If you're into flowers, you'll love Sharon & Rory's bloom-tastic wedding...

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One thing I absolutely love about weddings are the beautiful blooms and today's wedding is filled with the most wonderful array of flowers in shades of fuchsia pink, red and purple. The couple behind these gorgeous blooms is Sharon and Rory, two super sweet primary school teachers who met in school themselves way back when mopeds were the coolest thing on the planet!

Sharon and Rory's Dunmore House Hotel Wedding by Sosac Photography

After a seriously impressive proposal that ended up in the airport (you'll have to read on to find out about that guys!) the pair began planning a wedding that represented them. With a theme of 'Vintage Floral' the flowers are definitely the main feature and they are simply beautiful. The rest of the details were inspired by the beautiful tones in the florals and it works really well in their reception at Dunmore House Hotel. These lovebirds were carefree and full of good advice for fellow brides and groom planning their own weddings. The photographs captured it all, so let's take a peek at the wonderful work of SOSAC Photography...

Sharon and Rory's love story started way back when they were teenagers in 4th year of secondary school. Sharon was smitten after seeing Rory strut his stuff down a catwalk...As part of the transition year programme in both of our schools the pupils had to put together a fashion show. I don’t think Rory knew I existed until a few months later when we were back in school after the summer and my friends started to play matchmaker! He texted me one evening and the rest as they say is history. We were both smitten with each other though and at the time Rory had a moped so it made it easier for us to meet up and love certainly blossomed!

After 11 years of romancing, Rory decided to seal the deal with Sharon and she was completely shocked (really she hadn't a clue!) when he popped the question. With a well thought out treasure hunt and a secret up his sleeve, Sharon was in for a treat ...I knew it was in our future but I didn’t expect it when it came. We were both studying to become primary school teachers at the time after both deciding that we wanted to change our careers so we were both consumed with that. On the night in question Rory told me that he wanted to take me out to dinner to thank me for my help through his teaching practice which was an incredibly intense few weeks. As a surprise Rory took me to my favourite restaurant, Man Fridays in Kinsale. When we got back to the car there was a booklet on my seat saying ‘Open Me’. Now most people would know what was coming at this stage but honestly Rory has a very romantic streak so I wasn’t sure. He had created a treasure hunt for me so the first place we went was Charles Fort where he gave me a poem that he written which was all about our round the world trip in 2009 which was so witty, it had me in stitches. The last line of the poem was my next clue which was to lead us back home...

When I opened the door there was a path of candles and rose petals leading from the hall into the kitchen and sitting room. At the end of the path the words ‘Marry Me?’ were spelt out in candles and Rory got down on one knee. I was blown away! Rory had bought me a token ring as he planned to take me away 2 days later to pick out the actual ring but he kept it a surprise! When we got to Cork Airport I was told we had 2 flights to get so the first was to London. When we got to London I was trying to guess where we were heading but I was swiftly moved away from the departure screens! When it was time to board as we were walking to our gate I was looking at where all the other flights were going to. Our gate was the very last one and Rory stopped me and slowly pulled a travel guide out of his bag and I saw the title was New York! I was gobsmacked, I always wanted to go to New York at Christmas. Rory had researched where to go for the ring so we picked it out the next day and spent the rest of the week exploring the city - I'm a lucky girl!

In typical Irish fashion, Rory and his pals manage to fit in a game of hurling and a huge fry! Looks nice and calm all the same and the girls are having just as much fun, only it's a little more girly...

Sharon and Rory decided on a theme early on in their planning - 'Vintage Floral'. They began researching ideas (get your Pinterest profiles started ladies it's an amazing tool for inspiration!) The vintage look really appealed to Sharon and particularly the use of flowers, so the pair decided to make flowers a main feature on the day. Using bright fuchsias, pinks and reds along with lighter tones in her bouquet, Sharon incorporated the same richness of colours in different elements of the day, from her kimono she wore during wedding prep ( if you love kimonos as much as I do you must check out the pretty designs by Jumping Bunny in last week's Stuff We Love!) to her bridesmaids dresses and reception details.

Although Sharon looked beautiful in her kimono, her wedding dress is a knock out! The Sottero and Midgley dress is from Cinderella’s Closet and Sharon added her own touches to the top of the dress by having it altered to add tulle straps and a modified sweetheart neckline. Adding alterations to a dress you buy is something to remember if you have your heart set on a certain detail. The tulle straps are a beautiful edition to Sharon's dress. Adding a detail in this way is also a way of reflecting your personality and style a little bit more too!

It was navy blue for the groomsmen and a pop of brighter blue for groom Rory. The suits were from Lapel and they look pretty dapper I think you'll agree? You can see the pinks from Sharon's bouquet coming through in the boys boutonnieres too!

The pair fell in love with Rathbarry village and choose St. Michael’s Church to say I do.

The church was small with beautiful old stonework, it had a rustic look and that is the vibe we were going for. We wanted traditional Irish music for our ceremony and Arundó were just perfect. I walked up the aisle to a stunning air called 'Inis Oirr'.

My favourite part of the day was definitely the ceremony. Walking up the aisle and seeing everyone smiling at me was an amazing experience and of course to see my best bud waiting for me, looking so handsome, was the cherry on top. I really thought I would feel a bit nervous with all eyes on me but I felt so at ease when I got up to Rory. Saying our vows and being pronounced husband and wife was unreal – a magical moment!

We walked down the aisle to an upbeat jig which nearly had us 'riverdancing' down the aisle! It was brilliant though because it got everyone clapping and started the celebrations.

It's smiles all around for the newlyweds as they pottered off for a few moments to take it all in...

Rathbarry village is pretty picturesque with fabulous forestry to have as a backdrop to your wedding snaps and Shane of SOSAC did a brilliant job of capturing the couple and their bridal party...

So how fab are those bouquets? The colours are nice and rich with bursts of bright fuchsia tones, a feminine and modern collection of colours to combine Sharon's love of vintage. Her gorgeous bridesmaids donned beautiful deep purple dress from Amoré and the darker purple tone compliments the colour theme perfectly.

Although the couple look pretty content in the forest together, there is a party awaiting...

It was drinks in the local pub in the village before heading onto the reception. Time for Sharon and Rory to catch up with their friends over a pint in the sunshine, sounds perfect...Having all our family and friends there to celebrate such a special day in our lives was a huge priority for us – everyone was in top form and so happy for us and that’s what the day is all about.

Oh did I mention Sharon and Rory's reception venue was practically on the beach? Sunny seaside photos were a must...

It was the epic location as well as the West Cork hospitality that made Dunmore House Hotel the perfect venue for Sharon and Rory, not to mention the incredible views...There are many reasons why Dunmore House Hotel was “the one” for us. It is a family run hotel and we loved the fact that it was more intimate than a bigger hotel. It overlooks the sea in Clonakilty and the views are just breathtaking, no matter the weather. The décor is stylish with a warm, homely atmosphere coupled with brilliant hospitality – it’s hard to beat it. Everyone raves about the food there and that was an important aspect of the day for us. It’s a gorgeous venue and we feel so lucky to have found it.

Sharon and Rory had their priorities right when it came to planning the day and by the looks of things it all seems to have gone to plan...We wanted the planning process to be as stress free as possible. It’s easy to get caught up in the little details, which are important if you want to put your own stamp on the wedding, but it’s more important to remember what the day is supposed to be about.

Sharon and Rory brought their 'Vintage Floral' theme into their reception with delicate and fun details all practically handmade! It was the talents of their nearest and dearest that made it all come together...

Having some talented family and friends is always handy especially when they can make full on sweet carts...There are so many people who helped to make the day special for us. We wanted to make our wedding really personal so I had lots of ideas and my dad was the man to make them a reality! He is really super at making things so at the very start I asked him if he could make me a sweet cart and a photobooth wall and after a while I spotted the apple crate and wooden signposts craze on pinterest and I wanted them also – a lot to ask! But it was honestly no bother to him and he has now turned it into a business called ‘Sweet Cart Co.’ where he hires them out and also makes customised items.

My mum was also roped in and she helped me to sew the floral canopy for the sweet cart and she spent collecting jam jars for me along with Rory’s mum. Rory’s mum made the fruit cakes but she also surprised us and gave us a bride and groom which she knitted which had pride of place on the top table in front of us!

If Sharon wasn't busy enough she also made all the props for the photobooth! Using lip and moustache props as place cards that people could have a bit of fun with later on in the photobooth!

Sharon and Rory had a vision from the start and by sticking to it the results were a beautiful vintage inspired day with lots of fun touches. Their advice is worth following... At the very beginning sit down and research the cost of different aspects of a wedding. Figure out what your budget will be, what your priorities for the day are and budget accordingly. It’s easy to get carried away so this will help to keep you in check! We had a lot of DIY aspects to our wedding and we were racing around the week of the wedding trying to get them all done. I had lots of other ideas which I had to knock on the head and I’m so glad that I did. So beware when you are undertaking DIY tasks that they can take a lot of time so pick and chose them carefully and get as much as you can done as early as you can. You want the week of the wedding to be as stress-free as possible so you can enjoy the build up! Everyone will tell you how fast your wedding day will go and it is true. . All of your guests are there for you both – try not to let any nerves take over!

A huge congrats to Sharon and Rory from the One Fab Day team! A big Thank You of course goes to Shane of SOSAC for sharing his work with us today, to see more of Shane's work pop over to www.sosacphotography.com.

The Wedding Details