Doireann and Vincent have routes in both Ireland and South Africa and hence their wedding at Gloster House was an international occasion with influences from South Africa as well as Ireland. The exact location for their wedding was in Co. Offaly, Ireland at the immaculate, impressive and versatile Gloster House – a spectacular venue that we were delighted to be invited to. This was our first, and we hope not our last, time at Gloster House Wedding Venue in Brosna. (Brosna is nestled in the Irish countryside approximately two hours South West of Dublin.)
Gloster House is indeed a venue with so much to offer, all of which is not immediately visualised from outside of the grand main house, but as you’ll see through Doireann and Vincent’s pictures below, once you start to explore the variety of rooms and locations Gloster House has to offer, you come to realise that this venue really does have it all, and as wedding photographers at Gloster House, this is all visual music to our eyes.
Alongside the beautiful backdrop, we were treated to world-class on the day planning, logistics and incredible decor from the team at Weddings by Franc, we really were spoilt.
A few words from Doireann and Vincent…
- How and why did you choose your venue(s)?
We had visited four different venues prior to Gloster House and whilst each was a serious contender, we hadn’t had a unanimous ‘yes’ from both of us and our parents. We liked the idea of being able to hire out a house in the countryside and having it to ourselves. We adored the architecture of Gloster house. We felt the house had so much potential. It had so many different spaces we could use from an onsite chapel, a beautiful courtyard and a glorious hallway for the drinks reception – it was a unanimous ‘yes’ from all parties involved as we walked around! We adored the white chapel. It had such a wow factor when we first walked in. We could just picture the flowers and the choir. We also loved the idea that our guests weren’t required to travel from the Church to a venue. It was and is a one-stop venue.
- What were your top one/three priorities in planning your wedding?
We think like all couples planning their wedding, we really wanted our guests to enjoy the day. We felt that this comes down to creating a great ambience, food and music. We are real foodies so we wanted the food to be of high quality and plenty of it. Eunice Power came highly recommended from numerous sources. Vincent is South African so we really wanted South African wine at our wedding to remind us of our earlier dating days! We got our Champagne from Urville in France and as Margaritas are our favourite cocktail, they were a must for the reception. I think music is such an important part of the day in creating the ambience and for us, the choir really set the tone. So many people commented after that Arís choir were the highlight of the day. People left the chapel singing and clapping. When I asked Vincent what his priority was his first response was his bespoke suit jacket!
- What one thing most surprised you about your wedding, or planning your wedding?
The hidden costs of having a wedding in a private house rather than a hotel. Everything is hired separately for a private wedding in a house and is therefore difficult to budget for giving the various and multiple unknowns (cutlery, crockery, tableware, glassware etc) Having your wedding in a hotel is a set price from the outset, so definitely easier to budget for and not have to consider renting all the various elements.
- If you could do it all over again, which one thing wouldn’t you change, and if anything, what one thing would you change?
This is a tough one. The choir, photographer and videography are definitely worth their weight in gold! These costs may seem extravagant at the time, but in hindsight are the best-spent money.
There is very little we would like to change. The drink reception was a bit of a whirlwind meeting and greeting people that we both ended up missing the string quartet playing inside. I also never got to have a Margarita!! So my advice would be to make time to sit back and take it all in, if only for 5 minutes.
A few lovely words about us from Doireann and Vincent…
“I think Barney’s picture speak for themselves – truly brilliant and completely captures the essence and the magic of the day. Above and beyond this, Barney is a consummate professional with every aspect of the day considered and thought out precisely. The planning started months in advance with Skype calls with Vincent and me to get to know us and our plans for the day…
Besides his amazing talent for photography, is his ability to coordinate and manage the flow of the entire day. We found ourselves completely reliant on Barney on what to do and where to go next! The day passed seamlessly. I certainly had separation anxiety when Barney finally said his goodbyes at the end of the night!
We are so delighted with our wedding photos, so much so that we are now gifting our parents with albums for Christmas. We would highly recommend Barney as your wedding photographer – his work does not happen by chance, everything is extremely well thought out and considered. He is an extremely hard worker and goes above and beyond.” – Doireann and Vincent
Complete supplier list can be found in the footer.
Complete supplier list:
Photography: Barney Walters
Venue: Gloster House
MUA: Paula Callen
Hair Stylist: Neill Ryan from Sugar Cubed
Catering Team: Eunice Power Catering
Band: The Bentley Boys
Florist + Planning: Weddings by Franc
Videographer: Uray Weddings
Dress Designer: Galia Lahav from Browns Bridal, London
Suit Designer: William Hunt, Saville Row, London at Gloster House Wedding
