Tucked away on a thousand acres in the rolling hills of the Co. Monaghan countryside's rolling hills, dense with trees and sparkling lakes, lies the beautiful Castle Leslie Estate, where our charming real wedding couple Julia and Janek married! The Irish castle and its gardens were infused with decadent blush pink and red floral displays for a breathtaking lakeside ceremony followed by a lavish reception in the opulent surrounds of the castle halls. Pawel Bebenca, was on hand to capture the summer nuptials and has shared a collection of images rich in romance and detail -  check them out below.

Our gorgeous American couple, who are now living happily ever after in Rhode Island, travelled with 65 of their nearest and dearest to Ireland to tie the knot on a beautiful day in August. The couple explains how they came across the idyllic Irish castle for their dream wedding day: "We actually found Castle Leslie during the depths of the pandemic when we were looking for a good riding vacation. Once we saw that it also hosted weddings, the rest is history. We made everyone nervous going out on cross-country rides the days leading up to the wedding, but it was amazing! We also liked that the castle felt intimate for a smaller group and we could let loose and party all in one location."

The lush and romantic wedding aesthetic is kicked off with botanical invitations inspired by nature, as well as featuring the red and pink florals, we'll see throughout the day.

Julia and Janek's tale of romance began when they met during their undergraduate studies at the University of California Irvine. Julia’s sister and Janek were in the fencing club together and they met after Julia’s car broke down and she had to wait for her sister to get a ride home. As for the proposal, Janek proposed on the top of Mount Cardigan in New Hampshire on a cold and wintery day in April - which led us to this magical summer's day!

We adore Julia's bridal style choice! Her Watters wedding dress showcases a stunningly sweet V-neckline adorned with delicate lace that melts into a romantic tulle A-line skirt. She paired her look with an flowing two-tiered veil, that sat wonderfully with her chic upstyle.

The couple's priorities were short, sweet and to the point when it came to planning their intimate castle wedding. Julia explains: "They were really being able to celebrate with our friends and family, along with eating good food and having great music to dance to. However, my secret priority was having the most amazing florals!" Just wait until you see the full floral outdoor ceremony decor - it's a showstopper.

The outdoor wedding ceremony was kissed with the vibrant colours of love, set against the picturesque natural beauty of the castle's lakeside surroundings. The floral pillars stood tall on either side of the ceremony table creating a beautiful frame for Julia and Janek to exchange their vows. The pillars were later cleverly repurposed for the evening reception - keep reading to see how they enhanced yet another beautiful focal spot.

Janek, our groom, sported a navy tuxedo, with black satin lapels, showcasing timeless black-tie style. When recalling special elements from the ceremony, the couple mention how much they adored choosing the music for the ceremony. "It was so fun to pick out the music and it was just perfect on the day of the wedding. Our guitarist, John, did a great acoustic version of the Bee Gees How Deep is Your Love," they say.

When it came to sharing wedding advice with our One Fab Day readers, the newlyweds say: "The best (although probably over given) advice is that it doesn’t really matter if the things you plan end up perfect. It will be perfect anyways!" As the couple travelled to Ireland to tie the knot, they chose seriously swoon-worthy destination spots to celebrate their honeymoon. "We went to Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia and we would definitely recommend them! It was a perfect contrast to our visit to Ireland!"

Making their second appearance of the day are the spectacular floral pillars that were perfectly placed behind the top table. It's a great focal point to enhance, especially for special moments such as the speeches are captured. The reception room tablescapes were garnished with even more blush shades, draped across the top table in garland arrangements and dressed around each silver candelabra.

We do love a photo guestbook to keep cute candid shots of your guests from your big day. All you need is an instax camera and stickers, and we love how their scrapbook continues the design of their stationery suite.

Once the meal was concluded, Julia and Janek could not have chosen a more fantastic wedding band than The Mixtape to get their guests up dancing. Needless to say everybody had the time of their lives.

A very special to our beautiful couple and Pawel Bebenca for sharing such a beautiful Irish Castle wedding!

If you enjoyed this beautiful castle wedding, check out even more Irish Real Weddings or see our list of Fairytale Castle Wedding Venues in Ireland.