A historic Irish country house nestled in the beautiful North Cork countryside, Ballyvolane House is framed by the serenity of idyllic gardens and woodlands, making it the perfect venue for a late summer celebration. Solicitor Hannah McCay married sustainability professional James Day amidst the stunning estate on the 31st of August 2024. Photographed by Studio Lordan, with delicate wildflower arrangements, bridesmaids in blue and a woodland ceremony, their special day was light, playful and a beautiful refresher amid this cold Irish winter.
The couple met in 2015 while both were studying in Dunedin, New Zealand. "We had both grown up in the same city and found we had a lot in common."
"We left New Zealand in May 2023 for an incredible few months of travel around Europe. In July, while we were in Cefalù in Sicily, the day after our 8th anniversary, James planned a perfect proposal: a boat trip along the coastline, a seaside dinner, and a walk on the beach. Hannah was admiring the view when she turned around and found James on one knee - he had been carrying the ring in his luggage for over 2 months."
Hannah’s make-up artist, Maria, gave her fantastic guidance on a skincare routine to use over the 6 months leading up to the wedding, ensuring her skin was healthy and glowing for the big day. James and Hannah picked complementary scents from the Replica line by Maison Margiela - Hannah chose the aptly named On A Date, and James went for When the Rain Stops.
Hannah and James moved to Dublin in September 2023. Hannah’s family were coming to visit for 3 weeks over Christmas 2023, and it was really important that she could pick her wedding dress with her mum. We went to one dress appointment at Sharon Hoey in Dublin, and with such a beautiful range of dresses, Hannah knew she had found the one at that first appointment - she ended up choosing the very first dress that she tried on!
James knew he wanted a classic, timeless look. A made-to-measure tuxedo from Louis Copeland & Sons fit the bill.
"My bridesmaids were my wonderful friends Sophie and Molly, whom I have known since high school. I knew I wanted them as my ‘something blue’ at the wedding, so we decided to go with complementary dresses in pale blue."
"We are so grateful to our wonderful celebrant, Rosemary Hartigan, for our civil ceremony. We clicked with Rosemary straight away, and she wrote a beautiful, personal ceremony. It was extraordinary to be able to include our friends and family in various roles in the ceremony - with readings from James’ brother Pierce and Hannah’s bridesmaid Molly, and with James’ eldest brother Stephen and Hannah’s brother Ben acting as the witnesses."
As both Hannah and James are from New Zealand with family connections to Ireland, they knew it would be extraordinary to have their wedding here. "We were looking for a unique venue with history and character that our family and friends from all over the world would enjoy travelling to. James did some research into historic Irish houses and came across Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, Co. Cork." After a first visit in October and a couple of Bertha’s Revenge gin cocktails by the fire with owner operators Jenny and Justin Green, the decision to have the wedding at Ballyvolane became incredibly easy.
"We loved the idea of our bridal party and families all staying on-site for the wedding, and one particular favourite memory is the dinner we had at the venue the night before the wedding with our parents, siblings, and bridal party. The ceremony setting in the woodland on the grounds was so magical. Jenny, Justin and the whole team at Ballyvolane were such a pleasure to work with and were a massive support throughout the entire planning process. They also managed everything seamlessly behind the scenes on the day, so we could really live in the moment and experience all the special moments."
"We had local trad musician Brian Ó Broin play at our drinks reception."
"Our best decision was possibly the wedding date; we were very fortunate to get one of the warmest and sunniest Saturdays of last summer! We couldn’t think of any decision that we weren’t happy with."
- Gráinne