Smitten with their venue, the ever popular Ballymagarvey Village, Nial and Máire took inspiration from the cherry blossoms on the grounds and embraced a pretty pink cherry blossom theme. Mark Barton captured every wedding detail (including Máire's stunning Anna Campbell gown) and we're so thrilled to share it with you all today. As Máire gushes..."It really was the best day!" Let's take a peek...

Nial and Máire first met when Máire was working for Cancer Fund for Children in Belfast. Nial was a friend of her colleague and decided to attend the charity’s annual fundraising ball (April Fool’s Day 2011!) Nial spotted Máire and later messaged her on Facebook, a relationship developed only for Máire to move to Australia. They tell us..." Several months before the first meeting, Máire had booked a one-way flight to Australia but love blossomed and we decided to give ‘long distance’ a go! After a bit of (very gentle) persuasion, Nial made the long journey to Sydney for Christmas and a few months later, Máire cut her year-long trip short by a couple of months and returned home to Nial."

To propose, Nial brought his bride to Paris. He remembers..."We had booked a trip to Paris in December 2014 and despite all our friends keeping us going with ‘you two are next’, Máire didn’t suspect a thing! On our second day in Paris, despite the rain, we made our way to Pont des Arts (aka the love lock bridge) and while Máire busied herself (a little too excitedly) buying a padlock and writing our little message, I was busy trying to figure out how to get the ring out of a pocket inside my coat. In true Máire style, she dropped the keys to the padlock and while she was busy trying to find them, I saw the perfect opportunity to get down on one knee! I proposed with a token ring and we picked the actual ring together a month later."

Once Máire and Nial began venue hunting they quickly fell in love with the elegant Ballymagarvey Village. They gush..."We wanted somewhere that had a nice laid back, homely feel and Ballymagarvey ticked all the boxes and more. We knew from the minute we arrived that this was our perfect wedding venue from the warmth of the welcome we received to the beautiful baking smells coming from the kitchen and the stunning gardens and banquet hall, this was the place for us and we cancelled all the other appointments we had booked elsewhere! (Máire even shed a little tear when she saw it.) From the minute we arrived at Ballymagarvey through to the day itself, we couldn’t have been in better hands. The staff were absolutely fantastic and nothing was ever too much from our wedding co-ordinator, Niamh, to John and his team on the day, we (and our guests) were made so welcome. And as for the food - it was absolutely amazing. We really couldn’t recommend Ballymagarvey enough as a venue we only hope that we get the chance to return again!"

Inspired by the pretty cherry blossoms at Ballymagravey Nial and Máire chose a loose cherry blossom theme with cherry blossom stationery and lots of complimentary pink blooms.

Adding some glamour to their day Máire wore a stunning Anna Campbell gown from Ivory & Pearl, with lots of embellishment and beautiful bow back detail.

Nial and Máire share some of their favourite memories from the day..."It was just lovely having all our friends and family together in the same place to celebrate our wedding and lots of our nearest and dearest participated in the ceremony in some way or other, a special mention to Máire’s younger brother Manus who did a fantastic job as usher and looked so smart in his suit which he didn’t want to take off! Nial’s sister and her family travelled from Australia for the wedding so it was the first time his whole family had all got together in quite a few years which was really special. Nial’s best man Malcolm made the journey from Australia and even giving birth just a few weeks before our wedding didn’t stop our chief bridesmaid Fiona!"

As a nod to how they met, and as a charitable gesture, Nial and Máire charity had daisy pins instead of favours from Cancer Fund for Children. Such a thoughtful idea!

For their honeymoon Nial and Máire spent three weeks in South Africa, driving across the Wine Lands, down the Garden Route and then finishing with a three-day safari. Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding day with us all!

A big thank you also goes to the lovely Mark Barton for sharing his work with us. To see more from Mark Barton visit www.markbartonphotography.com

• Ceremony: St. Peter’s Church, Co. Down
• Bridesmaids dresses: Blush Boutique
• Shoes: Jenny Packham at Debenhams
• Flowers: Lily and Lace
• Groom(smen)’s suits: Red Groomswear
• Bowties: Belfast Bow Company
• Accessories: Etsy, Accessorize and Not on the High Street

• Wedding Favours: Unity Wedding Cars
• Favours: Cancer Fund for Children
• Stationery: The White Letter
• Make Up: Olivia Muldoon
• Hair: Aveen’s Hair Studio
• Wedding Bands: Murray & Co
• Reception Music:  The Bentley Boys