When Plan B Became the Better Plan

Set on the edge of the water in West Cork, Bantry House was the setting for the first day of this two-day celebration, before everyone travelled further along the coast to Ahakista for day two.

Both days had carefully considered plans for the unpredictable Irish weather. And on both days, the conditions gave us the opportunity to do something better. A hot end-of-summer weekend meant parts of the celebrations that could only ever have been hopeful possibilities suddenly became possible, from dancing beneath the stars at Bantry House to an afternoon of food and live music outdoors in Ahakista.

Sometimes the best-laid plans are there precisely so you have the freedom to change them.

The Wedding Day

The ceremony took place overlooking Bantry Bay, before guests moved to cocktails in the formal gardens behind the house, gathered around the fountain and beneath the terraces rising above it. Dinner followed in the Library, at the room's maximum capacity, though it still felt airy and spacious, with layered white linens and green velvet Chiavari chairs against the deep red interiors.

The couple had a wild idea early on about holding their first dance in the courtyard under the stars. Ireland being Ireland, and with the band needing to protect their equipment, it remained a vague hope rather than something we could build the evening around.

Then one of those rare end-of-summer nights arrived, clear and calm and warm, and let us do it. The first dance moved outside beneath the stars, followed by dancing in the courtyard, with Bantry House and its gardens around us.

Day Two

The following afternoon, shuttles took everyone to the Tin Pub in Ahakista, chosen because the groom's parents holiday home nearby and the breathtaking views.

A marquee gave us the security of a wet-weather plan, but the weather once again allowed the celebration to spill outside. The barbecue and live music became a relaxed open-air afternoon, before the marquee came into its own later when the DJ took over and the party moved indoors.