Simple and oh so beautiful is how I would describe this morning's real wedding feature.

Andy and Siobhan tied the knot on the 4th September 2014, (" We chose this date for our wedding as it was on this same date seven years prior that we shared our first kiss.") in gorgeous Ireland. I just love this couple's story of their meeting and the proposal, it's just so very romantic, be sure to read their report at the end of the feature.

There were sweet little ones, a Charlie Brear lace gown, print ties and floral stationery. With an easy going vibe there were smiles all round :-)

Thanks goes to Divine Photography for providing the lovely photographs.

THE PROPOSAL | Way back in the summer of 2007 I met my future husband in a student bar in Belfast, I was at one end of the bar (the right end) and he was on the other, working. It was a bar that very quickly became our place to go when my flatmates and I decided not to go out. I was on friendly terms with one of the barmen (mainly because he was the best cocktail maker) and we got to talking one evening about music. I told him about my desire to be able to play the guitar that sat abandoned in my flat and he told me about a bar tender that could teach me how to play it. Andy and I were introduced that night, numbers were swapped and a guitar session was planned for me and my friends. It was at this session the very next night that we discovered our mutual love of Oasis (that 90s Brit pop band with the eyebrows) and it was as if something clicked into place that night between us.

The proposal took place almost two years later on the 16th June, the day after Andy's 30th birthday. It wasn't planned it just happened. I was worse for wear; in fact I was still in the clothes from the night before and spent most of the morning kneeling at the foot of the throne. Andy wasn't much better but had to put on a brave face in front of the lads who were still at our house, sprawled across our living room like a colony of sea lions basking in the glory of who did what the night before.

I managed to crawl into our bedroom and pull myself up onto the bed and I remember just lying there on top of the covers with the sun beaming in through the open window, listening to the traffic go by. Andy came into the room with a glass of water and two Nurofen, (my knight in shining armour,) he lay beside me and we just talked. We laughed and joked about the class night we had with our friends and how he couldn't believe he was thirty and he suddenly sat up and started telling me all the lovely things women like to hear about themselves now and again and just asked me to marry him. I thought he was having me on and said so but he asked me again and I knew he was serious because he was almost crying through his big grin, so I said yes. He later told me that he had planned to ask me that coming weekend at Slane Castle when we went to see Oasis and Kasabian but he just couldn't wait any longer.

THE VISION | I knew that I wanted our day to be as relaxed and easy going as Andy and myself with elements of both our personalities. An informal day with a few vintage touches.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | I'm a very laid back person and usually not very good at planning anything so it was very daunting when we set our date. I knew exactly how I wanted our day to look and just spent a lot of time searching the World Wide Web until I found what I was looking for. A lot of things were bought last minute and everything just fell into place.

BUDGET | We didn't set a budget but we knew we didn't want to spend a fortune so we got a lot via the internet from Ebay, Folksy and Etsy which helped to keep costs low.

THE VENUE | I chose the church of the Sacred Heart for our ceremony as it is the most private chapel in my town with its own driveway and grounds. I also have childhood memories of going there with my mummy and granny.

Our reception venue, the Carrickdale Hotel and Spa, was mainly picked due to its proximity to the chapel. The majority of our guests had to travel to get to the ceremony and I didn't want them to feel as if they spent their day in a car travelling. The Carrickdale Hotel is well known for its excellent food and service and I loved the beautiful gardens ideal for photographs.

Our two other locations for photographs were the Flagstaff viewpoint and Ravensdale forest which are both a short drive from the Carrickdale Hotel. I chose these locations as I love a striking backdrop and the wildness and natural beauty of these places were perfect.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | I was seven months pregnant when I finally admitted it was about time I went looking for my wedding dress. After spending months looking online to no avail I booked an appointment at Petticoat Lane in Hillsborough with just seven months to go. It was the first bridal shop I stepped foot into and it was the third dress that I tried on, a Charlie Brear 1960s, cream lace dress with a puddle train. I never thought that I would have picked a lace dress but when I added the sleeves and a lace trimmed cathedral veil I just fell in love with it. I got the dress for a fraction of the price as it was a sample dress.

I accessorised my dress with a simple pair of dangly earrings which cost six pound from Dorothy Perkins and vintage inspired shoes from Modcloth which I had dyed turquoise to match the grooms tie.

GROOM'S ATTIRE | Andy and I are not the biggest fans of the typical grooms attire i.e. waistcoats and cravats, so we decided to let the men wear whatever suit they fancied. Andy wore a charcoal grey checked suit from Burtons with an ivory shirt and black Barker shoes. He is well known for his flowery shirts and on his stag do his friends decided to wear jazzy shirts in honour of him for a bit of craic, so he wanted something 'out there' for his wedding day. I wanted something that was going to tone in with everything else. My favourite colour is turquoise and I wanted to incorporate this into the wedding in small doses. I found a lady on Etsy who makes funky ties in all sorts of prints and we particularly liked the Liberty of London turquoise and pink floral print. Andy's tie was ordered along with two bow ties in the same print for our page boys.

THE READINGS & MUSIC | The music for the ceremony was provided by the very talented Niamh McGlinchey. I will never forget walking up the aisle to Julie Rogers' 1960s song - The Wedding and leaving the chapel hand in hand with my husband to the Bellamy Brothers - Let your Love Flow.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | Our flower girl, (who happens to be our daughter) wore a gold and ivory dress from Monsoon which was the very first thing that I bought for our wedding.
My closest friend since the age of five and my sister took the jobs of maid of honour and bridesmaid. I wanted a vintage style dress that suited both their figures and matched my flower girls dress. I got their dresses from Modcloth; an American vintage inspired clothing site. The dresses were ivory with a metallic gold print all over and I teamed them with metallic gold court shoes from ASOS. The turquoise and gold bracelets were bought from Accessorize and the earrings from Cath Kidston. I bought under skirts for ten pounds each from Ebay to fluff the dresses out. The gold hair pieces were also from Ebay.

THE FLOWERS | The flowers were one of my favourite things about my wedding day! They were arranged by Darling Buds (who can be found on Facebook). I went to the florist with an idea and she brought that idea to life. She completely transformed the chapel and I thought the bouquets and button holes were stunning. I felt that the soft pink and cream flowers complimented the bridesmaid's dresses and they aided in tying the whole look for the day together.

THE CAKE | Our cake was a Marks and Spencer romantic pearl, ivory iced, three tiers, one fruit, one sponge and one chocolate. It was delicious!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | We have nothing but praise for Divine Photography Northern Ireland. Catriona was our silver lining on the edge of a storm cloud we had got ourselves into. I received a phone call a few months before the wedding informing me that the photographer I had booked was no longer able to do our wedding or give us back our deposit due to money and health problems. Needless to say we weren't best pleased, however, every cloud has its silver lining and after explaining our situation to our best man, who is a wedding videographer, he suggested we contact Catriona who he had previously met through work. We followed his advice and we have to admit it is the best piece of advice we have ever acted on! Not only is Catriona an exceptionally talented photographer she is one of the nicest people I have ever met, it felt like a close friend was taking our wedding photos, she made us feel so relaxed and comfortable and we had a blast! I can now conclude that she must also be a first class mind reader as our wedding photos are exactly what we wanted and more! I would highly recommend her to all future brides in Ireland and hope that she receives the recognition for her work that she deserves.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | The VW Campervan pulling up outside the house. The flowers arriving. Andy messing up his vows and having everyone in stitches including the priest. A butterfly fluttering past us in the chapel after saying our vows. George, our daughters teddy bear, driving the campervan and having a beer afterwards. The beautiful weather. The scenery at Flagstaff viewpoint and Ravensdale forest. Our driver picking blackberries and us eating them and drinking champagne. The wedding bands surprise when they realised that it was our wedding they were playing at, as they were old friends from the student bar days. Dancing like eejits to all the old school nineties dance tunes with our friends. Andy playing guitar and all our friends singing to 5 o'clock in the morning.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Make the day about you and your man and do whatever you want to do. Break the rules. Oh and hire Catriona Corrigan, Divine Photography, you won't regret it!

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photography | Divine Photography

Venue | Carrickdale Hotel and Spa

Dress Shop | Petticoat Lane

Dress Designer | Charlie Brear

Shoes | Modcloth

Suit | Burtons

Bridesmaid Dresses | Modcloth

Perfection.

Thanks so much to Andy and Siobhan for sharing their delightful nuptials today XOXO Lou