Aoife Walsh’s & Hubby Ben’s Fairytale Wedding in Provence | OneFabDay.com

After their lovely intimate ‘I dos’ in Ireland, the following chapter of Aoife Walsh and Ben Nicholson’s wedding ceremony story was at all times going to be an enormous one. And now, we’re delighted to lastly take you to the South of France for the fortunately ever after!

On 4th August 2026, Aoife and Ben introduced 70 of their closest household and pals collectively on the breathtaking Château de Robernier in Provence for the second chapter of their wedding ceremony story.

After their intimate Irish ‘I dos’, the couple went all out for his or her French celebration, with French blue particulars, pastel florals, limitless rosé, a champagne tower, an XXL berry pavlova cake and one severely fabulous celebration, all beneath the Provençal sunshine and in opposition to the backdrop of a fairytale French château.

From Aoife’s completely divine Leah de Gloria robe and spectacular floral ceremony backdrop to dinner below the celebs and a celebration filled with unforgettable moments, each element was superbly thought-about and deeply private. And whereas we knew, after seeing their attractive Irish wedding ceremony, that Chapter Two was going to be one thing particular, this celebration in some way exceeded even our expectations.

But there was one factor Aoife and Ben couldn’t have deliberate for: simply days earlier than the marriage, they genuinely didn’t know if their dream French celebration would go forward in any respect…

So, with out additional ado, let’s head to Provence for Part Two of Aoife and Ben’s fortunately ever after, captured superbly by the proficient Sarbo Studio…

From the very starting, Aoife and Ben knew they needed their French celebration to be one thing their company would keep in mind for years to return. ‘Someone once told me that once you have a wow venue and a wow dress, you’ll be advantageous,’ Former Miss Ireland Aoife Walsh says. ‘I got a good giggle off that. I think we ended up with wow everything.’

Their intention was to create a celebration that might give them tales to look again on with their family and friends for years to return. ‘We wanted something that people would remember for years to come, that we could still tell stories about with our friends in 10 or 20 years’ time. Something completely different.’

Food was one other main precedence, and so they actually embraced the French strategy to hospitality. ‘Food was one of our main priorities and it’s secure to say the French know do it with excellence and we simply preserve feeding individuals.’

One of their pals summed up the entire expertise superbly, describing the marriage as ‘an exhibition in hospitality’. ‘We were chuffed,’ Aoife says.

The couple had their hearts set on France, and Aoife found Château de Robernier early of their venue search. It rapidly grew to become the one to beat. ‘We knew it was the one very early on as we had our hearts set on France. I found this venue first and then we shopped around knowing this ticked all our boxes and essentially it was the one to beat.’

With its spectacular interiors, lovely outside courtyard and breathtaking views throughout the Provençal hills, it had the wow issue they have been in search of. The all-important pool was one other main draw, significantly with their day two plans in thoughts. ‘It had a true fairytale feel,’ Aoife says. ‘I loved the beautiful French details such as the blue shutters and navy blue castle turrets.’

And then there was the gown. Aoife regarded completely divine as she walked out of the château to marry Ben, carrying a shocking Leah de Gloria robe sourced from The Wedding Club in London. The look was elegant, romantic and effortlessly glamorous, completely suited to the grand Provençal setting. She accomplished her wedding ceremony day look with Manolo Blahnik footwear and jewelry from Tadhg O’Flynn’s Jewellers, whereas JM Honey created her lovely hair and make-up look.

A spritz of Jo Malone London’s English Pear & Freesia added an olfactory layer to Aoife’s garden-party wedding ceremony, creating a fantastic scent reminiscence she will be able to return to for years to return.

The ceremony passed off on the entrance of Château de Robernier, with the rolling Provençal hills offering an unimaginable backdrop as Aoife and Ben exchanged their vows.

The flowers have been each bit as dreamy because the setting. Sophie Robert from Fleurissons vos Emotions spent three hours on the morning of the marriage creating an XXL floral arch stuffed with pastel blooms, which framed the couple as they exchanged their vows.

Aoife’s three bridesmaids wore French blue off-the-shoulder Dessy attire, sourced from Diamond Bridal in Cork, completely complementing the setting and the blue particulars woven all through the celebration. Her daughter Penny and niece Indie walked as flower women in lovely handmade silk attire, every completed with a blue sash bow on the again.

Then Aoife emerged via the château’s grand double doorways along with her dad Liam by her aspect. She walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon from the Father of the Bride soundtrack, a rendition she has liked for a few years.

Adding one other deeply private contact, Ben’s greatest buddy and groomsman Cian acted as celebrant for the ceremony. The couple exchanged handwritten vows stuffed with love and dedication earlier than sealing the ceremony with a kiss to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

The ceremony additionally included a fantastic private tribute from Ben’s sister Phoebe, who wrote a personalised and heartfelt poem particularly for the couple. ‘Ben’s sister Phoebe wrote a personalised and heartfelt poem for our ceremony and it was so particular,’ Aoife says.

As she had at their Irish wedding ceremony, Penny performed a really particular position in her dad and mom’ French celebration. She took on flower woman duties alongside her cousin Indie and in addition had the essential job of handing over Aoife and Ben’s wedding ceremony rings through the ceremony. ‘It is so nice to have her play a role in our special day,’ Aoife says.

Following the ceremony, company gathered on the entrance of the château for a cocktail reception, the place a lightweight breeze supplied some welcome aid from the August warmth.

A saxophonist saved the environment buzzing as Aoife and Ben made their entrance to very large cheers and applause. Then got here a severely fabulous champagne tower, full with bottles of classic Dom Pérignon.

And as a result of meals was such a precedence for the couple, the cocktail reception was something however gentle on the great things. Guests loved reside cooking stations serving cheese wheel truffle risotto and wood-fired pizza alongside an array of canapés, all offered by Gaudafroy Receptions.

Despite the size and element of the celebration, Aoife and Ben selected to not rent a marriage planner, with Aoife taking over the problem of designing and planning the décor herself. She spent weeks poring over French catalogues, rigorously deciding on tablecloths, placemats and tableware to deliver her imaginative and prescient to life. The consideration to element was unimaginable, with the styling carrying via each facet of the day.

For all of the magic of the day, there was an enormous sense of aid behind the celebrations too. In the times main as much as the marriage, the world surrounding Château de Robernier had been severely affected by the French wildfires, and Aoife and Ben genuinely didn’t know if their wedding ceremony would be capable of go forward till simply two days earlier than they have been as a result of say ‘I do’.

The six weddings earlier than theirs had all been affected ultimately, with some cancelled and others evacuated, so seeing their very own plans unfold precisely as they’d hoped felt all of the extra particular. In truth, theirs was the primary wedding ceremony on the venue in three weeks to go forward and not using a hitch.

After every part they’d been via within the lead-up, the couple have been just so grateful to be there, surrounded by their household and pals and capable of have a good time precisely as deliberate. So, after we requested if there was something they might change, their reply was splendidly easy: ‘Nothing!’

The celebrations continued within the château’s open-air enclosed courtyard, the place company dined beneath glowing fairy lights surrounded by these attractive French blue shutters. Aoife and Ben made their entrance to an lively rendition of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, earlier than settling in for a four-course feast.

The menu included tomato dome confit, fillet of beef and a melody of cheeses, all accompanied by an abundance of Provençal rosé. It was lengthy, leisurely French eating at its absolute best and precisely the type of expertise the couple had hoped to create for his or her company.

Ruby Roo Design added one other lovely layer to the celebration with personalised stationery, creating particular person menus, placemats and names, ceremony followers, petal cones and bar signage for the couple. It was this degree of thought and element that had company showering the couple with compliments all through the day.

There have been so many standout moments all through the day that selecting favourites should have been nearly unimaginable. For Aoife, her first look along with her dad was significantly particular, as was the second they smiled at one another as he walked her down the aisle.

The couple additionally treasured their handwritten vows, giving them a private second to specific their love and dedication to at least one one other.

Then got here the large celebratory moments: getting into their reception to an eruption of cheers, reducing their big berry pavlova and, in fact, nailing the carry throughout their first dance.

For their first dance, Aoife and Ben returned to a track that had already featured of their Irish wedding ceremony celebration, Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. They had practised just a few dance strikes and a carry collectively within the backyard earlier than the marriage, and fortunately all that preparation paid off. They completely nailed it on the evening!

For her re-evaluation, Aoife turned into a beautiful design by Rosie Etienne, giving her the right outfit for dancing the evening away.

The couple’s wedding ceremony cake was something however conventional, with Aoife and Ben choosing an infinite berry pavlova as a substitute. The XXL dessert grew to become one of the memorable moments of the day, with the couple reducing the pavlova to The Four Tops’ Can’t Help Myself as sparklers fizzed and their company erupted into cheers. The couple additionally dressed the pavlova with additional berries and obtained to get pleasure from some gloriously messy style testing collectively. Honestly, we are able to consider few higher methods to complete a French feast!

After placing a lot thought and planning into their wedding ceremony, Aoife has some quite simple recommendation for {couples} when the large day lastly arrives. ‘For the day itself, forget about any stress or worries you might have had in the lead-up and fully immerse yourself in every aspect of the day!’

She additionally has one essential sensible tip: be sure you truly eat! ‘Make sure to taste all your food at the cocktail reception. My bridesmaid came over with a selection on a plate while I was taking some portraits and I’m so grateful she did!!’

Rather than heading straight off on a conventional honeymoon, Aoife and Ben determined to remain within the South of France for just a few additional days and make some bonus household reminiscences. They stayed at Prairies de la Mer close to Port Grimaud with Penny and Aoife’s dad and mom, making it a full home. With their gîte simply footsteps from the seashore overlooking St Tropez, they spent their days by the coast and their evenings exploring the canals of Port Grimaud with a gelato in hand.

The couple have been fully blown away by Port Grimaud, France’s model of Venice, and contemplate it an actual hidden gem. ‘It was truly blissful,’ Aoife says. ‘It was so fabulous to create some bonus family memories.’

Once they returned to Irish soil, Aoife and Ben headed to The Hawthorn Hotel in Galway Bay for some much-needed post-wedding R&R. ‘Would highly recommend this spot, it was incredible and we are already planning our return,’ Aoife says.

An enormous thanks to Aoife and Ben for sharing their lovely wedding ceremony story with us, and to Sarbo Studio for capturing each attractive second so superbly. From their intimate Irish ‘I dos’ to this unforgettable celebration in Provence, it has been such a pleasure to comply with their wedding ceremony journey and share each chapters with you. And in the event you missed the primary chapter, be sure you take a look at Aoife and Ben’s lovely Irish wedding ceremony at Raheen House Hotel right here, the place their wedding ceremony story started.

Planning your individual large day? Do take a look at our Real Wedding part to get impressed!