San Francisco couple, Jenny and Brendan, chose to get married in Roscommon, Ireland at Carrowroe House, the bride’s family’s home in the town where her father grew up. With over 220 guests–more than half traveling from the US–the couple’s goal was to make every moment feel like a special experience. They enlisted House of Hannah to make it happen with the help of florist The Garden and the stunning grounds of the 200-year old estate. The day even included a rainbow—a good luck charm of the Irish—how perfect?! Check out all the details in these beautiful images by Christina Brosnan.
What made the wedding special and unique?
Brendan and I chose to get married in Roscommon, Ireland at Carrowroe House, my family’s home in the town where my dad grew up. Carrowroe House is a 200-year old Georgian estate that has been beautifully restored to its original glory over the past 10 years. We held the ceremony in the property’s walled garden, then welcomed our guests into our home for the cocktail hour, followed by the dinner reception in a clear marquee.
Growing up, I spent many summers in Roscommon and am very close to my Irish relatives. Brendan and I had visited Ireland a few times together and we just knew that choosing to get married there was the right place for us as it held a special place in our hearts. Planning the wedding was a family affair – led by our talented wedding planner and stylist, Lindsay King at House of Hannah Events, Jenny and Brendan were hands on from afar, while also leaning on my sister, aunts, uncles, cousins for help on the ground in Ireland!
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
As soon as we got engaged and decided (quickly) on our venue, I began thinking about my wedding dress. The first place I visited was Loho Bride in San Francisco, a boutique bridal studio owned by my friend Christy Baird. With our wedding setting in mind – garden style yet with unpredictable weather – I initially was looking for a long sleeve gown. However, as soon as I tried on Lihi Hod’s silk crepe skirt with delicate and embellished cap sleeve top, I feel in love with its silhouette and level of detail. I not only felt confident, comfortable yet sexy and totally like myself, but it felt timeless, chic and a design that complemented the style and vision for our wedding.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
As a couple, our favorite thing to do is to entertain and host friends in our home – so our wedding in Ireland wasn’t any different – just on a much bigger scale! We had over 220 guests attend the wedding – more than half traveling from the US – so our goal was to make every moment feel like a special experience for our guests. We held a number of events the week of our wedding – from Welcome Drinks Reception to a Day After BBQ.
-Though we had a large wedding, we opted to have small wedding parties – my sister, Julie as Maid of Honor and Brendan’s brother, Dustin as Best Man.
-For wedding favors, we surprised guests with scratch off lottery tickets at each table setting as well as made in-kind donations to a local charity.
-The cocktail hour featured two signature His & Her Cocktails.
-In lieu of a wedding cake, we had an Irish Coffee Bar with Petit Fours.
-Guests wrote well-wishes for us on hanging tags that were placed on a “Wishing Tree” that was then planted in the garden where we wed.
-Van Morrison’s Crazy Love was our first dance – and on our first wedding anniversary Brendan bought us tickets to see him play next month!
-The dance floor was full of Irish jigs – one of my favorite pastimes!
What was the most memorable part of the day?
For me, walking down the aisle with my dad was one of the most memorable parts of the day. It was such an overwhelming feeling – a culmination of so many things – the support of my dad and how proud I am to be his daughter, how grateful I am for all the wonderful people in our life, the beauty of our surroundings and of course the commitment I was about to make to the love of my life!
There was a large downpour of rain halfway through our ceremony (thankfully, we opted for a ceremony marquee!) which later led to the most beautiful rainbow – a good luck charm in the Irish tradition and a feeling I will take away with me for the rest of my life.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Brendan and I met through mutual friends in San Francisco and were friends for a few years before going on our first date. After about 3 years of dating, Brendan proposed in September 2016 on the cliffs overlooking Laguna Beach, one of our favorite spots, a place we frequented often when visiting Brendan’s family in Orange County. We were married less than a year later in September 2017.
Photographer: Christina Brosnan // Styling/Planning/Invitations: House of Hannah // Flowers: The Garden // Venue: Carrowroe House // Videographer: Cinematic Tide // Dress: Lihi Hod // Dress Shop: Loho Bride // Catering: Eunice Power // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box