Today's real wedding is a masterclass in fusing multiple cultures while still keeping things stylish! California girl Shamin and Dublin lad Karl clearly have impeccable taste, not just because they chose the wonderful Bellinter House as their wedding venue, and the talented Siobhan Byrne as their photographer, but because their big day was elegant in a really timeless way - we can imagine the images from their wedding looking every bit as enchanting in 2050 as they do today! Ready to find out how they put the whole thing together? Let's go!

Shamin and Karl tell us that they met on the dating app, Bumble! "My best friend had recently just broken up with her boyfriend of 10 years, and she wanted to try it, but didn't want to do it alone," Shamin explains. "Karl's friend was visiting him and wouldn't get off the app so he got frustrated and figured if he can't beat 'em, he should join 'em. I was Karl's first date on it! We went to Ester's Wine Shop in Santa Monica, and after a few glasses of wine it became clear this was someone really special. I ended up giving him my Amazon password so he could watch Catastrophe, a comedy about an Irish woman and an American man who fall in love - what foreshadowing!"

Can you spot the couple's pet pooch, Milky in their wedding invitations!?

For their one-year anniversary, Karl planned a pretty elaborate proposal. He booked a helicopter to take him from L.A. to Santa Ynez, where Shamin believed she was going for a work retreat - yep, Karl even got her boss involved! "Unfortunately, that morning was the only day in the whole year that it was too windy to fly a helicopter in L.A.!" Shamin tells us. But, thankfully, Karl swiftly came up with a Plan B. "We ended up in wine country and he proposed over lunch in the middle of a vineyard!"

Shamin accessorised her Carolina Herrera gown and veil with a Twigs & Honey headpiece and heirloom emerald and diamond jewellery. I think we can all agree that she looks incredible!

Shamin and Karl's wedding ceremony incorporated a Sofreh Aghd, a dazzling spread of food and decorative items, each with a symbolic meaning. Almonds and hazelnuts represent abundance, while mirrors promise light and brightness in the couple's future!

This ceremony was a real blend of cultures! "It was really special to us to have my brother officiate the Persian part of the wedding," Shamin says. "My mom read this beautiful Rumi marriage poem to us in Persian, and Karl’s mom read it in English."

Shamin's bridesmaids held a white canopy over the couple as part of a Persian wedding ritual! Later, Karl's heritage was echoed in a traditional Celtic handfasting.

As Shamin and Karl live in Venice, Los Angeles, they knew their wedding would be an international affair, so they planned a whole weekend of events for their guests. Friday was spent in Dublin, touring the Guinness Storehouse and going on a pub crawl of the city, and on Saturday, the group descended on Bellinter House for games and Irish dancing on the lawn, followed by dinner at Bru House Navan and an impromptu singalong back at Bellinter. "We wanted everyone to leave the weekend feeling like they had an awesome vacation, and got to experience Ireland and all the hospitality it entails," Shamin says.

Shamin describes the big day as "a blend of all the important pieces of our lives and cultures – Persian, Irish, American. We wanted it to be upscale but still warm and inviting, where you knew it was a special event but it wasn’t so stuffy and uptight that you couldn’t let loose and have fun." The couple's Persian and Irish backgrounds were even reflected in custom cocktails - The Persian Greyhound and The Blarney Stone!

For this gorgeous pair, Bellinter House ticked all of the boxes. "We loved the idea of being able to have an exclusive venue where it was just us and our friends and family. Also Bellinter House was a perfect mix of modern and and traditional, the food was amazing, and Paul, the general manager, was so on top of everything that we didn’t worry about a thing under his management. It was also a great location because it was close enough to Dublin where it wasn’t a pain to get to, but far enough away where even the Irish guests really made a weekend out of it."

We are head over heels in love with the classic-meets-rustic design of these menus, which were created by the wonderful team at Appleberry Press.

Shamin's advice for engaged couples is to make a weekend of it, if at all possible! "There's so much time and planning and cost that goes into a wedding, and it's the only time in your life you can have everyone you love in one place, so it's nice to soak up as much time with them as possible. Not everything has to be extravagant and expensive, but if you keep your guests' enjoyment in mind, you can add to the fun without breaking your budget."

After the wedding, Shamin and Karl spent two weeks in Paris, followed by two weeks in Italy. "Italy was nice because we road tripped from the Amalfi Coast through Tuscany. We had both spent significant time in Paris before, so we didn’t feel pressure to be super active or sightsee. It was nice to be cocooned and just relax and unwind there."

It looks like this crowd really know how to party! Thanks so much to Shamin and Karl for giving us the back story to their big day, and to Siobhan Byrne for sharing the beautiful photographs.