The real wedding we're sharing today has got so many aesthetic details to fawn over, between the wild and natural florals, the chic stationery (the groom's handiwork!) and the outrageously cool and colourful mixed gender bridal party style. But when you peruse the relaxed, LOL-filled portraits by Olga Hogan Photography, you can really tell that Clare and Duncan put the vibe and atmosphere of their Dublin city wedding first! They made it official in Dublin City Hall, before taking some beautiful portraits around town, and heading to Brother Hubbard North with their guests for an elaborate feast, finishing the night off at The Whiskey Bar at Yamamori. Ready to hear how they put their day together? Let's go!

Clare tells us that she and Duncan first crossed paths completely by chance in Berlin! "We met through the best man, Fionn Maguire, who is a mutual friend. I was visiting Fionn and his partner Ana for the weekend, and Duncan had just moved to the city. After going to the Weinerei and a midnight silent film with a live organist, we stayed out dancing until 8am at Loftus Hall. Three of the next five years were spent doing long distance between Dublin and Maastricht, then Scotland."

Clare tells us that she inadvertently ruined a couple of proposal attempts before Duncan was able to pop the question! "We spent Christmas 2018 in Kilrush, Co. Clare, and drove down on Christmas morning after I had finished 24 hours on call in the Mater on Christmas Eve. Duncan was planning on proposing before we left Dublin, but I was in a foul humour after being up all night, so he figured he’d leave it until later. However, that plan was scuppered by the presence of approximately 30 extended family members throughout the day!"

Next, Duncan planned to propose during a Loop Head Cliff Walk on Stephen’s Day. "It would have been lovely, but I insisted on having my sister join us for the walk," Clare says. "I couldn't understand why Duncan was so moody during the car journey!"

Finally, on December 30th, Duncan got his chance! "He woke me up at 7am and insisted we go for a swim at sunrise in Clontarf. The Bull Wall was completely empty, and, after a freezing swim, Duncan proposed. My family have been swimming there for generations, and we had spent a huge amount of time there as a couple, so it was the perfect place in the end." The couple reflected their love for sea swimming in their wedding cake and table plan - keep scrolling to see how they did it!

For this pair, a buzzy, Dublin city wedding was always their first choice. "We were really set on having a city centre wedding, and on being able to walk between the ceremony, reception and after party venues."

Clare had performed as a cellist in Dublin City Hall before the couple ever got engaged, so it was a no-brainer when it came time to look for ceremony locations. "I knew would be exactly what we wanted, and as soon as Duncan walked into the space, he agreed. It’s an incredible room with so much history behind it, and it felt both grand and intimate at the same time."

The couple wanted their ceremony to have a really personal feel, so were keen to involve as many friends and family members as possible. "Duncan’s niece read a poem as gaeilge during the ceremony, along with readings from my grandmother and her best friend," Clare says. "A family friend, Pearse Coyle sang ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ accompanied by the string quartet, which was a standout moment of the ceremony."

You've probably already clocked how drop-dead gorgeous the florals are in this wedding - they're the work of the fabulous Rebecca from Boutique Blooms! I'm a particularly big fan of Clare's wild, naturalistic bouquet, which really brings a touch of nature to this Dublin city wedding!

For this couple, their wedding day was all about ditching the formalities and kicking back with their loved ones. "We were keen to have a relaxed feel throughout the day," Clare says, "and the sunny weather and city centre vibe helped hugely with this."

I'm not quite sure how I've made it this far into the feature without raving about Clare's bridal look, which masterfully treads the line between minimalist and maximalist! The heavy embellishment on her Folkster gown gives a sense of occasion, but the classic silhouette creates a relaxed feel, as does her pretty undone updo.

Clare tells us that the couple's number one prority for the big day was having an epic wedding meal! "Garrett and all the team at Brother Hubbard did an incredible job, they curated an incredible wedding feast, complete with seven different sharing platters to start, three choices for main course, and five different desserts! The staff working on the night were so friendly and attentive, nothing seemed to phase them."

Photography was another key element of the day for Clare and Duncan. "We wanted to have mainly natural-looking candid photos. Olga made us feel so relaxed throughout the day, all the guests remarked that they didn’t even notice her taking photos, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled with how they turned out."

Asked to choose a highlight from the day, Clare chooses the presence of so many friends and family members. "We were especially moved by the distance people travelled to attend. Duncan’s sisters flew in from New York and Grand Cayman, and one of my friends came all the way from Melbourne."

Clare's advice for engaged couples is to prioritise wisely! "Decide on key important things for yourselves as a couple, and then let some of the small stuff go," she says. "And give yourselves plenty of time to make the table plan!"

Clare and Duncan shook things up by planning a pre-wedding honeymoon. "We went to Cannes for a few nights before the wedding and would hugely recommend getting away for a few days before the big day to escape the planning frenzy. For our honeymoon, we spent two weeks in Greece, going to four islands for three nights each. We had an amazing time, we couldn’t recommend Greece more."

We've got to say a massive thank you to Clare and Duncan for sharing their gorgeous day with us, and to Olga Hogan Photography for providing the beautiful imagery! There are more images in the gallery below, so be sure to click through for a closer look.