Artful Ireland Wedding at Gloster House

Artful Ireland Wedding at Gloster House

July 27, 2026
Words by Lauren Ertl
Photos courtesy of Kerry Jeanny Photography

Alicia could have known Brad was the one for her early on based on several factors. For one, their first date, planned as a casual afternoon of board games over lunch, turned into an 11-hour escapade, wandering through botanical gardens and the surrounding Seattle neighborhood deep in conversation. But the thing that really solidified her suspicions? Lumi’s immediate affection for Brad.

“While we quickly fell for one another,” Alicia says, “I often joke that my ragdoll cat, Lumi, may have fallen for Brad first. She immediately adored him, which felt like a very promising sign to a devoted cat owner. Looking back, it seems she knew something long before we did!”

Collage of wedding photos featuring a bride in a white dress and a groom in a tuxedo, posing by stone structures and holding a bouquet. A flat lay of wedding stationery, including invitations, envelopes, floral photos, tassels, mirrors, tags, and artificial flowers arranged on a green surface.

Almost as quickly as they fell for each other, Alicia and Brad decided to marry abroad after getting engaged. After all, their family and friends were spread across North America and beyond, so travel would be a factor for many no matter what.

Although neither Brad nor Alicia is Irish, they opted to wed among the misty green hills and historic, weathered stone castles to honor the bride’s connection to the land.

“That connection began in childhood through stories my father brought home from frequent work trips there,” Alicia explains, “and later through my fascination with Irish language, folklore, and history and my own travels there.”

Elegant banquet table set with tall candles, floral centerpieces, and place settings; inset shows a woman in a white lace dress holding a drink. Guests seated at two long banquet tables decorated with many candles and flowers in a large, elegant hall.

Departing from the pristine perfection of a typical luxury wedding experience elsewhere, the couple found themselves drawn to Ireland’s beauty shaped by time. As a result, they leaned on the artistic and literary influences of the destination to inform the theme across all wedding events.

“From the Dutch still life inspirations of our welcome dinner to the candlelit liminal atmosphere of our wedding reception, Ireland felt like the perfect setting for a celebration rooted in beauty that endures, carrying the marks of its journey rather than concealing them,” the bride says.

Alicia and Brad discovered Gloster House through a “happy series of coincidences.” While scouring Instagram for “#castlecore” wedding inspiration, the bride came across a striking aerial video of the estate and was immediately enchanted.

Formal dinner event with elegantly set tables, floral arrangements, candles, and a woman standing to speak while guests are seated and listening. A couple dressed in formal attire stands together in the center of a decorated banquet hall lined with tables and chairs.

“For weeks afterward, I found myself returning to its photos again and again,” Alicia says. “When we finally reached out to inquire about availability, the venue shared that they typically do not host winter weddings…”

Out of pure luck, the estate’s owners made a rare exception for a single weekend in December, which happened to be the exact timeframe Alicia and Brad had hoped for.

Unfortunately, not all factors fell into place quite as serendipitously. The couple’s largest planning hurdle lay in the time difference between Seattle and Ireland. As a result, many virtual meetings with vendors took place before the Washington state sunrise or well past midnight.

“We relied heavily on detailed planning documents, clear communication, and a trusted local team that worked seamlessly together,” the bride says.

A collage shows wedding invitations with flowers, a bride holding a bouquet, and a bride and groom standing on separate balconies indoors. A bride and groom stand together in wedding attire outside a large, historic stone building with tall windows and overcast skies.

Brad, a professional graphic artist, and Alicia, an avid lover of the arts and history, put their creative minds to work on the design and details of their Ireland wedding at Gloster House. Working off the house’s Georgian architecture and Jane Austen-like busts, the couple approached the wedding as a celebration of their interests and a storytelling opportunity.

“Many of our favorite details were created from the ground up, from designing every paper good for the weekend to writing a custom Lady Whistledown-style newspaper that guests received on their journey from Dublin into the Irish countryside,” Alicia says.

One of Brad and Alicia’s favorite details was the escort card display for the welcome dinner. Inspired by Dutch Golden Age painters Vermeer and De Heem, the display represented each guest with a miniature framed artwork on a tiny easel.

A bride walks outside under an umbrella with attendants, a groom adjusts his cufflinks, and a bouquet of flowers sits on a window ledge. Wedding ceremony setup with floral aisle arrangements, elegant chairs, candles, and musicians playing a harp and violin in a bright, airy venue with large windows.

“It felt like stepping into a living still life painting and perfectly reflected the evening’s theme,” the bride says.

The wedding day itself turned the theme up to 11. Layered, fan-shaped programs inspired by Regency-era dance cards informed guests of how the couple’s unique day would play out, beginning with their touching ceremony. Music, poetry, storytelling and generational traditions defined the occasion.

“One of my favorite moments was Brad’s processional,” the bride says. “Rather than having him simply wait at the altar, he walked down the aisle alongside his mother to a harp and violin rendition of ‘Pure Imagination.’ Later, I walked down the aisle to a harp and violin arrangement of Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Transatlanticism.’”

A collage shows a bridal party posing, a bride walking down the aisle, and wedding guests standing and watching the ceremony in a decorated indoor venue. A bride and groom stand together at a floral-decorated altar, exchanging vows and sharing a kiss during their wedding ceremony.

Alicia carried an omamori from her family’s Shinto shrine tied to her bouquet as a way of honoring her late grandmother and carrying a piece of home down the aisle. At the altar, surrounded by neutral, earth-toned flora, Brad and Alicia participated in a handfasting ceremony using a traditional Irish crios.

“In gratitude to the loved ones who traveled from around the world to celebrate with us,” the bride says, “I offered a beannacht na grá (blessing of love) in Irish, and our mothers lit remembrance candles in honor of family members who were with us in spirit.”

As they moved to the reception, guests were met with thoughtful table escort cards: bells tied with silk ribbons and hand-calligraphed scrolls bearing each guest’s name. Alicia explains that in Irish folklore, bells were believed to ward away misfortune and bless a marriage, while their festive nature made them a meaningful keepsake for a December wedding.

A bride in a white gown and a groom in a black tuxedo walk down the aisle, surrounded by guests, flowers, and candles in a decorated indoor venue. Collage showing a large mansion, guests mingling indoors at a formal event, a framed sign, and a tray with slices of cake.

“Beyond any single detail, what made the wedding feel uniquely ‘ours’ was the number of stories woven throughout it,” the bride says. “Victorian floriography influenced the flowers and fruit selected for each event, creating hidden layers of meaning for guests who chose to look more closely.”

Personal touches appeared everywhere, from Japanese chrysanthemums incorporated into the couple’s sweetheart table as a nod to Alicia’s heritage to pears tucked throughout the design in honor of Brad’s favorite snack.

“We loved watching friends discover these small details throughout the weekend and realize that nearly everything had a story behind it,” Alicia says.

Elegant banquet table set with tall candles, floral arrangements, and white chairs in a softly lit room decorated with plants and paintings. A woman in a white dress stands beside a man in a black tuxedo in a decorated room with elegant chairs and table settings.

At the end of it all, when the stories had been told, the wine had been poured and the pictures had been snapped, Alicia and Brad laid out a few factors they believe made their Ireland wedding at Gloster House an extraordinary experience for everyone.

“We developed a series of creative briefs for each day of the wedding weekend,” Alicia says. “Rather than simply sharing inspiration photos, we created detailed guides that communicated the atmosphere, artistic influences, storytelling elements, and guest experience we hoped to create.”

The other factor? The downtime spent in fellowship with their loved ones.

Elegant wedding reception setup with long candlelit tables, floral centerpieces, a large mirror, and place cards. A couple stands together in formal attire. A two-tier white cake decorated with pink and orange flowers sits on a round table in an elegant room.

“Some of our favorite memories came from the moments around the scheduled events: a blustery walk to castle ruins, sharing a hearty Irish breakfast while laughing over stories, and watching new friendships form among people who might never have otherwise met,” the couple shares.

Ultimately, one of the biggest lessons they learned is that the most meaningful weddings aren’t built around trends; they’re built around values.

“It can be tempting to begin with Pinterest boards, popular aesthetics, or whatever happens to be fashionable at the moment, but we found it much more rewarding to start with the stories, art, music, places, and traditions that genuinely mattered to us as a couple.”

Alicia and Brad, we couldn’t agree more!

A long table set for a formal dinner with many lit candles; guests are seated, talking, and toasting in an elegant, softly lit room. A bride and groom sit at a flower-covered table, guests dine by candlelight, and a couple embraces at an elegantly decorated wedding reception. A bride and groom dance at their wedding while guests in various outfits, including kilts, dance energetically in adjacent photos.