You know the old advice "you should marry your best friend", well that's what today's wedding was all about - two soulmates. Marie and James are the very best of friends and as they themselves describe it, that one person that you can be totally yourself in front of (no matter how idiotic or strange) and still be totally in love. For their wedding the brief was simple, they wanted their wedding to be 100% simple, with the focus on how much they adore each other - and some delicious food. They chose to stay close to home and have a Dublin city celebration, and Elisha Clarke was on hand to capture the day just perfectly.
Marie and James met after a few too many drinks, and although this may seem like a messy beginning, in reality it was the start of a seamless relationship. "We sort of admired each other from afar but we didn't really get to know each other until I got drunk at my cousin Cerri’s 18th and decided that I was going to be his friend. I gave him a big hug, which was captured in a photograph that’s now framed and on our wall. After that, we started to spend a lot of time with each other and had our first kiss a few months later after a cinema ‘date’. It sounds corny but we truly are best friends. We have the sort of relationship we couldn’t ever imagine having with anybody else. We have the same sense of humour and make each other laugh every day. We can really be ourselves with each other (i.e. massive weirdos) and we have lots of fun together."
Nine years after Marie decided James was her new best friend, James decided it was high time to propose. James kept things sweet and simple and proposed after cooking Marie dinner for their anniversary. Marie immediately said yes, and they began to plan their wedding for the same date one year later.
Isn't Marie just porcelain perfection? If you have a fringe like Marie and aren't sure how to go about styling it for your wedding check out our 5 Fringe Friendly Wedding Hairstyles post.
Marie spent time with her parents and granny getting ready and enjoying a quick tipple before the day kick-started. Pre-ceremony is such a special time, and who better to spend it with than those you love most!
Marie's short vintage inspired dress was accessorised with her grandmother's pearls, a strong red lip and a dainty little bracelet. Perfect for the relaxed wedding day that followed.
The city centre ceremony was held at the beautiful City Hall, which Marie and James spotted in a One Fab Day real wedding and quickly fell in love with. "The couple had gotten married in Dublin City Hall. We’d never seen it before and thought it was just stunning. We took a little trip to Dublin to see what it looked like in real life and instantly knew there was nowhere else we wanted to be married."
Keeping things as simple as possible Marie and James kept their guestlist limited to just close family and friends and let the natural beauty of City Hall speak for itself. To add a touch of personality Marie walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of I See The Light from Disney’s Tangled (which always makes her cry) and Hysteric by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played at the end of the ceremony.
After the ceremony Marie and James took some time to themselves to wander Dublin's streets with their photographer Elisha Clarke (who was also a One Fab Day find!)
Dublin can be a beautiful backdrop for photos, so If you're having a city wedding don't panic that you won't have any pretty spots to take portraits in. Just look how gorgeous Marie and James's turned out...
After their city centre stroll Marie and James joined their guests in The Winding Stair restaurant for a delicious, low key meal followed by drinks in the nearby Liquor Rooms.
Marie and James kept things simple and relaxed and as a result had a totally stress free year of planning. After it was all over, it was the help and effort made by family and friends that stuck in their minds, and is worth keeping in mind if your getting stressed out planning your own day. In Marie's words "Don’t sweat the small stuff! The most important thing to remember is that you’ll be marrying your favourite person in the entire world and nothing else matters! "
A huge thank you to Marie and James for sharing their wedding with us, we wish you both the very best!
Thank you also to Elisha Clarke for sharing your work with us. To see more of Elisha's work head over to www.elishaclarke.com
If you're thinking of a wedding in Dublin City, check out these other gorgeous weddings:
