Real Weddings: Daniel and Laura’s magical Irish and Spanish celebration

THE DRESS AND THE SUIT

For the Dublin civil ceremony, I wore a beautiful Odd Muse dress that I found on Vinted and then had professionally altered. My main wedding dress for the Spanish celebration was the stunning Miles gown from Chosen by Kyha. I purchased it, along with my cathedral-length, lace-edged veil, from The Suite in Rathmines.

Daniel wore a classic tuxedo from CT2 Suits in Blanchardstown. He wore this same outfit for both the civil ceremony and the main wedding celebration.

THE CEREMONY

We opted for two distinct wedding celebrations. The first was a small, intimate civil ceremony in the Dublin registry office attended only by our parents, as we wanted to keep that part truly personal. We had photos behind the bar at The Palace Bar on Fleet St. We held an intimate family dinner at The Ivy, followed by pints and celebrations with our wider family at Kehoes. The McDonald’s visit in full wedding attire on Grafton St at 3am was not in the original plans.

Our main celebration was held in Spain, where we were thrilled to have about 90 guests fly over to join us. We arranged buses to transport everyone, and upon arrival, they were greeted by our groomsmen and a refreshing lemonade stand before being seated to enjoy the stunning views over the vineyards. The ceremony itself was simply magical. Our adorable flower girl led the way down the aisle, accompanied by the beautiful music of a Spanish guitarist. Our wonderful celebrant, Debbie, started the service in Spanish, a lovely nod to our location, before seamlessly switching to English. It was a short, heartfelt ceremony. We involved our family heavily, with both of our mothers doing a reading and both of our brothers serving as our witnesses. The core of the service was our handwritten vows.

Filled with so much love and laughter, the ceremony felt incredibly relaxed, and the sun shone brightly the entire time. To cap it off, we exited to the song Bombaleo and were immediately handed two glasses of prosecco before taking the time to greet each of our guests individually.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

For the ceremony and cocktail hour, we hired Nano, a Spanish guitar player, whose music provided an authentic and beautiful backdrop. Later in the evening, we ensured the party kept going with a saxophonist and a DJ, who teamed up after dinner to get all of our guests up and dancing for the rest of the night. 

THE DECOR

The venue itself served as our main decor; it was absolutely stunning on its own. Every inch of the hotel boasted a gorgeous Moroccan-inspired aesthetic. The natural beauty surrounding us was incredible, featuring vineyards and groves of olive, avocado, lemon, and lime trees.

For florals, we kept it classic: white roses for my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and a single white rose for the groomsmen’s buttonholes.

We added personalised touches, including a fabric welcome sign and a charming seating chart cleverly hung within the branches of an olive tree. The dining tables were dressed in linen tablecloths, subtly accented with baby’s breath and eucalyptus, and warm string lighting illuminated the outside area. Our biggest hit, though, was the custom napkins printed with pictures of our dogs.

THEIR TOP TIPS

Get an on-the-day wedding co-ordinator. Our co-ordinator, Caz, ran the day so well, all behind the scenes, so we could be fully present on the day. Don’t sweat the small stuff. We put most of our focus and budget on what mattered to us most – the venue, the dress and the guest experience.

Be present, have a few deep breaths throughout the day and take it all in.

THEY WISH THEY HAD

Done nothing else; it was perfect.