As a regular reader of One Fab Day, you'll be well aware of what a fan and advocate I am of fabulous wedding photography - if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - a great photograph is your forever memento, so make sure you choose the right photographer who can capture your day as you remember it.

Today's beautiful real wedding of Karen and Paul is a perfect example of what an investment in the right photographer can bring you - Karen and Paul asked Amanda Wilcher, fine art photographer extraordinaire, newly-arrived from the US, who is now offering her talents to us Irish couples and I can well imagine some of you will be on the phone once you've seen how beautifully she portrayed Karen and Paul's wedding in The Village at Lyons... 

 Swoon... yes, this is Ireland, not Savannah, Georgia.

Karen and Paul chose the Village at Lyons just outside Dublin for both their ceremony and wedding reception. The Village is a perfect wedding venue, offering contemporary luxury with a rustic-luxe vibe, great food and a warm atmosphere...

For Karen the preparations in this pretty setting were the beginning of a perfect day... "I loved getting ready, I think I was just so happy and excited and it was really relaxing as myself, my parents and sister stayed over the night before so there was no rush to travel anywhere or worries about being late. Everyone just came to us!"

And it shows - Karen is positively glowing...

So as I mentioned at the opening, Amanda Wilcher may not be a name many Irish brides are familiar with, but after seeing these beautiful photographs it won't be difficult to convince you that she is a very sought-after wedding photographer stateside. She still works mainly in the US, but is based in Dublin now, as like her good friend Christina Brosnan, she moved to Ireland for love... And so Amanda's beautiful fine art approach to wedding photography is now accessible to Irish couples and as you can see from Karen and Paul's experience - it's positively dreamy.

While Karen looks radiant, is that a touch of nerves on Paul's face?

All to be dispelled once his bride is by his side.  And this picture is, for me, the epitome of gorgeous wedding photography - beautiful use of light and great composition...

So simple, yet so evocative - two people making their vows together - this is an image I would love to have to hang on my wall...

It also helps that the Village at Lyons has so many fun and romantic locations both inside and outside in the grounds. If you've seen Summer and Paul's wedding, you'll appreciate the scope for great wedding portraits, and Amanda Wilcher took full advantage to create a beautiful album of natural, yet romantic portraits for Karen and Paul.

So any advice for those preparing to trip down the aisle sometime soon? "For those looking to get married in a short time frame — it is possible! We were advised by our friends that the longer you leave the engagement, the more time and energy and weekends get absorbed by the organisation. We were engaged on April 17 and married on October 20th and I think if you are consistent about it and start immediately then it’ll all come together." Phew... I feel better anyway...

With only six months to plan everything, how did they find the perfect venue?

"We saw about seven venues, but once we saw the Village at Lyons, everything else was compared back to it (much like my wedding dress!). We really just saw ourselves getting married there as it’s such a beautiful venue. Paul and his family are from Celbridge as well so it was really convenient for most of the guests."

Although the overall look of the wedding is soft and romantic, there was another side to the celebration "Electric picnic was really the theme we had for the wedding, which was such fun. One of our first dates was at the EP festival and we love it, we’ve been every year since. My talented brother using an Electric picnic theme - the table names were the names of sites at the festival such as ‘Main stage’, ‘Electric arena’, ‘Silent disco’ and ‘Inflatable church’." As a big EP fan I am loving this idea so much - kudos to bro, for creating such a masterpiece.

A real highlight of the day for Karen and Paul was the entry to dinner, I think this is absolutely brilliant "Paul had compiled a minute track that started off with the X factor (O Fortuna, Carmina Burana) music which followed with Florence and the Machines ‘Dog days are over’." Talk about making an entrance!

Instead of wedding favours Karen and Paul chose to give a donation to the Alzheimers Society. Charity wedding favours are a great way of giving back on a day when so much love and kindness is being directed at you as the couple. And continuing the EP theme  Karen organised for baskets of emergency items in the bathroom so we filled them with paracetemol, rennie, haircombs, clips, clear nail varnish, mints, deodorant, hair gel, vaseline etc, apparently there was nothing left at the end - must have been one hell of a party! As every wedding should be...

Huge congratulations to Karen and Paul - here's to a great new chapter in your life together.

And to Amanda Wilcher we say a big Thank You for sharing these beautiful images with us  - make sure to check out www.amandawilcher.com for more of her stunning work...

All the Wedding Details

• Venue: Village at Lyons
• Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca, the White Room, Mullingar
• Bridesmaids dresses: Dessy dress (2832) in Ocean blue
• Shoes: Fifi by Filippa Scott - Ruby
• Make Up: Marie Joseph
• Hair: Sandy Brennan
• Earrings: Swarovski
• Bracelet/garter: Something borrowed

• Photographer: Amanda Wilcher
• Cupcakes: The Cupcake Store
• Stationery: Optimal Print 
• Flowers: Kay's Florist
• Groom(smen)’s suits: Aston Formal, Temple bar
• Wedding Band: The Ratzingers
• Ceremony/Reception Music: All organised mp3 setlists by Paul (groom)