You're about to feast your eyes on a destination wedding of sensationally stylish proportions. Real wedding couple Shannen and Shaun jetted off to Spain where they tied the knot in the historic Villa Luisa in the heart of Seville. Shannen runs the Irish wedding and elopement photography service Only Love, so of course their spring wedding oozed glamour from all angles. She wore not one but two contemporary wedding dresses (including a short wedding dress with a bodacious bow) and a whole plethora of playful pearl accessories and she even managed to add a sweet slice of home to the stunning olive green satin dresses her bridesmaids wore. Just wait until you see the beyond-adorable flower girls too. With the help of their planners and stylists from Love A Tope the couple's sun-drenched big day came to life in a refreshing white palette with touches of orange which was beautifully in tune with the exotically lush surroundings of their palm grove ceremony which had a romantic Irish literary twist and their open-air reception under twinkling chandeliers. ClickRec distilled the epic style of their exotic villa wedding in stunning photos, with the beautifully detailed morning images captured by Only Love. Let's check it out...

So, how did our newlyweds meet, you ask? Shannen is from Donegal and Shaun hails from Belfast. They met in his home city when they were 22. Shannen was a photography student and Shaun had just graduated from university and sparks flew instantly.

They got engaged in one of the most romantic cities in the world. Shannen tells it: "It was a very cold night in Paris, on a quiet street where it was only the two of us. It was perfect! We went for a cocktail afterwards and rang our loved ones!" Today, they live in Belfast.

The couple had visited the vibrant Spanish city many times through the years with Shannen's family so there wasn't a doubt in their minds that they would tie the knot there.

They fell head over heels for the wonderfully stylish Villa Luisa instantly. "Villa Luisa has a wow factor that once we seen it we knew it was the one. It's Andalusian architecture and rich artistic history made it the perfect venue. It's city centre location made it easy for guests attending and getting home."

An oasis in the heart of the city, it is a tropical haven with orange trees and blue tiled fountains and it has the most prominent privately-owned palm grove in the city. While vibrant bougainvillea bloom, there are rose gardens too. It is a party pad through and through too as it was constructed in the roaring twenties for French-Argentine classic composer Herman Bemberg.

With unique Sevillian architecture in the Neo-Mudejar style, rooms are loaded with colour and bursting at the seams with intricate decor. It is replete with lavishly designed spaces such as the Hall of Tapestries which boasts vivid Morrocan-style plasterwork, the babouche yellow patio with orientalist marble columns and the Hall of Lions which features 17th-century paintings and moire silk plasterwork.

Shannen and Shaun's guests travelled from Ireland and Northern Ireland and as far off as New York and Australia to celebrate their special day in May 2023. So it was of the utmost importance that their 71 guests could properly relax and have a great time as well as soaking up all the magic of Seville.

"We had put a lot work into the details and planning of the day. We didn't specifically follow a theme, we went with what we like." The celebrations began the night before as they held a rooftop drinks reception in Seville, like seriously how incredibly dreamy does that sound? Thankfully, the event also helped squash any pre-wedding jitters. "Welcoming our guests helped us ease into the wedding day. Everyone had a few days in Seville which helped create a real friendly relaxed vibe throughout the wedding."

It was the stunning city itself that drove the wedding aesthetic. "I wanted the flowers and table decor to have a soft colour palette with touches of orange." A multi-hyphenate creative, Shannen is also a graphic designer so she made all the stationery for their big day herself.

Now onto the wedding style! Her flower girls looked incredibly adorable in their white dresses with ruffled necklines which were accessorised with woven hats and bags personalised with their names.

Fantastically fashion-forward bride Shannen wore a lustrous and languid silk crepe handkerchief gown by Danielle Frankel with a low back and buttons along the hip. She paired the contemporary wedding dress with chunky pearl drop earrings and a pearl and emerald zirconia bracelet along with elegant ivory satin Manolo Blahnik slingbacks with crystal buckles. She wore her raven locks slicked back into a tight bun and added a floral embroidered hair scarf to complete her ceremony look. Didn't we tell you? Just. So. Chic.

Her bridesmaids were immensely elegant in olive green slip dresses from the high street and Shannen had matching scarves made in a local dressmakers in Donegal town to complement them. She searched high and low to find the perfect bags to finish off their ensembles too.

"I had searched Depop, Vinted and vintage stores for their pink beaded bags which matched perfectly with their bouquets." Shaun looked seriously slick in his black tux which he wore with a white tie with black buttons, a black bow tie and black patent shoes.

They tied the knot in a sunshine-kissed outdoor ceremony in the shade of palm trees. They weren't having a religious ceremony and it was immensely important to them to incorporate tributes to Irish music and poetry. Their welcome sign had a beautiful W.B. Yeats quote and there was a James Joyce quote on the ceremony chairs along with a fan so their guests could keep cool in the Spanish heat.

The sublimely stylish bride made her ceremony entrance as the string quartet performed Raglan Road by Luke Kelly. "This was so special to have this incorporated into our wedding. They also performed Carrickfergus, a song special to both sides of our families." Their celebrant Diana also read a poem by Seamus Heaney. "It was all these touches that made it very special to us."

Shannen and Shaun "felt so lucky" to have all their loved ones with them to mark such a monumental moment in their lives. "Life can get really busy so it was nice to have those moments with our friends and family. My three bridesmaids were so amazing the morning of the wedding. I'm so grateful for them and so special to have them by my side. Our wedding planners Love A Tope were so amazing on the day!"

The reception which was held in lush outdoor surrounds outside exuded relaxed glamour. With chandeliers overhead sparkling in the sunlight, the table styling was kept white with flowers in hues of light orange and soft pink dotted in ceramic vases. There are so many unique and crafty wedding seating and table plan ideas and we loved the table place names at this real wedding which also doubled up as wedding favours for the guests.

Each guest received a napkin personalised with their name embroidery in chic cursive font. Guests were also given tote bags with favours in them at the welcome party the night before. One very special guest couldn't make the trip however, their beloved pooch Gus. The creative bride found a fabulous way to have him there in spirit on the day.

"He was being minded back home in Ireland but we of course had to have him there in some way. I designed cocktail signs and beer mats with his face on them for fun." When it comes to tips for wedding planning, Shannen stresses the importance of trusting your gut. "Do what feels right for you both and what you're comfortable with."

We absolutely adored their heart shape double tier white wedding cake.

In the evening, Shannen did a dazzling dress change, as she slipped into a Rebecca Vallance short wedding dress with a statement bow on the back. They wanted their first dance to be "fun and light" so they went for Thinking of You by Sister Sledge.

As well as being blown away by the talents of their wedding planners and stylists Love A Tope, Shannen and Shaun were also thrilled with the impeccable service from their venue on their wedding day. "The staff were so wonderful and attentive to our guests."

They are hoping to head off on their honeymoon this summer. "We had three weeks in Spain around the wedding so we've yet to plan our honeymoon." No doubt the wait will be worth it.

Thank you and a huge congratulations to Shannen and Shaun on your incredibly stylish wedding. Thank you to ClickRec and Only Love for the swoon-inducing images.

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