Classic Romance - the two words that I think best describe today's beautiful wedding. Kate and Damien chose elegant Castle Durrow as the venue for their nuptials, a place that combines olde worlde charm with modern luxury. And that is a great way to describe their wedding style - subtle, luxurious, understated and elegant. Kate is the perfect bride and Nicola Webster's beautiful intimate and discreet style of photography captures a couple in love and a celebration of a new life together...

So first of all we need to know the love story - how did Kate and Damien get together? "Well… we met in Hogans bar on Georges St in Dublin. Back then I was living in the UK but had come to Dublin for a weekend with a girl friend. We checked into our hotel and asked where the best place nearby was to go for a drink. Hogan’s was packed and at the bar a guy asked me to help him carry drinks back to his mates. I said yes and that’s when I got chatting to Damian. We all had a great night and Damian and I ended up sharing chips and swapping numbers. We met up again a couple of times over that long weekend and Damian offered to drive myself and my mate to the airport at the end of our stay. We kept in touch after that and everything grew from there. I won’t lie, there wee a fews up and downs along the way, but we got married 7 years later!"

While for most couples the proposal is a private time alone just the two of them, Damien chose a perfect We were in the Cotswolds in the UK, spending a long weekend with all my college friends and their partners/families. We’re all scattered all over the place now so don’t get together that often any more. On the first night we went back to the cottage we were renting and Damian got down on one knee. It was such a lovely moment, made all the better by the fact that we could then spend the rest of the weekend sharing our news and celebrating with good friends!

Swoon, swoon, swoon... Kate's be-aut-i-ful dress came from the collection of Claire Pettibone at Myrtle Ivory, if you're not already familiar with Claire Pettibone's designs, but you dream of a soft romantic, ethereal style of wedding dress, embellished and embroidered as if by fairies - then you have to check out www.clairepettibone.com

With a dress this beautiful as the centrepiece, Kate opted to keep her wedding palette clean and simple, "we wanted something elegant yet relaxed, and nothing too fussy. I wanted a bright colour to provide contrast and I knew I wanted fresias and roses in my bouguet, and so we decided on the bright red for the bridesmaids dresses".

The magnificent Church of the Most Holy Rosary in Abbeyleix was chosen for the ceremony, and it really does make for a breathtaking location with the beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling and splendid altarspace...

So what was the best bit? "We loved ALL of it! The night before we had an informal dinner which was a great way for wedding guests to get to know each other and was really relaxing for everyone. I loved waking up early the next day and having room service breakfast and getting ready with my bridesmaids — Caroline and Rosie. Tori, who did our hair, is a good friend of mine, so it was all very relaxing and loads of fun! The staff at Castle Durrow were amazing and we enjoyed all of the reception, but for me, my most absolute favourite bit was walking up the aisle and greeting Damian at the alter. It sounds cheesy, but it really was amazing to walk up there in front of all our favourite people and say ‘I do’ to the man I love! Damian said this was his favourite bit too… I didn’t have to twist his arm or anything"

Timeless and romantic - is this not what every girl dreams of as her wedding portrait? Nicola Webster excels at capturing these soft, subtle and intimate moments.

Kate and Damien chose Castle Durrow in Laois as the perfect setting for their dream day, located as it is in the midlands it is situated almost at a midpoint between their two hometowns... "We wanted to get married in Ireland. We live in Dublin but Damian’s from the West (Mayo) and I’m from the UK (Winchester, England) and so we wanted somewhere which was in between all of these and relatively easy to get to for all our guests. A few years ago I did the Ballymaloe 12 week cookery course and so used to drive past the entrance to Castle Durrow when I headed home to Dublin at the weekends. We went to see a handful of places and fell in love with Castle Durrow as soon as we saw it!"

To keep the little ones occupied during the wedding Kate made party bags for the kids. "These are a great idea and I’d highly recommend them to any couple who have kids on their guest list. The kids love the excitement of a party bag and you can fill them with thing to keep them occupied throughout the meal and speeches." Kate also roped in family and friends to help out in other ways... "Damian’s mum made our cake…and it was fabulous — there wasn’t any left at the end of the few days in Castle Durrow. Our friend Natalie is a wonderful calligrapher so she wrote all of our invites and the name cards for the tables too." Gotta love talented mates...

And a final word of advice from Kate..."Don’t get stressed out or overwhelmed by any of it. Set a budget and stick to it (as much as possible!) If things are becoming too expensive, prioritise the things that are essential to making your day perfect, and sacrfice the things which are not. Most of all just enjoy all of it, it’s the most amazing experience!"

Thanks a mill to Kate and Damien for giving us insight into their gorgeous day - Congratulations guys!

And huge thanks to Nicola Webster for sharing her beautiful work with us - there's lots more to see over on www.nicolawebster.com

All the Wedding Details 

Ceremony: Church of the Most Holy Rosary

Reception: Castle Durrow

Photography: Nicola Webster

Dress: Clare Pettibone at Myrtle Ivory

Bridesmaids dresses: White Orchid

Shoes: Untold at House of Fraser

Flowers: Lawlors Florists

Groom(smen)’s suits: Aston Menswear

Stationery: Daintree

Hair: Tori Keane

Make up:  Becky Keane