Eclectic Gothic Glam with a Vintage Nod: Natalie & Klyde

All those who are close to Klyde and Natalie will tell you how perfect they are for each other and how there was no stopping their love story. They tied the knot at Mount Druid in Co. Westmeath surrounded by all the people who love them most. Their summer wedding was fun to the core and sure to take your breath away!

Soaked in jewel tones with bridesmaids in teal and breathtaking burgundy bouquets the decor was infused with rich textures that brought a gentle boho feel. Natalie's pin-up glam bridal look was simply sensational and her wedding dress included the most beautiful tribute to her dear late mum! Bursting with gorgeous personal touches and memorable moments, their happy day was captured beautifully by the wonderful Caroline of Wild Things Wed. Enjoy!

Klyde is from Sligo and Natalie is a Colorado-born London girl with a German mum and an Aussie dad. To kick things off they tell us all about their love story, "Klyde had recently arrived in the UK, with notions of making the most of his role as manager of a bustling pub to chat up half of the young ladies in the capital. Natalie, enjoying herself in a post-lockdown London, had no plans to tie herself to anyone, anytime soon. In fact, when she entered the Abercorn Arms that night, she happened to be lamenting the lack of decent guys, saying what a ‘waste of time’ most of them were and how she was fine on her own. That was when her friend, Jess, said to her: ‘Well, you could go out with him’, nodding to the tall, musclebound barman. Natalie thought: ‘Challenge accepted.’" The pair became almost instantly inseparable. In fact, Natalie had all but moved in to Klyde’s tiny room above the pub after no more than five days!

They continue, "These were electric early days filled with laughter, long walks in Bushey Park, and – even if they both tried to deny it a little bit – the undeniable beginnings of love. Their relationship blossomed in a way that felt truly natural and undaunting to the pair, and as it did so, Natalie in particular bloomed in a way that no one around her had ever quite seen. Klyde taught her a new way to live; a way of being happy and of seeing the good. He made anything seem possible and anything she dreamed of in the world feel within reach."

Their proposal in July 2024 was "a little chaotic" and filled with laughter and he popped the question in the 1920s-style jazz bar where Natalie had celebrated her 21st birthday. Klyde was nervous and so unlike himself on the day that Natalie confided in a co-worker that he was either going to propose to or break up with her!

"After a couple of cocktails, the nerves faded though and – in a quiet, dark corner, as Natalie would be mortified by a big public display – Klyde pulled out the box and tried to squeeze down in between a table and a bench to get on one knee, though he did get a little stuck in the process. The penny dropped with Natalie, and she slid down onto the floor next to him, succeeding in getting them both even more wedged. That didn’t matter though, and Natalie, through what she called ‘ugly sobs’, said ‘yes’. They proceeded to the dance floor and, having decided not to tell anyone that night, switched their phones off to celebrate together. Though they couldn’t keep it to themselves for long and ended up telling everyone around them ‘We just got engaged!’ – closing the night with rounds of toasts with some very lovely, if completely unknown, well-wishers."

For the couple, it was so important that their wedding was fun and that they and their guests could feel genuinely relaxed and have a good laugh. "We didn’t want anything to feel forced or stuffy. We both love a good party and also cringe at the idea of taking ourselves too seriously or being the centre of attention, so we wanted to minimise anything too stilted and keep it feeling as relaxed and natural as possible."

They adored the unique and special vibe of the alternative wedding venue located in the lush Westmeath countryside. "The look of it really appealed to us - there is something cool and interesting to look at in every corner, and the owners are clearly dedicated collectors of curios from all over the world - which we love. We also loved the idea of everyone being on site and being able to stay in unique accommodation options, with all the guests kind of moving throughout the grounds over the few days we were there. It has a kind of festival-vibe too, which suited us down to the ground.”

Their ceremony at the Tin Chapel was a wonderfully joyful affair and sweetly they had a memory chair in honour of Natalie's mum. "Each of the bridesmaids, myself and Klyde all laid a flower on her chair when we were at the top of the aisle," she shares.

The readings including What is the Greatest Gift which was read beautifully by Natalie's cousin Annabel. The music was a highlight with Natalie walking in to Love You 'Till the End by The Pogues and they exited as husband and wife to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros which brought the mood up perfectly.

Fun fact: Their wedding rings are inscribed with the beautiful quote ‘The world is ours’ which reflects the sense of adventure that they share.

Undoubtedly one of the most important elements of the celebration for Natalie was her wedding dress. Not long after she got engaged Natalie went dress shopping with her mum and her dream dress was an off-label sample from The Dress in Teddington in London. "It was literally just for fun as we’d not decided on a venue or even a date. I went armed with a picture of the Suzanne Neville ‘Penny’ dress, but when I told them my budget they basically told me ‘forget it’. I tried on a few, including some big princessy ones that wouldn’t be for me. Then, literally like something out of a movie, as we were going to leave, the lady in the shop said, ‘Hold on, there might be something in the back’. She returned with my dress, which was so similar to ‘Penny’. It was also a size eight and when I tried it on, it fit like a glove. I immediately said ‘Okay, how do I go about ordering it’ - but they told me that I would basically be a fool to order a brand new one as this one fit so well and had never really been tried on by anyone else. She said you can take this one for half the price. We went away and my mum said she could pay for it outright at that price, so I rang up the next day and paid over the phone - the deal was done!"

She will forever cherish her dress as sadly her mum passed away suddenly almost three weeks to the day later. "Throughout all the hard bits of planning a wedding without your mum, I was just so so grateful that she has seen, touched, and bought me that dress. It wasn’t a fancy designer name, but it was exactly what I wanted and my mum got to see me in it, so I wouldn’t change it for the world. Oh, and on its route over with Gretta, my bridesmaid, refused to allow Ryanair staff to stuff it in the overhead storage resulting in the captain intervening and allowing it to be hung full length in his cockpit!"

"I adore the whole pin-up glam aesthetic, so I wanted to channel that in my bridal look without feeling costume-y. Bit vintage, bit vampy, but timeless and true to me too," she explains. She accessorised with the absolutely wow Manolo Blahnik Lurum mules in royal blue velvet and a custom cathedral-length blusher veil by Sarah Britten with graphic lace.

Fiona Harrison - The Makeup Studio and Katie Attwood of Beautiful Brides by Katie completed her bombshell bridal look.

Natalie did a risque boudoir shoot for Klyde and it proved to be an unforgettable surprise on the wedding morning. "A couple of the bridesmaids dropped round to him in the morning (with Caroline) which was hilarious. He was blushing so
much!"

Music on the day was by the wonderfully unique The Gramophone Social and the dancefloor was packed into the early hours thank to The Panoramics.

The decor embraced darker colours and rich textures for a comfortable yet atmospheric vibe. "Really we just went with our gut and chose things that we would choose if decorating our house. We wanted it to feel cool, without trying too hard, a little bit glam without feeling forced and formal, and a little bit moody to match with the venue."

Their celebration included an elegant vintage car, cool fabric signage, an incredible teal and edible gold cake, custom matchbox favours, and a first dance to the iconic Dancing in the Moonlight by Thin Lizzy.

They have the following sage advice for those planning the big day, "You can’t please everyone, and someone will always want you to do something differently. But, ultimately, it’s your day, so if you feel strongly about something, take the advice onboard, but stick to your guns! Also, you don’t need to sweat the small stuff - and definitely don’t get bogged down in details - but people do notice the little touches. So many people said ‘Don’t bother with favours, or Orders of Service’, but then when we had them, they were some of the highlights - everyone took our matchboxes home and I get pics of people using them, and I saw loads of people reading the orders of service. It helped everyone understand why we were laying flowers, and made for a nice keepsake."

Natalie and Klyde have no honeymoon plans yet but we're sure they'll have quite an adventure when they do. "We do a good bit of travelling together as it is, and are now officially broke! Right before the wedding we just completed a three-month season, working and snowboarding in Japan, then spent a month in Vietnam and six weeks in Spain!"

Congratulations Natalie and Klyde! The warmest thank you to our wonderful couple and to the always smashing Wild Things Wed for sharing today's absolutely gorgeous Mount Druid wedding with One Fab Day!

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