot of music, cried, laughed. Enjoy the year of planning, you won’t get it back!”

We love Jenya’s wedding so much, we are still talking about it. Even more and more these days, especially since Fall is right around the corner!