An exclusive 15th-century Irish castle set on 567 acres of lush private parkland, Luttrellstown Castle was the historic venue for project support specialist Lindsey Hill's wedding to project manager Thomas Czebatul on November 4th, 2024. Captured by Elaine Barker Photography, we love the laid-back charm of this wedding day. And we think you will, too!
"I had just moved into my new home on March 1st 2019, and my friend Taylor dragged me out that night to a bar called ‘Mission’ in Washington so she wouldn't be alone meeting her date. I had no intention of going out that night due to the stress of moving, but I went out anyway. Coincidentally enough, Thomas was in a very similar situation, out with his friend Anthony, who was also with a date. We ended up sitting next to each other, not talking, while both of our friends were with their dates until Taylor reached behind me to tap on his shoulder, and said, ‘Hey, talk to my friend Lindsey. ’ The conversations started, and the night shortly ended after I expressed my hunger. Thomas replied ‘I know a good late-night pizza spot that happens to be across from your new building. We walked home, exchanged numbers, and the rest is history."
On a romantic weekend trip to Champagne, France (Lindsey’s dream destination) from the couple's home in Germany, Thomas planned a picnic in their B&B's vineyard, complete with a beautiful blanket, a basket filled with delicious French sandwiches and pastries, and a bottle of bubbly, of course. He set up his camera to take a picture of the two of them, and then he got down on one knee, popped out the Tiffany blue box, and asked Lindsey to marry him. What she thought would be a weekend away in France turned into her saying yes to Thomas, to spend their lives together!
"I have always been into beauty routines and keeping up with my skin to ensure it looks its best, but of course, when planning a wedding, it was time to take it up a notch. So, in addition to my already well-thought-out routine every morning and night, I’ll say the only thing I did differently was incorporate more gua sha, ice rolling, and facial massages (all done by me), and I started working with a facialist to receive regular facials tailored to my skin." For her fragrance, Lundsey wore Chanel Mademoiselle, having fallen in love with the fragrance after trying out a sample. "The scent is full of freshness but also is calming due to its hint of amber and patchouli; heartwarming but sophisticated and vibrant."
Lindsey flew back to her home state of Michigan to go dress shopping with her mum, grandma, and two sisters. She had a definitive look in mind, but was open to various styles of dresses to fit that look, so she started by picking 5-6 dresses, and found her dream dress on the 5th try. "I continued to try on about 10 dresses that day, and I had it narrowed down to two. I went with the dress I picked for a few reasons; it fit me absolutely perfect and I could take it home ‘off the rack’, the satin fabric was stunning and knew it would shine in photos, the color was a perfect white, I found a perfect veil to match, and I had the vote of everyone that this was indeed the one."
The wedding was black tie, so naturally, Thomas opted for a three-piece tuxedo from a bespoke suit shop in the town where they live in Germany. After browsing through colours, fabrics, textures, and prints, a custom tuxedo suit jacket was ordered with a satin lapel, blue satin inside and with their initials custom stitched. The waistcoat was a perfect match to the suit jacket, mimicking the colour and pattern. Oh, and we cannot forget about the bow tie, which was hand-tied the morning of the wedding.
"I knew from the beginning that I did NOT want a big bridal party. I wanted to keep it quite simple, and Thomas also agreed that he only wanted a few groomsmen. It worked out perfectly that I had my two sisters, Kortney and Niccole, and then my childhood best friend, Alexandra. The four of us have always been extremely close, and it just worked out well. I asked the bridesmaids to pick out their own dresses, but I gave them the colour, which was black. With the wedding being black tie, we knew the guests would be showing up in their best, so I really wanted the bridesmaids to stand out by wearing a unique dress. I had them send me their ideas or samples, and I would say yes or no. It was quite simple for them to get their dresses; they did a great job!"
"We decided to do two unique things in the ceremony, one being writing love letters to each other and putting them inside a whiskey box to open and read in 5 years, and the second being unity candles lit with our mothers. It was both funny and heartfelt, leaving people laughing while also possibly shedding a tear. We had a guitarist before, during, and after the ceremony, which was so lovely; it set the tone for a lovely ceremony. Our favourite part, aside from listening to our celebrant tell our amazing story, was probably our love notes in a box. It's truly something we can look forward to and a way to reflect on our wedding, reminding us of what we did and how amazing it was."
As Americans living in Germany, the pair knew that any location would be challenging; either they would have to fly to the US for venue check-ins regularly, or travel to central Europe would be necessary for their guests. Eventually, the pair decided on Ireland, having previously visited and fallen in love with the country. Lindsey began exploring venues and came across Luttrellstown Castle. "We knew it would be easy for our American family and friends to travel to Dublin, and we knew many of them already wanted to visit the country. We thought it would be the perfect wedding destination to celebrate with our loved ones, and it was exactly that. It was the most spectacular venue."
"We had Doug Sheridan as our ceremony and cocktail hour music. We did a few quick searches on the internet and Instagram, and sure enough, we landed on Doug. After listening to his music and speaking with him, we were certain that he would be a part of our day. And honestly, I cannot say enough good things about him! We stumbled across The MixTape Band, and they were also so amazing to work with; we loved their music examples on their website. We reviewed the songs they were able to play and setlist examples; it was all the music we were looking for: some oldies, some rock, some pop, and a mix of it all. I would highly recommend them!"
Regarding the best decision, Lindsey said, "The best decision was (maybe cliché?) picking the venue, it was everything imaginable and more! We could write positively about Luttrellstown Castle for hours; the praise is endless. If I had to pick one thing, it would be that everything was flawless. We knew the staff were working endlessly to make everything seem this way, and they certainly did their job. Every question was answered with yes, we felt nothing was ever a problem or a burden."
- Gráinne