For some couples, a wedding is an excuse to jet off to an exotic location, just the two of them, or with their nearest and dearest in tow. But others, like the couple in today's real wedding, prefer to exchange vows in the place they call home. Elaine and James wanted their chic, city centre bash to reflect the memorable moments in their relationship, from wandering around South William Street on their mutual lunch breaks as colleagues, to long walks in St. Stephen's Green as an engaged couple, and we think it's such a lovely idea! They brought Olga Hogan Photography along for the ride, and she captured their Dublin Unitarian Church ceremony, and Fallon and Byrne reception so beautifully, we just couldn't wait to share the photographs with you!

James and Elaine tell us that they met while both working on South William Street. "We were friends for some time and spent many lunchtimes walking around St. Stephen's Green with a coffee in hand. Things became a bit more serious and we became a couple. The walks still continued but we added sneaky pints in The Stags Head and The Long Hall to the line-up!"

Elaine and her gals got ready in a suite in The Shelbourne Hotel, and the couple spent the night of the wedding there, too! It's always a treat to spend time in this iconic Irish hotel, and your wedding offers the perfect excuse!

I am totally in love with this little moss ring box, and actually, moss wedding décor in general! I feel a post coming on!

James tells us that his proposal was inspired by a very special holiday. "We took a surprise trip to Edinburgh for my birthday, and I knew then she was the one, so the following year we took a surprise trip to Edinburgh for Elaine's birthday. After a trek up to Arthur's Seat, I dropped the knee and Elaine cried for six hours! We moved in together shortly afterwards and now live with our two-year-old son, Charlie!"

Can we talk about Elaine's headpiece? We mentioned statement bridal headwear in our 2019 wedding trends post, and this has got to be one of our all-time favourite examples! It's by Laura Kinsella Bespoke Millinery, and it proves that a modern headpiece can really take your bridal look to the next level.

From the beginning, Elaine and James wanted a laid-back and joy-filled day, with lots of pretty details. "We aimed for a relaxed city wedding," James tells us. "Our vibe was a smart-casual, relaxed, Autumnal wedding in a city centre setting. Flowers and décor were important - we had lots of botanicals and greenery."

James tells us that their ceremony was one of the most enjoyable parts of the day. "This was made possible by two key people, firstly, Keith Traughton, our celebrant in The Unitarian church – his wit, charm and genuine kindness made us both so relaxed and happy in the build up to the wedding and on the day. The other key person was our singer, Sinead Stone. She has a beautiful, Celtic-style voice and learned an important song (Us Against The World by Coldplay), as well as a series of other beautiful songs we picked."

Eek! The post-ceremony hugs are really one of the best parts of the day!

I think we can all agree that Elaine is an absolute knockout in her Folkster wedding dress!

For this couple, a city wedding at home was a natural fit. "The important thing to us was that people were relaxed and had a good time. Knowing 80% of our guests were from Dublin, we thought a city wedding would be great for them and a good excuse for those living abroad to come home and enjoy the city."

Elaine's bridesmaids wore pink, two-piece gowns from Folkster - don't they look amazing?

Don't forget to get a portrait with your bestie on the big day - this is an important one for your wedding photo checklist!

A city wedding always has an air of spontaneity, but actually, these guys planned their timeline pretty meticulously. "Our wedding was all about location," Elaine says. "We had everything on or near St. Stephens Green and South William Street because it's where we met and spent so much time together. St. Stephen's Green played an important role in our early relationship, so it was important to have our pictures there. Luckily, we had a beautiful sunny day, which really helped the pictures come alive through the changing colours of the leaves."

The couple tell us that music was one of their top priorities for the day. "It was a key component in bringing it all together," James says. "For this, we chose an established artist - Sinead Stone and her accompanist, Ger Farrelly. The pair are spectacular, they happily learned new songs and were a pleasure to listen to in the ceremony. There wasn’t a dry eye for Elaine's entry to ‘She Moves Through The Fair.'"

Elaine's bouquet is such a showstopper! The more greenery the better in our book!

Another way for Elaine and James to reflecr their romance in the big day, was to support Irish businesses wherever possible. "It was important for us to support Folkster, Magee, LK Millenary and RARE Jewelers, and to use exciting and compelling professionals with a unique edge like Olga Hogan Photography, Sinead Stone, Clint Withington Wedding Videos and Weddingart.ie."

In Dublin, you're spoiled for fun locations for taking wedding portraits!

Among his highlights, James names, "our son being there, and being up the front of the church with us", and "our friends and family being together to celebrate our marriage."

The couple tell us that they chose Fallon and Byrne as their reception venue for three reasons: location, food and wine, and flexibility. "We wanted the ability to personalise the venue whatever way we wished," James says. "What made Fallon and Byrne the one was also their wedding coordinator, Aoife. Her relaxed approach and helpfulness made the whole thing so easy to organise – we couldn’t have done it without her!"

The Fleur Weddings team did an incredible job of decorating the dining room at Fallon and Byrne. Hula hoop wreaths and the rustic floral centrepieces are a timeless combo!

The couple had the team at weddingart.ie create a painting of their wedding day - how cool!

James' advice to engaged couples is to make decisions that will minimise stress. "We told ourselves back in January that something as special as our wedding was not to be a stressful experience. Anytime planning became a bit too much, we shut the laptop, had a glass of wine and came back to it a few days later."

They've also got a tip for couples who've got a hefty chunk of annual leave to play with. "One of the best decisions we made was both taking the week before the wedding off work. This way we could enjoy time together, trips to town, lunches out and final bits and pieces during the week so that, on the day, we were nice and relaxed and ready to enjoy it all."

After the wedding, the couple went to Malta for a week in the sun, but they're planning a longer break to Japan this Spring, which sounds just fabulous.

What a stylish couple this pair make! Thanks so much to Elaine and James for showing us how they planned their big day, and to Olga Hogan for supplying the beautiful photography!