David proposed during one of Samantha's trip to visit him at Beaufort. Samantha recalls 'we had been together so long David knew I wouldn't want many people around, so he took me to a local beach that had a boardwalk with a lookout point. At the top of the tower overlooking the bay, David proposed with just the two of us there.'
'Planning a wedding from 5,000 miles away is never easy, especially with an 8 hour time difference, but Ann and the rest of the Fernhill team made the whole experience stress free and exciting. They were an absolute dream to work with.'
'Our wedding was pretty small, with only 50 people, which made the whole day feel very intimate and relaxing, something that was important to us. From my dress, to the flowers, I really wanted chic and simple. My goal was to incorporate nature and neutrals. I knew I wanted a large portion of the day outside, which worked perfectly at Fernhill between the garden ceremony and marquee cocktail hour. Overall everything flowed beautifully thanks to Ann & the team. We could not have asked for a better day!'
'Some of our biggest goals were to share good music and food with our friends and family. We were able to have a 5 piece quartet in the gardens followed by a band and a DJ in the ballroom. The food at Fernhill was also exceptional. We had a mixture of coeliac, gluten-free, vegans and vegetarians at the wedding and Fernhill was able not only to accommodate everyone, but offered multiple options to choose from. The food was definitely a topic of discussion among the family.'
'Having the wedding party and other guests travel from the States, I wanted the venue to be all-inclusive. Having one location that could do the ceremony and reception as well as lodging was essential. Our goal was to have the ceremony outside, but with rain always being a possibility, we knew it wasn't guaranteed. Fernhill informed us that we did not have to decide until the day of our wedding, given the option of their permanent marquee, an option most venues did not have.'
We asked Samantha if she had any advice for future couples looking for a wedding venue, 'Fernhill are accommodating, professional and well versed in weddings. From our initial discussion, to checking out the day after our wedding, the whole team kept in contact and followed up on every detail. If you are looking for a venue that has it all, and the experience to guide you on your big day, then Fernhill is the perfect venue for you.'
'Since we had already travelled so far for our big day, we decided to travel up to Galway and other parts of Ireland we had not explored yet on honeymoon. We could not have asked for better weather and were able to rent a boat and explore the islands of Lough Corrib, take a ferry to the Arran Island, and kayak the lakes of Killarney.'