Ruairi and Louise's celebration at Tankardstown House is a beauty, from Louise's incredible Carolina Herrera wedding dress to the beautiful outdoor ceremony, complete with floral garlands and a rose petal aisle.

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So most of us are back to work after a very merry Christmas today and are feeling a bit low. In true One Fab Day style, we have a gorgeous real wedding to share with you, that will guarantee to shake off those Monday blues. Ruairi and Louise's celebration at Tankardstown House is a beauty, from Louise's incredible Carolina Herrera wedding dress to the beautiful outdoor ceremony, complete with floral garlands and a rose petal aisle! Friend of the One Fab Day team, Christina of Brosnan Photographic captured the romance of the day and we're thrilled to kick 2014 off with their celebration of understated elegance...

Ruairi and Louise met at the gym, under somewhat horrific circumstances that involved Louise ending up with crushed bones in her hand! Nothing to do with Ruairi, thankfully, but he did seize the moment to ask Louise out on a date, Louise said in hindsight the broken hand was perhaps a good thing to get the pair together. We've heard all sorts of stories but a broken hand ending up in a date is a first at One Fab Day.

After that harrowing start to their relationship, Ruairi decided to keep the proposal very low-key. "Ruairi suggested a drink in the bar at the Shelbourne and I wasn’t going to say no to that. He asked me to marry him sitting at a table in the corner of the bar and I couldn’t have been more delighted to say yes." Now listen up gents, Ruairi is a smart man - he had a "proposal ring" made by local jeweller extraordinaire, Eva Dorney, and after he got the answer he wanted, the pair returned to Eva to have the engagement ring and wedding bands made. It's a smart move because it means the two of you get to be involved in choosing the rings, perfect if you're not too sure what your lady love would like.

Louise stole the show in her stunning Carolina Herrera gown but it wasn't that easy to find. The common myth is of the bride who tries on "the one" and the search is complete, but Louise didn't have that moment, so take comfort if you're struggling to find the "perfect" gown... "I was bamboozled trying to find something that was classy, elegant, timeless and flattering and all the other things that you’re told a wedding dress should be. I think I lost sight of the fact that it should be something I loved and that excited me rather than it being a safe choice. Finally I saw a dress that I could get excited about and set about tracking it down and I’m so glad. I didn’t settle for something based on what other people would think of it, but found something that my sister described as “exactly the sort of thing I thought you’d pick.” So wait until you find something that speaks to you."

The architectural style is so unusual and compliments Louise's frame beautifully without being overpowering. We adore the mix of grey tones with light gold in the train too, adding a dash of personality to the wedding gown! Picking the perfect wedding dress is tough but when you know, you know and as Louise said, pick the one that excites you and makes you feel like your going to get married!

When it came to planning their wedding, Louise and Ruairi wanted casual elegance. Nothing fussy, just things they liked. They wanted their guests to enjoy themselves and for the wedding to reflect them as a couple. The first venue they visited was a winner, they were taken with Tankardstown House immediately because of the beautiful, charming decor that still felt comfortable and not imposing. It was close to Dublin and it had a fabulous indoor ceremony space as well - one to put on the list perhaps if you're on the venue hunt!

The grounds of Tankardstown House were a stunning backdrop for the ceremony and the couple added beautiful floral garlands to the chairs, adding colour and texture in this way is simple and really effective. The silk hearts that decorated the chairs going down the aisle during the ceremony were originally used for Louise's sister's wedding. Many people end up with truck loads of decor items after they get married, so ask around and you never know what you might find.

The couple originally planned an indoor ceremony but couldn't resist having it outside when they lucked out on the weather.

Stylish guest alert - love the colours ladies and gents!

With such a knock out dress, Louise looked for inspiration from magazines when it came to the flowers, pulling photos from that she thought might work. Louise then brought them with her to meet the florist, a clever idea to express your vision. Sometimes it can be hard to explain what you want exactly so having an image can work wonders. Together with your florist you can find exactly what will work on the big day!

When it came to the decorations inside, it started with the wedding stationery. Ruairi took his love of tattoos and in particular the anchor tattoo he then provided drawings that formed the basis of the wedding stationery - we love the pop of gold in the place card settings don't you?!

For the table numbers, the couple hunted down books with matching numbers in the title... Some we had, some were easy to find and some were very challenging. We ended up with “Escape from Camp 14” for table 14. I’m not sure that a book about a North Korean POW was the most uplifting tone for a wedding, but it did reflect our love of fiction and non-fiction alike. And we love the gold glitter table numbers!

Louise's advice to brides and grooms planning their weddings is simple... "You’ve hired professionals, they’ve done hundreds of weddings, let them get on with it and enjoy yourselves."

Congratulations to Ruairi and Louise on your gorgeous wedding celebration! A big thank you goes to Christina of Brosnan Photographic for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Christina's work pop over to www.brosnanphotographic.com

The Wedding Details