Hawaii vs Ireland – A Hawaiian themed wedding at Durhamstown Castle
I got a fairly desperate phone call one evening from Mariah and her mother a few years ago. The planning for her destination Irish castle wedding from Hawaii just wasn’t going well. Time differences, cultural differences, and simply not being sure what they wanted or could have were starting to stress this normally very relaxed, laid-back mother and daughter.
Mariah was marrying Mike, whom she met while in college at Trinity Dublin. Mike is Irish but has been living in America for years. Both sporty people, they played water polo at Trinity College and are probably one of the most fun-loving, smiley couples I’ve ever had {as you will see!}.
After numerous emails, a few phone calls, and a productive meeting in Dublin, we quickly settled on the location. They chose Durhamstown Castle; the style would be Hawaiian meets Irish barn wedding at a castle. Yup -it can be done!
We needed a creative florist to pull this off, so we enlisted the help of Mark from The Garden. Mark created the Hawaiian Lei’s, Haku for the women and Maile Lei’s for the guys and flowers for the tables, which included gold pineapples. {Those were my idea. I thought it was hilarious!}
Stunning photography by Katie Farrell is below so you can see for yourself!
Mariah’s dress was made from a traditional Hawaiian pattern, and the shell necklace she wore was her mother’s.
For the early October ceremony, they were in a stretch tent on the castle lawn. Mariah’s brother played the Ukulele as the bride walked in with her father. To add some Irishness, the couple had an Irish handfasting as part of their ceremony.
Mariah wrote and performed the most beautiful Hula for her new husband. Honestly, it had me in tears and was so expressive and heartfelt that I felt like I was intruding in a very intimate exchange between the two of them. It was stunning.
What a fantastic, unique day they had. Full of love, fun, laughter, great food and festive drink. This is how every modern wedding should be!
Huge thanks again to Katie for the photos and Congratulations {and a happy anniversary!} to Mariah and Mike. Your day was simply unforgettable!
