Today's real wedding is the fairytale forest wedding of our dreams! Yes, couple Sarah-Louise and Rory said their 'I dos' in amongst the trees on Kippure Estate in Wicklow. The laid-back affair was the summer celebration they both wanted all in the picturesque setting of the Wicklow Mountains. Ending the night with an incredible bonfire, the pair had the ultimate indoor/outdoor wedding all surrounded by their family and friends and beautifully captured by Wild Things Wed.

Sarah-Louise and Rory's relationship started as one of competitors. The pair were varsity rivals in sailing as Rory competed with DIT and Sarah-Louise competed with UCC. "We were friends for several years, living in different cities and even countries, before we both ended up in Dublin in 2012," Sarah-Louise explained. "Rory claims to be instrumental in my move to Dublin, suggesting that I was always in his long-term plan - I'm not sure but I'll let him have it."

As for the proposal, Rory had a beautiful plan but needed to get Sarah-Louise to play along to make it all happen. "We were on holiday in Hamilton Island, Northern Queensland at the time, I had picked a ring and had a plan," Rory told us. "One Tree Hill on the island is a popular spot for viewing sunsets. My plan was to pop the question there at sunrise. It took a bit of convincing to get Sarah-Louise out of bed at 5am but thankfully she was up for it. The proposal itself went about as well as I could have hoped, and there was even an early morning jogger to take a photo! To add to the occasion, Sarah-Louise's sister was visiting from Ireland at the time. Proposing while she was there to share in the celebrations earned me serious brownie points with both my future wife and future sister in law."

When it came to planning their wedding, having a wedding at home in Ireland was important to them. "When we sat down to start wedding planning we were still living in Australia, so getting married on a beach definitely crossed our minds," Sarah-Louise said. "But it was important for us to have as many of our family and friends around us as possible, so we decided that saying 'I do' at home was what we really wanted. Also, there is nothing quite like an Irish wedding!"

But, with the couple hopeful of having an outdoor summer wedding, opting to celebrate in Ireland was always going to be a risk. Eventually, they settled on Kippure Estate. "We had our hearts set on an outdoor wedding, always a risk in Ireland," Sarah-Louise said. "I wanted an ethereal Irish woodland setting with uilleann pipes and wildflowers and Rory wanted a bonfire - and a hog roast was non-negotiable! We knew we wanted a venue that would be exclusively ours, with the option of an outdoor ceremony space, a stunning view, and a relaxed feel. After researching lots of venues we kept coming back to Kippure Estate. It seemed to tick every box, and there are few places in Ireland as beautiful and as quintessentially Irish as the Wicklow Mountains."

The pair knew they wanted to make everything very personal to them from writing their own vows to selecting poems and readings that meant something to them. "When planning our ceremony, we knew that we wanted something very personal to us," they told us. "We incorporated a hand-fasting ceremony, using rope instead of ribbon to give a little nod to our sailing background, and locked a bottle of our wedding wine away with handwritten notes to each other, which we are looking forward to cracking open on our first anniversary!"

Sarah-Louise's dress was a stunning beaded number by Anna Campbell gown from Ban Bridal while Rory got his suit at Louis Copeland in Dublin. The bridesmaids were fitted in dresses from the boutique Folkster which perfectly complimented the couple and the incredible setting.

The couple learned a lot from their experience of organising their wedding, including scheduling their photographs for earlier in the day. "We had been guests at several weddings where the bride and groom had disappeared for photos straight after the ceremony, consequently missing a lot of the post-ceremony reception," they said. "If we were going to throw a party then we wanted to be at it, so we opted to do a first look and take the majority of our photos before the ceremony, and we are so glad that we did. It was so nice to spend time together before the madness, and our photographer and videographer were incredible. They gave us a little guidance but mostly just let us do our own thing and we are delighted with the results. It was a lot of fun and definitely helped to banish any nerves!"

The couple also used smoke bombs in their wedding photography with their bridal party - the perfect colourful and fun backdrop for their pictures.

Sarah-Louise and Rory also learned how important it is to have the wedding of your dreams, not somebody elses. "Everyone has a different idea of what their wedding will look like so just decide what you want and go for it! Weddings are one of the few opportunities in life to be completely selfish so make the most of it. Mainly, just enjoy it. There can be a lot to do but it can be so much fun. And drink champagne whenever possible!"

Thanks to today's couple Sarah-Louise and Rory for sharing their gorgeous forest wedding with us and to Wild Things Wed for capturing the day so wonderfully.