Today's real wedding is a sweet one. It's colourful, fun, and full of love. Irish bride Orla & Australian groom Brendan met with a whirlwind romance in London, and it wasn't long before the groom was in Ireland asking Orla's folks if he could take her back with him to Oz. Fast forward to their gorgeous wedding at Drumhalla House in Donegal, and their friends and family from around the world gathered for three days of fun and festivities. Paul McGinty captured all the joy and all the gin, so let's pour a tonic, and enjoy!

These shoes are feeding my tassel obsession big time!

Brendan tells us how he met Orla while she was living in London, “I was being an Australian hobo in the UK, staying on a mate’s couch for a week. I pestered Orla to go out for a drink with me and weakened by the flu she agreed. I was smitten and asked if I could come back to visit after my trip to Ireland.”

“We stayed in touch but with the distance, I don’t think either of us thought anything more would happen,” explains Orla. “I knew he had another trip to Europe planned later in the year and Bren invited me to join him in Greece with his family and I thought why not.”

“Long story short he came back to London with me, we had the chat about what to do next and before you know it we’re in Ireland meeting my parents and booking flights!” says Orla. We can imagine that was a tricky chat for Brendan!

How gorgeous are these bright blooms by Flowers By Mee - so much colour! And Orla's sequin wedding dress is unreal, what a stylish bride!

Brendan popped the question at the top of Mount Feathertop, the second highest peak in Victoria, as Orla tells it, “We’d just hiked 11km, most of it uphill, and I was about to drop. We were with two friends and they all had sausage sandwiches before we started but I’m veggo and thought I’d be grand with some hummus and celery.”

Brendan says he was stressed Orla would find the ring the whole way to top, “My mum gave me one of my grandmothers rings to use for an engagement ring. I had it in a black ring box in my pack ready to go and Orla kept adding extra items to it! As we were finally getting close to the summit of Mount Feathertop Orla was running low on energy. Trying to cajole her to the top with jelly snakes worked. I ended up down on one knee with a spectacular view. I mumbled something but Orla knew what I was asking and said yes. The walk back was a lot less stressful.”

Orla says she and Brendan, were eager to combine their backgrounds, “We took our favourite parts of Irish weddings and Australian weddings and just ran with it,” explains Orla. “Throughout the planning we kept hearing  “it’s a wedding, you have to do this” but we really resisted that and in the end we had a day that felt true to us.”

Brendan says he didn’t have a lot of experience of weddings before planning his own, “It was interesting to learn more about the traditions and expectations of Irish weddings. I think being able to have the ceremony, reception and accommodation all at Drumhalla relaxed everyone. Not having to worry about a flat tire derailing the day was great.”

Orla tells us about some of her favourite moments from the day, “We asked Brendan’s sister if she would like to do a reading during the ceremony and she decided to write something herself. She’s incredibly talented and I don’t think we were prepared for her words. It was so special. One of my cousins from the US does Irish dancing and at the reception she came out in full costume and danced for us, which everyone just went nuts for!”

Brendan love the attention to detail in the day, “Orla's grandmother Mary made beautiful candle holders for us that we used during the ceremony and reception. The gin bar after the ceremony really got all our friends and family mingling while we had our photos taken.”

You'll find us by the gin bar.

For Orla & Brendan, it was important to spend time with their guests, "We knew from the start that no matter where we had the wedding, people would have to travel and it was important our guests knew that we appreciated that, regardless of whether their journey was 10km or 10,000km. That’s why we had a night at the local pub the night before the wedding and a BBQ the day after.”

The couple found a photographer had also planned his wedding from Oz, “Our photographer, Paul had been in a similar situation to us. He described how he looked out at his guests and noticed that all these people from different parts of the world from different times in their lives had come together to be there for him and his wife, and that really stuck with us. So long as we kept that in the back of our minds we knew it would be fine.”

Brendan loved having his Aussie guests there to celebrate for a full three days, “Being able to invite people to such a beautiful part of Ireland was a treat.”

It was actually Orla’s parents who found Drumhalla House by accident, “Which was no small task because we had a fairly demanding brief,” says the bride. “It had to be In Donegal, it had to be by the beach, we had to be able to arrange our own catering and we had to be able to keep the celebrations going all weekend. My parents were pretty confident so gave them the go-ahead to book it and thankfully it was perfect. The grounds were beautiful, the views were spectacular and everyone could come and go as they pleased.”

Brendan was well impressed with his in-laws venue scouting skills, “We initially wanted to get married at Fanad Lighthouse. Once we found out we would probably end up getting blown into the ocean Assumpta and Philip happened to drive past Drumhalla. Being able to go for a run on the beach in the morning was a great way to kick off the wedding.”

The couple made sure their cat Meg was there in spirit, “She would have hidden under a table,” says Brendan. “So the cake topper Orla had made for the day was the best possible way to include her.”

The next day BBQ was another highlight, “The sun was out, we had two expert Aussies on the grill and had an impromptu backyard cricket tournament using a couple of hurleys and a sliotar!”

The groom tells us, it’s important not to stress over the details, “Get the big things booked in early. Listen to experienced vendors about what is possible within the limited time you have on the day. Make sure you enjoy it.”

Orla gives her advice for planning a wedding from overseas, “Make room in your budget for a wedding planner! I can’t stress that enough. We talked about it and in the end decided against it but there would have been fewer sleepless nights if we had have just gone for it.”

The pair also say taking time out alone after the wedding is important, “Make sure to take some time off for just the two of you after the wedding, even if it’s just for a few days. You think you won’t ever stop buzzing after the wedding but your body will thank you for a bit of a rest.”

The couple are still planning their honeymoon, “Brendan’s a teacher so we have to work our trips around the Australian summer holidays,” says Orla. “We haven’t confirmed the itinerary yet but we’re taking three weeks to go on a winter holiday, either to Europe or Canada.”

“Orla's wanted to take me skiing ever since I let slip I've never been. The next holiday we take will involve snow and hot chocolate.” Well Brendan, that sounds lush!

Orla & Brendan seem like the coolest couple - thanks so much to both of you for telling us all about your day! And of course cheers to Paul McGinty for sending it our way!