Today, we're bringing you a real Irish wedding that features the kiss of the ocean breeze as well as an 'I do' from our stunning couple. When Joao and Kirsty planned their big day, they both agreed that they just had to get married on the beach and wow, what a beautiful wedding it was! Originally, they planned to get married in Alvor in the groom's home country of Portugal, but due to Covid restrictions, the pair opted for an intimate Summer wedding on Tyrrel beach in county Down, which made history as the first wedding ever held there! With hues of pastel peaches and pinks, personalised sea shells and the sound of the sea, this is a romantic and mermaid-inspired dreamland. Beautifully captured by Sasha Treanor Photography, the pictures tell a beautiful tale. Take a look for yourself!

Kirsty and Joao met when they both worked as care assistants for the same company but in different nursing homes. "Joao came to cover one of my shifts, as I was studying at the time," Kirsty tells us. "My friend Ann sent me a text telling me that I had to pop in and see Joao at the end of the day, as she believed he was the man of my dreams and how right she was. A week of exchanging messages followed by a coffee date sealed with a kiss, and, as they say, the rest was history. We have now been together over eight years and are so blessed to have our wonderful son, Orlando."

Kirsty's dress was by Stella York from The Wild Rose Boutique Newry, Northern Ireland and had bespoke sleeve detailing. Flower arrangements and floral anklets were created by Vintage Violet Boutique in Markethill, County Armagh.

Kirsty tells us that her and Joao had their hearts set on a beach wedding from the start. "When planning our Portugal wedding, it was always going to be on the beach, we let go of our dream wedding there, but we just couldn’t let go of the vision of a beach wedding, so we set about the task of arranging a beach wedding at home in Northern Ireland. Tyrella was one of our favourite beaches, the process wasn’t easy or straight forward, but thankfully everything came together on the day and even the sun was shining. It was just perfect."

Kirsty's father walked his daughter down the aisle. The bride walked barefoot with just her beautiful floral anklets, which were created especially for her by the husband and wife team at Vintage Violet Floral Boutique.  We love this portrait of Kirsty with her sister and maid of honor, Shannon, enjoying the salty sea air!

When it came to making their day all about them and keeping it personal, the couple chose a humanist ceremony. They also created an altar space to remember some special people who have sadly passed away, including their son, Jaeden. "Having a humanist ceremony which was so personal, writing our own vows and saying them in both English and Portuguese, and having our son, Orlando, with us on the day was so special. We both also carried little photo pendants of our son, Jaeden, Joao’s in his suit pocket and mine attached to my flowers." Kirsty tells us.

The couple enjoyed their first dance on the beautiful Irish coastline surrounded by 24 of their closest friends and family. How magical!

The couple chose The Fancy Fox catering for their beach wedding, and it went down a treat. "Our guests really enjoyed hot and cold drinks and yummy tray bakes just after the ceremony and prior to first dance," Kirsty says.

They held their reception in Hillyard House, which they chose "firstly for location being close to Tyrella Beach," but when they visited for a meal they "fell in love with the cosy but contemporary décor, delicious food, but most of all the genuine friendliness of all the staff," Kirsty tells us. "It felt like home instantly and we knew from that moment it was the prefect venue to have our small reception."

The beautiful cake was created by Landa Knox cake designs in Northern Ireland and carries the peach and pink theme throughout its separate layers of raspberry and chocolate, as well as coconut and passionfruit.

Wedding favours were little namesake seashells collected from Murlough Beach in Co. Down. The couple had a beautiful memorial table for their son, Jaeden, and the other family who couldn't make it to their special day. When we asked what was the most important aspect for their wedding day, Kirsty told us, "we didn’t follow a lot of traditions and kept it true to what we really wanted. At the end of all the fuss, there is just you as a couple and celebrating our love and showing a lifelong commitment to each other was what mattered the most to us."

Their advice for couples planning a wedding is simple; "do what makes you truly happy as a couple and try not to stress too much."

Thank you so much to Kirsty and Joao for sharing their beach wedding with us and to the amazingly talented Sasha Treanor Photography for allowing us to share her images! You'll find even more images to swoon over in the gallery below.