A Magical Elopement in Ireland: Courtney & Dakota’s Castle Adventure

Courtney and Dakota’s elopement in Ireland was intimate and romantic. Their day began with Courtney getting ready alongside her best friend, followed by a heartfelt first look at a cozy pub with Dakota. They exchanged vows in the ruins of an abandoned castle near Dublin, with a light drizzle of rain blessing their ceremony. The adventure continued with a romantic picnic in the Wicklow Mountains, complete with local treats, a wedding cake, and an incredible sunset. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement

Photography by The Breiters Photo & Video

“We met Courtney at her Airbnb and documented her getting ready with her best friend, Annie. We trekked down the block to meet Dakota at the pub for their first look.

We drove to an abandoned castle about an hour from Dublin. They held their ceremony within the castle ruins and the smallest sprinkle of rain kissed them for good luck.

After the ceremony, we drove to the Wicklow Mountains. They brought the cutest picnic setup and munched on local snacks and nibbled on their wedding cake. An incredible sunset and a short rainbow to finish our day.

Courtney and Dakota were such a breath of fresh air and so easy to work with. It felt like we had known them for years, which made working with them feel so fun. They love adventure and actually planned their trip to Ireland for a concert first, then decided to elope after the plans were made. I love folks who are spontaneous and just do whatever the hell they want, especially for their wedding day.” [Michelle, the photographer]

Explore more places to elope. 

Permits & Top Tips

“There were no permit requirements for the locations we chose. We followed LNT principles by leaving the areas exactly as we found them and packing out all waste.” [Michelle, the photographer]

Top Tips From The Photographer

1. Ireland’s weather can be unpredictable. I suggest being prepared for anything- sun, rain, mist, and sudden temperature changes. Of course, this can feel magical having a variety of seasons in one day, but it requires flexibility and preparedness.
2. Even though we didn’t do any major hiking, I suggest wearing sturdy footwear in Ireland. Rocky paths, wet environment, and uneven terrain- comfy and sturdy shoes can prevent injury.
3. The summertime in Ireland calls for late sunsets. On this particular day, the sunset was close to 10 pm. This isn’t a problem per se, but when most if not all restaurants in the area close earlier than this, it makes navigating epic sunset photos with ‘where are we going to eat for dinner’ a fun challenge. If you elope in Ireland, I suggest working with a photographer skilled in navigating elopement timelines.

Learn how to leave no trace during your elopement.

Details We’re Loving

“Since all nearby restaurants were going to be closed when we were finished with their elopement timeline, Courtney planned a picnic at our last location. She bought a cute wicker basket and filled it with local sandwiches, snacks, and champagne. They also brought a cake from a local baker and had a cute cake-cutting moment at sunset. The wind was starting to pick up and blew dirt all over their cake, so much so that it looked like a vanilla bean cake by the time they packed it away lol. I love that they still ate it anyway.” [Michelle, the photographer]

Deciding to Elope

“My husband and I lived 13 hours apart the first one and a half years of our relationship. When we had more than a few days to spend together, we’d book a trip somewhere neither of us had been. Our relationship was built on traveling and adventures. When it was time to decide what we wanted our wedding day to look like, eloping somewhere we always dreamed of visiting just made sense. I also loved that a private elopement meant we’d spend our day doing exactly what we wanted and nothing else.

Dakota and I already had a trip planned for Ireland, so eloping there was an easy choice. It was Dakota’s dream location and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world. We wanted to exchange vows somewhere that were more intimate but just as beautiful as the tourist hot spots (i.e. the Cliffs of Moher). We asked our photographer, Michelle, to help with location scouting online. She sent us many options, including a blog post of an elopement at the Rock of Dunamase. Ireland has so many incredible spots to get married, but the old castle ruins looked absolutely magical.” [The couple]

Check out these 10 reasons to elope!

Elopement Planning

“Our elopement planning was simple as we just focused on what was truly important to us. We knew long before we were engaged that we wanted the Breiters to shoot our wedding (we met them when they photographed my best friend’s wedding in 2021). After securing our date, Michelle sent us a list of suggested locations to help us pick the perfect spot. She also created sample timelines when we were deciding on what we wanted to do throughout the day.

Then I searched for vendors in that area of Ireland on Instagram. While scrolling the page of a hairstylist I liked, I stumbled upon a tagged photo of another US bride who lives only an hour from me. She got married just months earlier in Ireland, so I messaged her for recommendations. I ended up finding my florist, baker, and hairstylist through her! Social media and word of mouth were the most helpful resources when planning an elopement overseas.” [The couple]

Estimate Cost Breakdown

• Photography – $8,150
• Videography – $3,850
• Officiant/celebrant – $700
• Dress (with alterations) – $1,000
• Suit – $350
• Florals – $320
• Cake – $120
• Hair stylist – $400
• Picnic dinner – $150

Total ~ $15,040

Learn more about elopement costs here.

Memorable Memories From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“There was a moment during the ceremony when it started to lightly rain. I captured the look on Courtney’s face looking to the sky with a big smile on her face, embracing the rain. It was special and that’s one of my favorite photographs I’ve taken.

Another highlight is when the couple was enjoying their elopement cake on the side of the mountain when the most stunning sunset we’ve ever seen peeked behind the clouds. We all gasped, stood up, and ran toward the light. It didn’t last long, but it was special. Lastly, as if the day wasn’t perfect enough, a rainbow came out and gave the couple an Irish kiss before we left.”

From the couple:

“How intimate and relaxing it was. Eloping gives you the freedom to create a completely authentic wedding day, free of outside opinions and stress. We loved every part of our day.”

Final Words of Advice From This Elopement

“Courtney is a self-proclaimed late girly. I knew that about her ahead of time, and carefully planned their timeline with buffers to include running behind. However, we ended up being about an hour behind schedule due to getting ready taking longer than anticipated. Some portions of the day felt a little rushed and we lost a good chunk of time later in the day trying to play catch up.

If you too struggle with timeliness, I’d encourage you to give yourself PLENTY of time to get ready. If you need to be dressed by 2 pm, tell yourself one hour earlier instead. It’s better to have extra time than not enough, trust me!” [Michelle, the photographer]

Learn how to elope here.

Vendors

Photography & Videography | The Breiters Photo & Video

Makeup | Ainecorley
Officiant | Celebrant Barbara Ryan 
Flowers | The Secret Gardener 
Cake | Eves Cakes Dublin 

Photos From This Elopement