The couple in today's real wedding are our kind of people! Not only do Olivia and Donnacha have great taste in basically everything (music, flowers and décor for starters!) but they weren't afraid to break from tradition, even adding some feminist touches to their big day! Their effortlessly pretty, vintage-inspired day at Ballinacurra House was bursting with personality, and it sounds like it was an absolute joy to attend (I mean, there were four wedding cakes!). The wonderful Livia Figueiredo was there on the day to capture all the gorgeousness, so let's take a closer look!

Olivia and Donnacha met online but their first in-person encounter was at a Frames concert in the Point Depot in Dublin in 2005. "We became friends and then eventually got together, doing long-distance between Cork and Dublin through Leaving Cert and college, with me spending a year studying in Barcelona too," Olivia tells us. "We both did postgrads in Trinity, but I had to return to Cork after my Masters while Donnacha finished up his PhD. We moved to London together when Donnacha got a job here in 2015, and have been happily shacked up in Chiswick ever since!"

The proposal happened during a walk on a beautiful, misty autumn day in Richmond Park in London - how romantic! "It was just a really lovely, perfect day, but as we were making our way from the centre of the park towards the exit, Donnacha started to get very nervous, and kept making funny detours," Olivia remembers. "Eventually we were about to get in the car when he suggested walking down into a park just off the roadside, to watch the sunset, and got down on one knee! I didn’t expect a thing and was completely taken aback."

For their big day, Olivia and Donnacha were determined do things a little differently. "From the off, it was crucial to us that we did everything the way we wanted. We both knew that while traditional weddings can be so lovely, they weren’t quite our style. However, while planning a wedding you are often faced with a rigid set of parameters within which you can work – you have to have a long expensive dress, you have to wear shoes that make your feet ache, you have to spend X amount on this or that."

#SquadGoals on three!

What a gorgeous space for a ceremony, and a beautiful, sunny day to boot!

One thing that was really important to Donnacha and Olivia was that their wedding reinforced gender equality. "We reworked any part of the wedding that felt at odds with our feminist values: Donnacha walked down the aisle with his Dad instead of waiting nervously at the top, I was walked down the aisle by both my parents, and both of us had speeches along with all our parents, the best man and the maid of honour." Sounds like this pair could have helped us write our post on how to have a feminist wedding!

In the end, their hopes for the day were quite simple. "We were keen to provide a wonderful venue with excellent food and drink for the people who matter most to us, and do all the details in a way that reflected who we are."

"The wedding was very much true to us and our values," Olivia adds. For her, the day was defined by "happy guests who expected rain sitting out in the blazing sunshine drinking Cava, family sitting together catching up over cups of tea, and old friends and new friends tearing up the dancefloor." It sounds pretty ideal to us!

Olivia sourced these pretty mint green bridesmaids dresses from M&S. Aren't they just perfect for a chic, retro wedding!?

The couple say they knew that their venue was 'the one' from the moment they arrived. "Ballinacurra is incredible!" Olivia says. "We knew we wanted somewhere in West Cork, and we’ve spent many happy days wandering around Kinsale together. It’s not far from my parents house, Cork airport and Cork city centre. It has absolutely amazing on-site accommodation. The food is wonderful, the staff are brilliant, and they give you the flexibility to make the occasion exactly what you want. We never looked back after booking it."

Olivia looks so beautiful in her Candy Anthony dress! She plumbed for a 1950s-inspired cut with polka dot lace - this is one of our all-time favourite short wedding dress styles!

Donnacha and Olivia both love music, so they wanted it to play a major role in their day. "Our band was brilliant and we worked with them to put together a setlist that had people out on the dancefloor all night. After the live music, we put on a playlist that we had painstakingly curated over a number of months, getting the exact balance right - it was all worth it!"

The couple credit their parents with helping them put their whole day together. "We couldn’t have done any of this without all the hard work, time and energy that they put into it. They were truly spectacular throughout the whole organising process and it was so special to be able to share the day with them."

Olivia's advice to married couples is to focus on what really matters. "Surround yourself with people you love, recognise that something will go wrong, and when it does, accept that it no longer matters because you’re still doing the best part (the marriage). And make sure to put paracetamol and moisturiser in the bathrooms!"

The dining room at Ballinacurra looks so festive all dressed up with floral centrepieces, greenery garlands and bunting!

The couple also broke tradition with their wedding meal. "We did a four-course menu but had wedding cake instead of dessert, served after the speeches. This worked so well, because people had time to sit back for a bit after a (truly delicious) dinner, and then were presented with platters full of cake to choose from. Oh and we had four cakes, because you can never have too much cake!" Agreed, Olivia!

After the wedding, Donnacha and Olivia headed off to Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa for a two-night mini moon. They tell us, "We’re taking a delayed honeymoon in late July/early August in the Pacific Northwest, starting in Vancouver and working down through Seattle and Portland."

This pair looked so loved-up in every single photo! At this point, we have to say thanks so much to Olivia and Donnacha for letting us fawn over their big day, and to Livia Figueiredo for sharing the beautiful photography!