Megan & Alaa's Ballykealey House Wedding

Nestled in the heart of Co. Carlow, the 19th-century Ballykealey House offered an enchanting woodland setting for the wedding of veterinary physiotherapist Megan Taylor to field marketing lead Alaa Abdel Jawad on May 10th 2025. Planned from Dubai with the help of Megan's mum, this breezy spring wedding is bursting with personal touches, captured by Laura Parkinson Photography and featured in the Winter issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL Weddings.

The couple met on Tinder! "We matched on the app in 2021 in Dubai, where we both live, and met at a jazz bar for our first date. From the moment we met, there was an easy connection and a spark that neither of us could ignore. That first evening set the tone for everything that followed, and as they say, the rest is history."

"We were in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, exploring the countryside on horseback, when Alaa proposed. That morning, we had trekked up to the top of a snow-capped mountain, and once we reached the summit, he handed our phone to the trekking guide to take what I thought would be a photo, but instead, he proposed. It was such a special moment, made even more memorable by the setting. We were in a truly remote part of the country, surrounded only by mountains and open countryside. After the trek, we stumbled across a tiny shop, bought a dusty bottle of wine, and celebrated back at our farm stay, sitting among chickens and farm animals. It was simple, unexpected, and absolutely perfect."

Megan wanted her wedding makeup to look natural and quite light, so in the months leading up to the big day, she focused mainly on skincare. Sticking to a good skincare routine, along with occasional laser and hydro facials, helped keep her skin healthy and glowing. "About a week before the wedding, I had a lash lift and brow lamination at Browz in Dubai, which meant I could skip false lashes and still feel polished on the day. In retrospect was so thankful for the prep; it was such a sunny spring day, and with so much excitement, I didn’t have to worry about touch-ups."

"For my wedding scent, I chose Gypsy Water by Byredo. It’s one of my favourites, woody yet light, with hints of pine needles, vanilla, and citrus. It felt like the perfect match for our woodland setting. Every time I catch a hint of it now, I’m instantly transported back to that day."

After a lengthy search, Megan found her dress at Eden Manor in Wexford, and it turned out to be the complete opposite of what she had planned. Hilda, who runs the boutique, has a great system where you try on one of each style - lace, beaded, mermaid, A-line, Vera Wang, etc. - to narrow down what feels right and avoid staying in your comfort zone. "When I tried on the Vera Wang Rubria, I knew straight away it was the one. It was the definition of a princess gown: a voluminous tulle skirt with a cascade of ruffles that open into an apex, elongating the silhouette. The soft layers gave it movement without being too heavy. It wasn’t what I had pictured at all, but once I had it on, nothing else compared; it just felt like me."

Despite the love at first sight fairytale, there was some stress with the alterations, as living abroad meant that once the dress arrived in Ireland, Megan still had to wait until she could try it on for the first time, just a few months before the wedding, and much to her horror, it ended up being two sizes too big! Thankfully, they were able to send it off for alterations, and just three days before the wedding (Nail-bitingly close), the fit was perfect.

"Alaa worked with a tailor in Dubai to create a custom white tuxedo, designing every element to his taste, from selecting the fabric to choosing the cut and styling. To make it even more personal, he had our initials discreetly embroidered into the sleeve of the suit, a subtle detail that made it feel unique to our day."

For her bridal party, Megan had her sister and three close friends from university by her side. For their dresses, she chose an olive green palette to complement the forest setting of our wedding. "I didn’t want them all in identical styles, so I shared a selection of options from Rewritten in the same shade and let each of them pick the cut they felt most comfortable in."

"The ceremony was the true highlight of our day. Nestled within the hidden woodlands of Ballykealey House, beneath a canopy of ancient oak trees, with the sun shining down on us, it was everything we had pictured. With Alaa being Jordanian/Palestinian and me Irish, we knew from the very beginning that we wanted our ceremony to be a meaningful blend of both our cultures and traditions. Our celebrant, Miriam Fitzgerald, guided us beautifully in creating something deeply personal and unique, weaving together elements from each of our backgrounds. One of the major highlights of the day came when Alaa’s cousin recited traditional Palestinian wedding verses, filling the forest with words that carried both history and love."

Living abroad meant the couple had to entrust Megan's mother to visit venues and attend open days on their behalf, and from the moment she stepped onto the grounds of Ballykealey, she knew it was the one. "Since childhood, I had always told her that I dreamed of being married in a forest, and when she discovered the woodland ceremony space with a 100-year-old tulip tree, she instantly knew it was the perfect venue for us. We envisioned a more intimate celebration, with around 90 guests, many of whom were travelling to Ireland, which made Ballykealey the ideal choice as it offered the exclusivity of a private estate, the full attention of their staff, along with the warmth of having our guests be able to stay the night before, too."

To make the day even sweeter, the beautiful weather allowed the pair to host their cocktail hour outdoors in the courtyard. Paired with the incredible charcuterie spread the venue prepared, it had the relaxed, joyful feel of a garden party, just what they had hoped for.

"For the ceremony, a bagpiper led our guests into the woodland setting, paying tribute to Jordan, where bagpipes are a traditional instrument. Later, our DJ brought both cultures together on the dance floor, mixing Arabic music with Irish classics and wedding favourites."