A Garden Wedding with a Bird Theme & Jenny Packham Dress - The Reception

Posted by Weddings Dresses Ideas

It's time for the reception pictures from this gorgeous Midsummer's Eve wedding. Sonya and Terry chose 20th June for their big day, and basked in stunning sunshine - lucky things! With a romantic garden theme and a vintage bird motif, there's plenty of stealworthy ideas for you to enjoy. Sonya DIY'd many of her wedding details, including the bird-stamped luggage tags for her wedding wish tree and the rustic hessian napkin wraps {very effective!}. My favourite spots include the bird-named reception tables, birdcage centre pieces, pink striped balloons, rustic pastel iced cakes, and the fabulous giant pink and peach balloons. Huge thanks to Tanya from Eden Photography for capturing every detail!


We celebrated our wedding at Kilternan Church of Ireland in Co. Dublin, and afterwards with a reception in The Village at Lyons in Celbridge, on 20th June 2013. 


We always wanted to have an intimate wedding for family and friends to share with us. We knew that as our wedding day was on Midsummer's Eve, that we wanted a summer garden, romantic theme, and the venue suited this perfectly.




The Village at Lyons is an enchanting place from when you walk over the bridge with the cascading waterfall below, in through the doors and all around the gardens. 



I chose a summer garden theme with cream and soft pastel colours. A bird theme ran throughout our wedding, from the bird's nest filled with fresh moss, which our daughter as a ring pillow, to the bird-named reception tables, and bird cage centre pieces filled with fresh flowers.


I saw a piece about Eden Photography, and Tanya our photographer, on an Irish Wedding site, called Weddings Online. They'd featured a beautiful wedding she'd shot in Ballymagarvey House, and I loved her style of photography instantly. 


Tanya creates candid, relaxed photographs ,with beautiful shots of the little things that really matter on your wedding day. I met with Tanya and knew she was the perfect match for me. I felt relaxed and comfortable with her all day.


We had a thumbprint guest book tree for our guests, and two wish trees. Guests wrote their advice on the back of vintage luggage tags stamped with different bird images and hung them onto the trees. 

At midnight we had a sky lantern release which was really special for all our guests. It was a really magical moment seeing them in the sky together. Our band were The Red Shoes who played a mixture of every type of music. Our guests commented on how good Dave and the rest of the band were. Nobody wanted to sit down when they played!


I had a few DIY projects! I made the luggage tags for the table plan cards which were pegged onto a wire birdcage, and I cut hessian fabric and string for each napkin wrap.


I also used rubber stamps with garden themed images to stamp onto luggage tags. These were used for stringing onto our wish trees.


Our wedding florist was Lorcan at AbFab Flowers in Celbridge. I wanted a soft, pastel coloured mix of blooms, with a handpicked summer garden look. I chose pale pink and cream peony roses, cream and peach roses, astilbe, and baby's breath.


Our wedding stationery was designed by Pretty as a Picture in Rathnew. I was searching all the usual stationary supplier websites for something a bit different, that would suit by summer garden theme. I noticed on Pretty as Picture's homepage a background image of a summer garden with beautiful flowers, butterflies, birds & birdcage.


I called Ailbhe at Pretty as a Picture, who told me she'd actually designed the illustration herself, and let me use it for my invitations and ceremony booklets. They designed the invitations and ceremony booklets using the illustration beautifully.


I loved every minute of it and was really sad after it was all over. Makes me think that I’d love to get involved in wedding planning just so I can re-live my own again!!!



My advice to brides? Savour every moment of the run up to the wedding because it is all over in an instant. Don't sweat the big stuff. It always works out in the end and make sure to involve your husband to be in the plans. Us women tend to take over and forget that they are there to help make the plans also. They like to be involved in some way so let them do a few things to lessen the load!


I had a vintage tea party drinks reception with summer fruit punch, lemonade and tea so firstly I had cupcakes decorated with rose water icing, fresh strawberries and lemon which stood on vintage 3 tiered cake plates. 


My cakes were a two tier fruit cake with ivory royal icing and a single tier strawberry and cream sponge cake with pink buttercream icing. I didn’t want plain flat icing so went with a frosted style of icing which worked perfectly with my theme again. 


On top of each cake I had a vintage teacup & saucer filled with a fresh peony to top it all off.


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