Let me start by saying I couldn’t possibly fit all of the heart-stoppingly romantic photos by Paula O’Hara into one short post and thankfully we’ve got an entire gallery overflowing with beauty! This Atlanta-born bride met her Irish groom while traveling abroad, and since their future would bring a move to Europe for her, they decided on a Georgia wedding surrounded by family and friends. Southern charm + rustic details in the most perfectly muted palette can be found everywhere in this stunner of a celebration designed by the bride with the help of some incredibly creative vendors. See the rest right here!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… I’m Alise and I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Conor and I met in Ireland July of 2011 while I was traveling around Europe. We locked eyes in a pub on my last night there, and I was instantly smitten with his accent and good looks! We never thought we’d see one another again because I was flying out to London the next day. I’ve always believed that if something is meant to be, it will be. We ended up seeing one another again and after months of skyping and emailing, I flew back to Ireland for two weeks the following October. During those two weeks, we fell crazy in love. We knew we could make this relationship work, no matter the distance. Conor shockingly proposed in December of that year and the wedding planning began! After a whirlwind romance and months of being separated, we finally tied the knot on April 28, 2012!
At the start of the planning process, we held two things very important: photography and the incorporation both of our cultures and traditions. We decided that since I was moving to Ireland, we would have our wedding in Atlanta, where I’m from. Our wedding was a mixture of ‘old world’ southern elegance mixed with a bit of Irish charm. I was the events planner at our reception venue for over two years, so I witnessed many weddings there, and I knew exactly how I wanted mine to look. I’m a very detail-oriented person and wanted everything at our wedding to have special meaning. With the help of Style Me Pretty and other wedding blogs out there, I decided to take on most of the decorating and details myself. The women in my family are all antique lovers, so I had quite a collection to choose from to create our centerpieces. I am also immensely blessed with very talented friends who devoted much of their time helping me make all the DIY elements of our day. One of my favorite details are the jam jar favors, which I handmade and put together with my dad and sweet grandma who wasn’t able to attend the wedding due to her health. I also wore my mom’s veil that she wore on my parent’s wedding day 29 years ago. The planning itself was stressful at times, but in the end it was worth it to see all the hard work come together for such an amazingly beautiful day. I’m actually now a budding wedding stylist here in Ireland, hoping to bring America’s fresh and beautiful creative ideas to this side of the Atlantic!
After being apart for so long, our wedding day was a perfect beginning to the rest of our lives together, but also a heartbreaking goodbye with all my dearest family and friends as I just moved to Ireland. The pure joy and love that surrounded us that day was incredible. It was truly like a dream, and we couldn’t have wished for anything better! None of that would have been possible though without our amazing family and friends, we are truly blessed and thankful for them! Also, Paula O’Hara made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and is such a joy to work with. She truly captured the beautiful and emotional moments of our day, as well as the in-between ones too. She has given us such beautiful images that we will always hold dear!
Wedding Photography: Paula O’Hara Photography / Ceremony: Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia / Reception: Windermere Golf Club in Cumming, Georgia / Floral Design: Laurens Norton of Laurens “Floral Art at its Finest” / Wedding Design, Planning + Decor: The Bride / Wedding Cake: Natalie Roth of Cake Envy / Cake Topper: Weddingstar Inc. / Wedding Invitations: Maggie Dunstan, A Friend of the Bride / DJ: Matt Osbourne of Spectrum Entertainment / Favors + Ring Bearer Pillow: DIY / Wedding Dress: La Sposa via Sweet Elegance Bridal / Bride’s Veil: Her Mother’s / Bride’s Shoes: Antonio Melani via Dillards / Hair: Analea Murray, A Friend of the Bride / Makeup: Jasmine Farahdel of Collage Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale / Groom’s Tuxedo: Kenneth Cole