Inside: A Festival Wedding of Love in the Irish Countryside

From a chance date on Hinge and a double proposal in the Caribbean to a vibrant weekend of music, colour and love at Ballintubbert Garden & House in Ireland, step inside Charles and Matt Jones-Bloomfield’s joyful wedding celebration filled with romance, character and festival spirit.

The Story So Far

We first met on Hinge a few months after lockdown lifted, when dating in real life was finally back on the cards. Both of us had endured a string of bad dates and promised this would be our last before deleting the apps. Little did we know it would be our last date altogether.

Our first date was at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle. After a few beers and more than a couple of bottles of wine, we each texted our best friends to say we’d found the one we wanted to marry. A year later, we moved in together, and life has been a whirlwind of love ever since.

The proposal happened on a Virgin Voyages cruise around the Caribbean, with The Bahamas as the final stop on my birthday. Matt decorated our balcony with balloons and banners, tucked a ring into an ice bucket and asked me to marry him. What he didn’t expect was for me to pull out a ring of my own and propose back. We both, of course, said yes, and celebrated the day swimming with stingrays and reef sharks.

Venue

Matt is Irish, so it felt only right to marry in Ireland. We fell in love with Ballintubbert Garden & House in Co Laois as soon as we saw it. The gardens were enchanting, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it gave us the perfect balance of romance and character. The night before the wedding we hosted an evening of traditional Irish music, which set the tone beautifully, and the celebrations flowed effortlessly into the next day. We gathered once more the following morning with our guests to reminisce, laugh and soak it all in.

Fashion

We both wore suits from Charles Tyrwhitt. For the ceremony, we chose white dinner jackets with black trousers and bow ties, a crisp and elegant look. Before the first dance, we changed into black jackets with white bow ties for a playful but refined switch.

Jewellery

Jewellery was kept thoughtful and personal. We wore our Longines engagement watches, and Matt surprised me with a gold bracelet from Liberty London.

Grooms Party

Our wedding party was a joyful mix of Groomsmen and Groomsgals. The Groomsmen wore black tuxedos with handmade floral bow ties from Belfast Bow Company. Our Groomsgals wore different colours of the rainbow, from red to green, sourced from & Other Stories, Whistles and Nobody’s Child. The look was eclectic, vibrant and celebratory. As a thank you, we gifted each of them The Grounding Ritual Duo from Ground, an Irish brand that focuses on wellbeing and recovery.

Tablescape

We wanted our tables to feel bold and personal. Each guest received a hand-painted napkin from India, tailored to them as a one-of-a-kind keepsake. Seasonal flowers and ivy from the gardens were styled with glass stands and colourful LED candles that lit up the space beautifully.

Food & Drinks

Drinks were central to our celebration. Guinness flowed alongside Nyetimber sparkling and two signature cocktails—the Spicy Matt-arita and the Espresso Chaz-tini. Dinner was a feast of smoked spatchcock chicken, hake with seasonal greens, chocolate brownies and Eton Mess. It struck the perfect balance of comfort and contemporary flavour.

Entertainment

Music was key for us. The Dooley Brothers filled the night before with traditional Irish sounds, Sacred Sounds brought emotion to the ceremony, and The Mixtape carried us late into the night with live music, saxophone and DJ sets. The dance floor never emptied.

Beauty & Wellness

In the weeks before the wedding, we treated ourselves to time at Talise Spa at Jumeirah Carlton Tower. It gave us space to reset and step into our wedding weekend feeling calm and ready.

Honeymoon

We headed off on a minimoon along Ireland’s west coast. Dingle, with its rugged beauty and coastal charm, was a favourite. We also loved exploring Galway, Ballymaloe House and Mount Juliet. Our full honeymoon is planned for next year in Fiji.

Advice

Stay true to yourselves. Choose details that reflect your personalities.
Enjoy the build-up. The planning is just as much a part of the memory as the wedding day itself.
Be present. Pause, take it in, and remember how quickly it all passes.