It may be February and we might be heading for another mini-holiday on Tuesday in the form of Valentine's Day, but hey, on a foggy miserable winter day like today there's nothing like a bit of festive cheer. I know, I know, it's past Christmas but I'm sure many of you are planning Winter 2012 weddings so Jen & Mark's lovely Christmas wedding should give you plenty of inspiration. From the stationery to the favours, this couple got really involved in putting their own personal touch on their day, and they also roped in family and friends with all sorts of talents to help them achieve a beautiful Christmas-themed Wedding. We're delighted to show you how Lisa O'Dwyer captured the fun and frolics of the day....

So how did these two lovebirds get together? "We met and fell in love at college in AIT where we both studying Software Engineering. Mark proposed on Oak Bridge at Bank Rock Bay in Central Park, New York on a frosty day in February 2010 which marked our eighth year together."

Perhaps being together eight years had something to do with how picking a time and theme was so straightforward, "We love Christmas so when we got engaged, we knew we had to get married at our favourite time of year!"

In keeping with the Christmas theme, Jen chose a full length satin gown with sweetheart neckline in hunter green for her bridesmaid, while she herself was resplendent in a 50s style gown by Stephanie Allin (same as Amy Huberman), whic was originally full-length but she had expertly altered by Ingrida Adomavice of The Diamond Needle Studio to make it tea-length.

Jen wanted to blend vintage and modern for her bridal look, and the key to this were the little touches and details including the beautiful vintage brooch which fastened Jen's bolero was borrowed from Mona Walsh, her friend's Mum. While the Champagne gold platform peep toes from Heatons, decorated with vintage style brooches sewn on by Jen's Mum.

The bridal bouquets, a combination of ivory roses and vintage brooches (containing something old, new, borrowed and blue - & a little Santa sleigh!) and the buttonholes were made by the Jen's sister who was bridesmaid, with a little help from Dad!

Jen's Dad's friend Jim Bradley is the proud owner of a 1963 Ford Zephyr which was Jen's chariot for the day, chauffeured by Jim himself to the church, where Mark awaited his bride...

For Jen this was extra special... "One of my favourite moments was walking up the aisle with my Dad. He had major surgery in late September so we weren't sure if he would make it up the aisle on the day but he did. I felt no nerves, just excitement."

This church has a very special place in Jen's heart as it is her parish church, where she made her First Holy Communion and her Mam & Dad got married.

Picking the wedding reception venue was super simple for Mark and Jen - with Middleton Park House just 20 mins away. "It is a beautiful Victorian country house, particularly special when decorated for Christmas with 20ft trees. Not only is it an amazing setting for a wedding but they serve the most incredible food!"

Mark and Jen were serious about their Christmas theme and took the festive feeling to all parts of their day..."Mark and I decorated a Christmas tree in the church porch with sparkling gold angels, baubles and twinkling lights. The rest of the church was exquisitely decorated by Richard Haslam with lush noble firs, holly and ivy, frosty white and gold twigs, cinnamon and pine cones. Carols included O Holy Night, Christmas isn't Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone from A Christmas Carol. At the reception the tables were decorated with place-names held by tiny Christmas bauble holders and Christmas gift boxes containing tree ornaments for our guests."

While the happy couple enjoyed a few minutes alone, back at the venue, guests were entertained by Niall Mannion on piano, who played a mix of classical and festive numbers while they enjoyed a mulled wine and champagne reception accompanied by mince pies, savoury delights and a chocolate fountain.

With a Christmas theme Jen and Mark took the opportunity to add a little festive vibe and the wedding favours were the perfect way to do it..."We wanted our guests to come away with something special, that would come out year after year and remind our loved ones of our special day, so we made them Christmas tree-ornament favours. We moulded them from clay, stamped them, sprayed them gold, added a gift tag and wrapped them in an ivory box with a gold bow, they were our little Christmas gift to all our guests!"

Including family was very important to Jen and Mark so as well as asking them to participate in the ceremony itself, they also had a few fun touches "Our cake topper belonged to my grandparents from their wedding back in 1949. We surrounded the cake with family wedding photos of our parents, grandparents and extended families which proved a great hit on the day!"

What advice would you give to brides and grooms planning their day? "Try to make your day reflect you, your personalities and the people and things that are important to you. We really strived to make the day personal and as such more memorable for us and our guests. We got our families and friends involved as much as possible in the preparation and also on the day in the ceremony. Then, relax and savour every moment of your day, it goes by so quickly..."

Thanks a mill to Jen & Mark for sharing the insider story of their day with us all. Hope you Winter 2012 Brides got some great ideas here...

And the final word of thanks has to go to Lisa O'Dwyer for sharing her work with us. I'll leave it to Jen for the old testimonial..."The immensely talented Lisa O'Dwyer who captured every aspect of our day in the most perfect, unobtrusive and natural way."

All the Wedding Details

• Ceremony: Church of the Immaculate Conception, Gainstown
• Reception:Middleton Park House
• Photographer: Lisa O'Dwyer
• Wedding Dress: 'Bardot' By Stephanie Allin, Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique
• Bridesmaid dress: Wedding World, Galway
• Shoes: Heatons
• Groom’s suits:  'Arden' by Calvin Klein
• Groomsmen's suits: John Francis Waldron

• Flowers: Richard Haslam
• Bridesmaid's accessories: Looking For Pandora
• Hair clips & bird cage veil:  Bernice Rafferty of Fashion in Feathers
• Make Up: Amanda Boland
• Ceremony Music: Celtic Rose
• Reception Music: Niall Mannion
• Band: The Best Men
• Chocolate Fountain: Heavenly Chocolate
• Car: 1963 Ford Zephyr