From down under to Westmeath! Today's real wedding couple Leanne and Mark celebrated their love with a rustic autumn wedding at the character-filled alternative wedding venue Mount Druid. Leanne is from Mayo and Mark is from Bristol in the UK and their happily ever after was written in the stars as they first met outside a nightclub in Sydney in the wee hours of a December night in 2012.

From a romantic ceremony in a tin can church to a sparkling reception in the boathouse, their big day was relaxed, love-filled and super stylish. The nature-inspired palette saw the bridesmaids in green and the groom and the father of the bride too. With Leanne's jaw-dropping lace wedding dress which boasted an ethereal cape and the beautiful white and blush floral arrangements, with fluffy pampas grass in the mix, there was an unmistakably whimsical air to their celebrations. So sit back and let the swooning commence as you check out the stunning wedding photos by Bronte Photography.

Before we take you on the magical journey of their special day, let's learn more about the night they met. They tell us, "It was back when they were both able to party all night and into the next day! Memories are a little hazy, however, it may have been close to 6am when Leanne was leaving the nightclub and Mark was attempting to make his way in. Luckily for them, Mark and his friends were turned away from the club and somehow they got chatting and never stopped!"

"The following day was Christmas Eve and they ended up spending the entire Christmas holidays together and quickly fell in love and have been together ever since." Mark picked an utterly gorgeous location to propose. "After 10 years of being asked when they’re going to get married (mainly by the Irish contingent!), Mark decided the time was finally right to ask Leanne to be his wife in July 2022."

"They were home from Australia for a few weeks and Mark thought this was an ideal time to pop the question as they would be able to celebrate with their friends and family which he knew would mean the world to Leanne. He organised a private boat to take them to a small island off Hvar in Croatia at sunset and got down on one knee much to Leanne’s shock (even after all this time!). They didn’t plan to get married so soon but somehow the date and venue were booked before they got on the plane back to Australia!"

The couple are based in Sydney today but they tied the knot on Irish soil. Leanne fell head over heels for Mount Druid after seeing photos of a friend’s weddings held there and she knew that if she ever got married that was where she'd want to say her "I dos". The stars aligned!

"By chance (or fate) they had a cancellation for a viewing the day before Leanne flew back to Australia so she went to view it with her parents and decided she didn’t need to see anywhere else. Mark was in the UK so he didn’t get to see it but he trusted Leanne and thankfully he loved it when he finally saw everything the day before the wedding!"

"Being from different countries and living on the other side of the world, our wedding was really about bringing all our friends and family together for a party," they share. 100 of their loved ones joined them and as many of them had never met it meant a relaxed and fuss-free celebration was paramount. They also wanted to ensure the day felt authentic to them as a couple and their love story.

The festivities kicked off the night before at the wedding venue and there was double the reason to celebrate. "Instead of a Day Two, we had a pre-wedding party the night before which was also Leanne’s birthday. It was ideal for everyone to get to know each other before the day and we loved seeing the friendships that had already been forged before the main event."

They tied the knot in the Tin Chapel and their guests played a sweet role in making their wedding utterly unforgettable. "We wanted our guests to play a part on the day so we had four beautiful and meaningful ceremony readings read by close family and friends, our favourite reading was The Giraffe and The Monkey read by Mark’s sister Laura. Leanne's niece Rose was flower girl and her nephews Zach and Charlie were page boys. Our friend Steph kindly provided the ceremony music."

"We wanted people to get to know us as a couple and our celebrant Jacqueline Lee |The Serene Celebrant was so helpful in getting our personalities across throughout our ceremony," they reminisce. Leanne blew everyone away in her breathtaking lace gown with a flowing cape by Aussie label Grace Loves Lace and her accessories included heels adorned with dainty and oversized pearls and pearl-dappled heart sunglasses too.

The bridesmaids mixed and matched dresses magically opting for satin dress with varied necklines in various shades of green, from sage to olive. More and more we're seeing grooms embrace colourful wedding suits and Mark was immensely dapper in his deep green suit. The father of the bride opted for a two-piece in a lighter green hue while the groomsmen wore neutral shades which tied the look together flawlessly.

The quirky and character-filled venue itself served as the perfect source of inspiration for the wedding day aesthetic. "A major selling point was how wedding ready it was without us having to add to it. You can opt for minimal effort with décor as it’s already brimming with colour and personality. Very convenient when planning a wedding from 11,000 miles away!"

"The décor in The Barn and The Boathouse, the foliage and the laid back vibes leant itself to the relaxed atmosphere we envisaged for our weekend. We loved having the majority of our guests staying onsite so we could cherish every moment together."

We love nothing more than finding chic and unique table seating ideas. We loved Leanne and Mark's idea!

With dazzling chandeliers overhead and festoon and fairy lights, their reception in The Boathouse was a truly sparkling affair. Paper lanterns and bunting brought a festival feel while foliage adorned the main table and eucalyptus was dotted on the napkins.

We were curious to know what their words of advice would be for couples preparing for their special day. They say, "Try not to do everything for everyone else and remember it’s your day! You’re surrounded by people who love you who will enjoy themselves regardless (as long as they have food and drinks in their hand) so remember to choose the elements that make you happy."

Leanne’s brother Nathan MC’d the reception and Blacktye ensured the newlyweds and their guests partied the night away and the dancefloor was hopping into the wee hours. Mark’s best man did the honours on the DJ duties and some tunes after. Reflecting on their magical day at the Westmeath venue, they say, "The staff were amazing to deal with and the food was better than we could have imagined."

They celebrated tying the knot with a fabulous mini-moon. They took a little detour on the way back to Australia by heading to Koh Samui in Thailand. They plan to honeymoon in seriously exotic style in the Cook Islands, which lies half way between New Zealand and Hawaii.

A huge thank you to Leanne, Mark and Bronte Photography for sharing this dreamy Mount Druid wedding with One Fab Day! You can see even more stunning images in the gallery below.

Tying the knot? We have so many more Irish Real Weddings for you to check out!