Today's real wedding comes to you from the coast of Bray, Co. Wicklow where Patrick and Leah tied the knot. After a fateful meeting at Oktoberfest, the couple were smitten. Flash forward a few years and their plans to have their dream wedding in Spain are put on hold and they opt for an impromptu wedding at home that was simple, sweet and unforgettable. Surrounded by their loved ones (and a keg or two of Guinness we're told) the couple celebrated long into the night. These beautiful images from Sarah Carton Photography show us just how wonderful a small Irish wedding can be. But the great news is we'll be bringing you part two of their wedding soon - the full Spanish celebration! But for now enjoy a joyous day by the Irish Sea that might inspire you if you're planning a two-part wedding.

Leah's gorgeous sequinned dress was from Rixo and we just love the sense of carefree joie de vivre in the styling.

When they met back in 2015 Leah had just moved back from the UK and had the brief 'to find a nice guy who lived in Dublin' as her parents were keen for her to stay put in Ireland. Two weeks later she went to meet her friend at Oktoberfest in Dublin, and a few steins in, Patrick walked over to introduce himself and before too long the couple were "holding hands on the flying swings." Even so, it took seven months of dating for Patrick to officially ask Leah to be his girlfriend.

Leah's beautiful bouquet was made up of thistle, white roses, eucalyptus and baby's breath, each with its own special meaning. It looked strikingly beautiful with the deep blue ribbon that complemented her look perfectly.

After an emotional civil ceremony, the couple then hit off for Bray where they had their wedding photos. Leah says her sparkler and the rings were ordered just five days prior to the big day but made it just on time!

When it came to the proposal, Patrick booked a romantic weekend away. Being the first time he had booked a trip in four years, Leah knew he was up to something. "We headed up to Finn Lough Resort . The bubble domes there had been on our travel wish lists for a couple of years so when Patrick booked it, I was delighted. After a wander around the Elements Spa Trail, Patrick teased me a bit by going down on one knee numerous times, only to tie his laces and stand back up again. Eventually, after a fabulous dinner at the restaurant, we went for a sundown drinks by the lakefront where Patrick proposed in front of a campfire."

After some bubbles in the sunshine and a whole lot of laughter, the couple then made their way to their 200-year-old Georgian home which they had just moved into in February 2021 during lockdown. "Our home is over 200 years old so we’re pretty sure it’s not the first wedding hosted there in its history," Leah tells us.

It started as a plan to get the legal bit done before the wedding in Spain but it became so much more. "We had already postponed our original wedding by a year and finally wanted to be husband and wife so we thought that the two of us would just show up at Bray registry office with a couple of witnesses. As we got closer to the day and realised that our Spanish wedding might not go ahead, we thought about how disappointed we would be to have not shared our official wedding day with our families," says Leah. "From then on, all plans became about how we could include them from music to photography to bar supplies!"

It was a bonus that both families were already close and got on so well after a camping trip the previous summer dubbed the “fedding” (fake wedding) by their siblings. Leah's something blue was the striking blue vintage topaz ring she was gifted by her mum. It looks totally perfect with the shades of blue inset here!

The crafty bride and groom organised their dining room to create the most beautiful wedding reception. Awash with whites, sage greens and golds, this was a picture perfect room to have dinner in!

"Turning our home into our wedding venue for the day was stressful but so worth it! When we moved, we thought we’d decorate the dining room last but it quickly moved to the top of the list once the decision was made to have a reception/party with our families there."

The sequins on Leah's dress are mesmerisingly beautiful and catch the light in the most spell-binding way; we just adore it!

Their cake looked scrumptious! Filled with buttercream icing and topped with fresh berries and macaroons - dreamy deliciousness.

Leah says, "If you want a small wedding, just go for it! Of course we would have loved to include our friends and extended family, but people are very understanding now and realise the struggles couples have gone through during covid. All that matters is that you and your partner are married and that you can start or continue your lives together."

"We know how lucky we are that both our dream civil wedding and our scaled-down destination wedding could go ahead, but neither were certain until a month beforehand. We could not be more grateful to our family and friends who made both occasions more special than we could have ever imagined," she gushed.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Leah and Patrick for sharing their amazing day with us. A special shout out also goes to Sarah Carton Photography for these gorgeous images. There's more swoon worthy material in the gallery below!