Pints of Guinness, pops of colour, and lots of fun...

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Colour seems to be something of a theme with this week's real weddings, and it's so cool to see how different couples have incorporated vibrant hues into their big days. And for Laura & Stephen, their Dublin wedding was all about celebrating the city in all its glory. This stylish Galway couple showed their guests some of the best their adopted home has to offer, getting ready at The Dean, a ceremony at Dublin City Hall, a photo op at St. James Gate, drinks in The Stag's Head, and a reception at Fallon & Byrne. Sounds like a busy day, right? But it was lots of fun too, as you'll see from the gorgeous photos by JAM Shoots.

Stephen tells us that he and Laura met in Galway through their best friends Karen and Brian, “Laura had just returned from Spain and we met at a party in Karen’s house during race week. We hit it off straight away and were in constant contact but it took a couple of first months before we actually had our first date and first kiss (it was well worth the wait) From that moment we’ve been inseparable having lots of adventures in Galway and Europe, travelling South East Asia and then moving to Dublin together in 2014.”

Steve had planned to propose to Laura on a walk to her favourite place by the Corrib River in Galway across from the ruins of Menlo Castle, but she didn’t make it easy, “Not knowing what was to happen Laura invited friends for the walk, who I then had to phone to get tell them not to join us as I was proposing!”

But friends weren’t the only obstacle, “We walked by hockey pitches on the way and Laura noticed her old school team were playing a past v present match. The past team were down a goal keeper and Laura enthusiastically offered to play the match. I had to insist several times NOT to play the match as I really wanted to go on this walk! After that the rest went off without a hitch and of course Laura said a big YES!” Wow talk about making a guy work for it!

The couple say their wedding was the best day of their lives, “It was such a fun filled day. Lots and lots of colour! We smiled and laughed from start to finish. We really wanted Dublin to be the backdrop for our special day as the city means so much to us.”

City Hall was an iconic setting for their Dublin ceremony, “We saw so many venues but City Hall stood out to us as the perfect venue for a humanist wedding ceremony. It’s such a beautiful building, steeped in history.”

For Laura & Stephen is was everyone involved that really made their day so special, “Our family and friends were so supportive in the lead up to, and on the day. There was very little stress thanks to them. Our celebrant, photographer, wedding coordinators and other suppliers understood what we wanted and delivered beyond our expectations. A great photographer is key, John really helped throughout the day and we really feel he captured the day as we remember it, full of fun, love and lots of laughter.”

How unique is Laura's wedding dress? I just love the textured spots and the long sleeves!

The couple tied in some elements themed on the black stuff throughout their day, “One of our favourite things to do is go for a nice pint of Guinness together in a good Guinness pub…this then sort of ended up as part of the theme, with photos taken at St.James’s Gate and our tables being called after pubs we go to for Guinness (we called our table O’Connor’s after the pub in Salthill where Steve asked me to be his girlfriend).”

Stephen & Laura wanted their wedding be a reflection of their life together, “We are big lovers of colour and flowers and from the minute we got engaged we knew we had to have a day filled with love, flowers and lots of colour. We love Dublin and our life in Dublin and know one day we will move back west to Galway city where our families are. Because of this, we really wanted to celebrate and bring all our friends and loved ones to Dublin to celebrate with us. The vibrancy of the city is a wonderful backdrop.”

The bride and groom advise other couples not to stress out about the planning, “A good Excel spreadsheet is helpful and getting fantastic coordinators, suppliers etc and trusting them to deliver on the day. We found One Fab Day so good for help and inspiration and also guiding us towards good suppliers. (Shucks, thanks guys!). Our main focus was on the most important part of the day…getting married to the person we love, the rest is a party.” Wise words from this pair!

For their reception, a familiar spot felt fitting to the bride and groom, “We often go to Fallon & Byrne to pick up groceries or to go for a coffee or a meal. When we found out it did weddings, we were so happy that a place we loved, right in the city centre was available for our wedding. The room for functions is gorgeous but most importantly was a blank canvas we could put our own stamp on.”

What, you don't keep a framed photo of Lionel Richie by your bathroom sink?

The couple are taking time to plan their big post-wedding trip, “We had a mini-moon to Spain after the wedding and are planning a big holiday for next year.”