You are going to love Gemma and Joe’s colourful, kitsch and retro-inspired wedding. The Irish couple hosted their wedding in the south of France in September. “We wanted our wedding to feel more like a big party rather than a traditional wedding”, said the bride. “We’ve always loved spending time with our friends and family and wanted our day to be about getting together, enjoying each others company with amazing food and drink and music.”
“We really wanted to create a retro, kitsch vibe to the whole wedding. I have always collected vintage knick knacks so we already had a stock pile of things we could use for décor. We really wanted the day to be full of fun for our guests and have a laid-back atmosphere.”
The pair decided to host their wedding in France so they could have a family holiday at the same time! “Joe’s three siblings all got married abroad and as we such fond memories of these holidays we wanted to follow suit and combine a family holiday with our wedding”, she continued. “The venue we chose is a beautiful old farm in the countryside outside Toulouse where our family could stay and relax for a few days before the wedding. Everyone contributed to our big day.”
“Every element of the wedding was put together by us and our family. The day of the wedding had everybody helping out and pitching in – it made everything that bit more special for us. We were also really keen to work with passionate and local suppliers – we met them all a few months beforehand and were blown away by their dedication and they shared our vision for fun and relaxed vibe from the start.”
“We did loads of DIY! We’re pretty crafty and wanted to use our skills to make the day unique to us. I am a graphic designer so I was able to design all the paper goods. We also used eBay and flea markets to source vintage vases and tins and fabric for the hay bales. I stitched my own necklace and embroidered a holder for the rings. We sourced loads of vintage record sleeves to make bunting for the reception room. Each guest also got a Playmobil figurine and a happy pill containing a written happy message when they arrived.”
Gemma wore an adorable polka dot dresses and veil made for her by Peekaboo Design Studio in Dublin. “The best thing about wedding planning was working with some amazing suppliers. Laura, our wedding planner, made all the arrangements for us, which was a godsend as neither of us speak good French. Emilie, our photographer, captured everything perfectly and Susan at Peekaboo created my dream wedding dress.”
“It’s probably a cliché, but the worst part about the run up was worrying that everyone would enjoy the day”, she concluded. “Although we kept telling ourselves to relax and enjoy it – you do have a small niggling feeling you want people to be enjoying themselves. It’s all crazy really because there is never a reason to worry – everyone was laughing and having fun! I wish we hadn’t sweated the small stuff as much. We had planned all the details down to a T but when the day arrived it didn’t matter if everything was in the right place or not. We were just happy to be celebrating and having fun with all everyone.”
