A Romantic and Elegant Black-Tie Affair: Hazel & Andrew's Gloster House Wedding

A real-life fairytale day.

Hazel and Andrew married in May this year and they truly created a wedding to be proud of. Black-tie style and an all-white floral palette of beautiful gypsophila made their special day feel like a fairytale. And when you combine the magnificent setting of Gloster House with the lens of Niamh Smith of The Photography Hub, you're in for pure wedding magic. Let's step inside their day...

Wide shot of garden grass and wedding venue
Chandelier hanging manor house room elegant mirror
Flowers and black ribbon
Cards rings ring box and letters

The elegant stationery by Freckles & Fern perfectly set the tone for the day.

Bridal gown dress is hanging in manor house room
Flowers bouquet resting on chair
Gold bow bridal heels and brides bouquet

Hazel and Andrew originally met in 2016 and had a few dates before both going their separate ways with Andrew going to Australia to work as a doctor there. Fate intervened and the pair reconnected during Covid, and Andrew returned from Australia. The pair tells, "Things couldn’t have gone better since!"

Close up of a smiling blonde bride
Close up of brides white nail polish and hands detail
Bride and her bridesmaids smile
Bride begins to cry as she opens gift from groom

The pair had a lovely intimate proposal. Hazel fills us in, "I returned home from a weekend in Madrid in late November 2022 with some friends to find the whole place decorated for Christmas. Andrew designed a beautiful vintage inspired ring and had it under the tree. Thankfully he had gotten great advice to book me in for a nail appointment!"

Bowtie perfume jewelry and rings
Waiter serves prosecco bottle to guests
Groom poses for a photo
Close up of grooms cufflink shirt suit

When it came to looking for the perfect spot for their celebration there was only one venue on the couple's list - the gorgeous Gloster House. A private, exclusive Georgian home at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in Co. Offaly.

Bride looks down wearing veil facing window
Bride holds out hand jewelry bracelet getting ready
Bride and mother face each other and smile

"I’ve always loved Gloster House, we didn’t consider or visit any other venues. It has everything on site, the house is beautiful but we fell in love with the white chapel. I contacted Nigel Alexander from Gloster House, in December 2022 and got so lucky to get a cancellation for a date in May 2023. In a bizarre turn of events, I realised later on that the cancellation was my friend who had moved her wedding abroad!"

Close up of bride black and white wavy blonde hair
Black and white shot of bride approaching her emotional father
Father smiles at his daughter bride
Father of the bride sees his daughter for the first time
Emotional father sees his daughter bride for the first time

Although they now had their dream venue secured, this meant the couple had a short engagement leaving them just five months to plan their wedding. Hazel tells us, " we had to be efficient and organised. The main priority was creating a great day that everyone could enjoy. We planned everything as much as possible so that the day itself was totally stress free. We selected amazing hair, make-up, photographers, videographers etc that were incredible on the day."

Groom wearing shades/sunglasses walk down the steps
Groom and groomsmen walking down the pathway to garden
Groom and groomsmen smile and pose for the camera wearing bowtie suits
Little dog and two men in suits

The pair describe their gorgeous day as "classic, minimal, elegant & romantic." The bride adds, "We kept the whole wedding style very simple and elegant with a black and white dress code in the bridal party and lots of gypsophila. We included pops of gold throughout also (jewellery, my shoes, candle sticks etc)."

Bride holds bouquet in hand

The ceremony which was held in the Chapel at Gloster House, was conducted by a the bride's brother. Hazel tells us, "My brother Ross, who is not a registered celebrant performed the ceremony for us. We legally married in the registry office two weeks before with just our parents (again we got so lucky with a cancellation to get a date). Andrew’s family friend Julie Muir is a celebrant in Australia and she helped us write and structure the ceremony. Asking my brother to do the ceremony was the best decision we made. It was very relaxed (maybe not for Ross!) and everyone was laughing the whole way through the ceremony. We also did personalised vows which is daunting but worth it."

Empty ceremony room chairs
Bouquet flowers resting beside chairs ceremony
Mirror reflection and candles lit

Hazel adds, "Laura, Andrew’s sister-in-law beautifully read an extract from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. It was the only reading we chose."

Violinist plays music
Two flower girls wearing white dresses walk down the aisle
Bridesmaid in black dress walks down the aisle
Bridesmaid in black dress walks down the aisle
Father of the bride walks her down the aisle

The ceremony space is is what wedding dreams are made of. What could be more romantic and feminine than gypsophila? The couple entrusted Parade Flowers to bring their floral vision to life and they were over the moon thrilled with how it all came together.

Bride reads out her vows to groom into microphone
Close up of little girls white dress and bouquet
Bridesmaids father and mother all clap
Groom reads out his vows to bride into microphone
Bride and groom exchange wedding rings

Exchanging rings from Bespoke Diamonds, the pair said "I do" surrounded by 168 of their family and friends.

Black and white image of bride and groom confetti being thrown over them by guests

After the 'I do's' the couple joined their guests outdoors for cocktail hour to the fun sounds of New Brass Kings.

Polka dot woman and man walk down the steps
Vision of wedding band through doorway and guests
Brass band at wedding playing trumpet and French horn
Man playing trumpet wedding band

Yellow Door Catering created the sumptuious canapés and reception meal while Belfast Woodfired Pizza Company provided the perfect late night food.

Waiter serving food canapes finger food
Man standing behind beer keg at bar Guinness
Four little girls flower girls and little boy in suit white dresses
Bride and groom kiss each other

Hazel's utterly romantic all-lace bridal gown is by Canadian-based bridal label Calla Blanche which she found at Truly Bridal Boutique in Naas. She finished her beautiful bridal look with a full length veil and the Camellia Gold Shoes by Loeffler & Randall which she sourced from The White & Gold bridal boutique.

Groom takes brides hands they walk down the steps together
Bride on her own standing at steps stairs

A wonderfully elegant gypsophila bouquet completed the look.

Bride and bridesmaids in the garden
Bride and her bridesmaids pose holding up bouquets

The ultra-chic black satin bridesmaids' dresses were custom Dresscode creations, while the adorable flowergirl and junior bridesmaid dresses came from Monsoon.

Bride groom and four flower girls wearing white dresses
Bridesmaids hold up bouquet brides head appears amongst them
Bride stands on her own beside balcony ledge to garden
Groom bridesmaids bride and groomsmen pose for a photo in garden
Groom bridesmaids bride and groomsmen pose for a photo

Andrew was dressed in a slick black tux with velvet jacket from Protocol. His groomsmen also looked sharp in their matching classic black tuxedos also from Protocol.

Bride and groom stand on steps to wedding venue
Bride walking up the steps
Groom in shot standing on steps bride in background

The buttonholes were also made of gypsophila to co-ordinate with the bridal bouquet.

Groom takes brides hand and they walk down the steps
Bride and groom hold hands kiss at the garden gate
groom has arms around brides waist they're smiling
Groom holds bride as they stand on steps
Bride and groom from behind walking along pathway to garden

As for words of advice for other couples planning their day, the couple say, "Do it your own way and don’t feel the need to conform. Focus on what is important to you both, that’s all that matters."

Bride and groom walk in courtyard to wedding venue
Bride hugs guest surrounded by other female guests
Suede silk navy jacket on man
Bride and bridesmaids
Little girl looking at the garden she is wearing white dress and a black ribbon
Seating arrangements for guests

The couple scented the day with candles from Rituals & Boujee adding to the overall sensory experience of the day for them and their guests.

Candles lighting on table
Wine bottle on table and candles lit

The tablescapes featured clouds of baby's breath sitting atop crisp white linens, gold taper candlestick holders, place cards with black wax seals and simple, yet elegant table numbers.

Empty dining room table with flowers and candles
Table eleven sign for guests

After the celebrations, the couple headed on a minimoon to France. Hazel tells, "We went to Bordeaux and did vineyard tours after the wedding. It was perfect, we ate and drank amazing food and wine for the week.  It was a perfect way to unwind, it wasn’t too hectic." The pair are hoping to go on a larger honeymoon trip over Christmas.

Bride husband groom and father smiling laughing at table
Cheers to the couple prosecco glasses
Mother of the bride smiling laughing
Father of the bride kisses daughter on the cheek
Back of brides hair accessory blonde

Hazel and Andrew's first dance as newlyweds was to Wicked Games by Chris Isaak, which was followed by the retro sounds of Smash Hits who kept the dancefloor full all night long.

Black and white bride and groom embrace
Black and white couple bride and groom dancing on dancefloor

The couple created a memorable sparkler send-off moment with their guests, and have two very handy tips for couples who want to recreate the same! "We used giant sparklers from Amazon and we also ordered mini blow torches which speeds up lighting the sparklers.".

Groom leans bride over black and white lights
Bride and groom kiss under the lights at night

Congratulations Hazel and Andrew, and thank you for sharing your elegant fairytale day with us. A big thank you also to Niamh Smith of The Photography Hub for sharing the stunning imagery. Check out the gallery below for even more details from their day.

Recommended Suppliers

Wedding Rings
Bespoke Diamonds
Videographer
Dreamcatcher Films
Reception Music
The New Brass Kings
Ceremony/Reception Music
Delta String Quartet

Suppliers 

Photographer //
The Photgraphy Hub
|
Wedding Dress //
Calla Blanche
|
Bridal Boutique //
Truly Bridal Boutique
|
Bridal Shoes //
The White & Gold
|
Suits //
Protocol
|
Bridesmaids Dresses/Shoes //
Dress Code
|
Flower Girl //
Monsoon
|
Flowers //
Parade Flowers
|
Transport //
Ryans, Roscrea
|
Stationery //
Freckles & Fern
|
Makeup //
Ailbhe Lynch
|
Band & DJ //
Smash Hits
|
Rentals/Decor //
Magic Moments
|
//
Amazon
|
//
Amazon
|
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