A celestial dream barn wedding. This couple totally transformed Kinkell into such a gorgeous autumnal and fun space. Their bridal party had musical theatre backgrounds so you can just imagine the party that we had here with them all in November!
Laura & Conor have kindly shared their experience of the day
Firstly a little bit about you..
How did you two meet?
We actually met on tinder! Laura was doing a Masters at RCS so we didn’t properly meet each other until lockdown rules relaxed at the end of 2020.
Where did you get engaged?
Conor is a huge Lord of the Rings fan so for his birthday, I (Laura) booked us a trip to Newbury to see the Lord of the Rings musical at the Watermill Theatre. We booked a couple of nights away at a beautiful BnB that was built into a hill (just like the shire) and before we left for the show – Conor got down on one knee!
Finding your venue and planning the wedding
What was it that first attracted you to Kinkell? Was there something that stood out when you knew it would be the perfect place for your special day?
I (Laura) never thought I would get married but I remember YEARS ago seeing a picture of Kinkell Byre and I screenshotted it thinking “if I ever was to get married, this is where it would happen” and when Conor and I got engaged – that same picture appeared in a “iPhone memory” slideshow and we arranged to go to the next open day where we absolutely fell in love with how magical it was and we booked our date!
Tell us a little bit about planning your wedding. Where did you start?
We are massive fans of fantasy books and we knew we wanted our wedding to feel as if you’d just walked into one. We wanted our wedding day to just scream “US” and I know we absolutely achieved that at Kinkell.
How did you decide on a colour theme or style?
With it being a November wedding, we wanted it to feel really cosy and warm so we decided on autumnal colours (burnt orange, browns, greens). Those colours with the lighting in Kinkell was perfect. Felt like you walked into a Stevie Nicks song. Our stylist Elaine at Fifty Six Events was incredible and totally understood the brief.
Where did you find your suppliers?
We found some of our suppliers through the open day at Kinkell such as Elaine (stylist) at Fifty Six Events, Cath at Blue Poppy Florist, and even the Hawkswood Country Estate where Laura and our bridal party stayed the night before and of the wedding.
Our other suppliers such as our incredible photographers Heather and Cheryl from Canvas and Peach and Curtis from Freyja Wedding Films were found through either family connections or our own research.
Is there anything you wish someone had told you about before about planning a barn wedding?
We were pretty prepared really knowing that we would have to supply a lot ourselves as a barn is a lot of DIY. I would say – I wish someone told us that hiring glassware is a thing! Was one of those cheeky details that we didn’t think of until the last minute! All worked out in the end though!
Was there anything that was really important to you both to have?
Authenticity. We never forgot about what the day was really about and that was celebrating our love with our nearest and dearest.
The Big Day!
Tell us about your wedding day, what are your highlights and favourite memories?
Sounds cheesy but the whole day was just perfect but one of our favourite moments was after we were announced husband and wife – “I’m in love with you” by The 1975 started BLASTING as we walked down the aisle together and everyone was throwing confetti at us and singing/dancing along and they followed us dancing out of the ceremony space. Conor and I shared a kiss (pictured above) and we turned around to see our guests applauding and dancing together.
Have you any advice for other couples that are planning their wedding?
Remember why you’re doing it. It’s about you two and celebrating your love with your nearest and dearest. It’s for you both to have the most magical and happiest days of your life. Never forget that!
How is married life treating you?
It’s amazing. Getting to introduce ourselves to people like “oh this is my wife” “this is my husband” is still so surreal but we’re loving every moment.
Suppliers:
Catering: Fallones
Photographer: Canvas and Peach
Videographer: Freyja Wedding Films
Decor and Styling: Fifty Six Events
Florist: Blue Poppy Florist
Harpist: Sarah MacNeil
Dress: Essence of Australia
