From a chance meeting at a New York City bar in 2018 to an intimate, sun-drenched proposal on the empty sands of a beach in Donegal, Jess and Luke’s love story spans oceans. And when it came to planning their midsummer June 20, 2026 wedding, this transatlantic couple knew exactly what mattered most: staying true to themselves, ditching the standard wedding playbook and throwing an unforgettable party for their 135 guests.

Because the couple lives and works in New York City, although Jess is originally from New Jersey and Luke from Strabane in Tyrone, they booked their venue completely sight unseen. Guided by pure intuition, they chose Ballintubbert Gardens and House in Co. Laois—and it completely blew them away. Ready for pure garden party wedding day inspiration? Their sun-kissed midsummer's wedding day was captured so beautifully by photographer Danielle O'Hara, the images almost speak for themselves...

Describing their proposal, Jess says it was like a dream. They were out walking on what was the most sunny Northern Irish day imaginable (they were on holiday visiting Luke's family) and Jess says it felt "perfectly us - casual and private," Despite ring shopping together a few months prior, she had no clue it was coming. "We had hiked up to beautiful Murder Hole beach in Donegal where suddenly he got on one knee and proposed!" Right after all the initial buzz and the one-on-one excitement, the couple were met with big hugs and glasses of Champagne by family at Downings beach.

The bridal bouquet which was designed by Laura O’Connor of Wildfeather Blooms, featured wild and overgrown flowers of white and green with pops of daisy yellow.

To keep the day feeling relaxed, Jess wanted her bridesmaids to feel confident and authentic, so she let them choose their own dresses. The only rule? It had to be a shade of green.

Jess looked so stunning in a dress by contemporary New York-based bridal designer Sarah Seven, which she paired with a sheer ceremony cape that was cleverly reimagined later into a draped neck scarf for the drinks reception. "Finding the right shoes was the ultimate challenge," says Jess. "I had something very particular in mind, but ended up with pumps from Stuart Weitzman and loved them. They were comfortable and had a low chunky heel, so were easy to walk in with all the grass on properly."

One of the stand-out details of Jess’s look was a last-minute hair miracle, with stylist Danielle Garner sewing delicate hair pins directly into locks of hair. When the combs (which were bought at bridal jewellers Lelet ) weren’t quite filling the space, Danielle uncovered two vintage bumblebee pins from her own kit, and Jess's cousin offered up two gem earrings to sew into the braids. The result was a secure, one-of-a-kind hairstyle that looked so pretty and perfectly matched the wedding's midsummer garden theme.

The groom and groomsmen looked great in tailored suits sourced from Tomorrows Menswear in nearby Derry. Luke completed the look with shoes and accessories also from the Derry boutique, ensuring a cohesive and classic style from head to toe. In a brilliant twist of fate, the groomsmen's suits ended up being a rich shade of green - an entirely unplanned coincidence that perfectly matched the bridesmaids' mismatched green dresses and complemented the venue's lush botanical backdrop.

Jess and Luke leaned heavily into the venue’s ethereal garden vibe. Instead of enforcing a strict, formal dress code, they let the natural landscape dictate the mood and invited their guests to become part of the decor with a 'Garden Cocktail' dress code featuring bold colours and floral prints.

The mismatched tones of the bridesmaids green dresses blended so beautifully into the venue's landscape.

For the ceremony, celebrant Alison Driscoll of Bespoke Words crafted a highly personalised service that had guests raving.

All in all, the aesthetic was welcoming, joyous and intentionally effortless. "The property is so lush with stunning greenery and florals and the marquee is undeniably special. It truly stands out from any other venue in Ireland- It’s in its own category," says Jess. "There’s something so magical and intimate about the whole place and that really spoke to us."

Music was the heartbeat of the celebration, beginning with Vegas Trad setting the tone early on during the drinks reception.

The visual story featured vintage layered lace on welcome tables, custom table runners found on Etsy and vibrant shades of green, yellow and orange that seamlessly integrated with the lush surroundings. "I planned everything from afar - and had a blast doing it!" says Jess. "From the overall mood, colour of napkins on table, stationery, signage, tablescapes, etc, but couldn’t have done any of it without all our lovely vendors. They truly helped bring the vision to life."

As a designer, Jess designed the wedding stationery on Illustrator, which her mum had printed at her card shop, The Papery. "Instead of doing custom napkins, we chose to do drink coasters with our names and
wedding date, which we had on all the tables and the bar," says Jess. To avoid international shipping fees from the US, Jess printed the welcome signs and bar signage using Vistaprint UK, ensuring high quality with fast local delivery.

Other deeply personal touches included custom Guinness glasses. "I designed glasses for all our guests that had our initials and wedding date on it," says Jess. "They were a huge hit."

"We wanted to do something a bit more playful rather than a traditional cake cutting," says Jess. "So we asked Laura Boland from Cake Etc Craft Bakery to created a special, long rectangular cake instead." This playful design allowed Jess and Luke to line up candles, blow them out together, and meet in the middle for a kiss.

At dinner, the florals on the tables were styled in overflowing large terracotta pots and surrounded by an abundance of warm candlelight.

We love Jess's bridal bag which is a the much coveted 'Nest' clutch from Isla De Gar.

The couple's First Dance was to Van Morrison's Days Like This.

For the main party, Jess and Luke hired The Icebreakers, a local band they fell in love with at their favourite pub, The Harbour Bar in Downings.

The dance floor stayed absolutely packed into the early hours thanks to Bespoke Music Solutions, the undeniably cool DJ team that kept the crowd's energy high and ensured an unforgettable night of non-stop dancing.

Following their wedding, the newlyweds headed straight to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, starting in Sorrento and travelling to Positano and Amalfi. "My biggest advice? Don’t wait a few months to go on your honeymoon, fly out right away if you can! Wedding planning (and the weekend itself) is incredible and exciting, but it takes so
much energy out of you. Having that immediate time alone to just decompress, hit the beach,
and soak in being newly married is so lovely and just what we needed!"

Congratulations on your super gorgeous day Jess and Luke. A huge thanks to our fabulous couple and to Danielle O'Hara for allowing us to share this midsummer Ballintubbert House Wedding celebration with One Fab Day!

Check out more Real Weddings and get inspired!

You might also like...