From ballet to tango, Colm and Caoileann's love story dances through time: music and dancing are an essential part of the fabric of their relationship, and of course, their wedding. Today's real wedding is a truly original celebration, with a couple whose individual style shines through, and who designed the day to best allow them maximum quality time with their friends and family rather than following a standard schedule. If you're looking for some fresh inspiration to put your own spin on the wedding day, then you should enjoy today's beautifully unique wedding captured by Moat Hill Photography.

Colm is from Mayo while Caoileann is from Dublin, where the couple now live. They met in college over a decade ago, introduced by mutual friends. Skip forward to 2017 and after 9 years together,Colm was ready to pop the question.  Caoileann explained what happened... We got engaged in Copenhagen at Christmas in 2017. Colm organised a surprise trip for the weekend and proposed on front of the Copenhagen Opera House after dinner in the city and the Nutcracker ballet.

When it came to the wedding, the couple decided they wanted their celebration to be truly personal, to spend quality time with their loved ones and make every moment count. So they limited the guest list to 50 and set out a slightly different wedding day schedule than the standard. The thought and care they planned it all is a lesson in great event planning and hosting.

Friends gathered in Roe & Co. to meet the groom for a drink beforehand, similarly friends and family joined the bride for Prosecco in the Urchin bar at Cliff Townhouse before meeting at City Hall, where the ceremony was to take place. It was important to us to welcome our guests together on arrival before walking down the aisle together.  Colm organised for a surprise jewellery box of love letters and family messages for me to find while I was getting ready with the girls in Cliff Townhouse. 

After those pre-drinks with pals (just like the ones the night they met) the couple were ready for a first look at City Hall before joining their guests who were just fizzing with excitement.

Those moments are so special!

The ceremony took place in the rotunda at City Hall but it wasn't over when the vows were made and the paperwork signed... The couple had a little surprise in store for their guests... Following the ceremony, we had our first dance in the rotunda in City Hall which was a tango to Por Una Cabeza" by The Tango Project, performed by Mamisa String Quartet. We then joined our guests for drinks in City Hall before switching from the heels to flats to walk through Dublin with Paul and Elaine from Moat Hill searching for the perfect light on a rainy day.

Paul and Elaine are such pros, that a little rain and overcast-ness wasn't going to stop them capturing the lovebirds in glorious colour...

After reception drinks in the old Dublin institution - Kehoes on St. Anne Street, Caoileann and Colm led their guests round the corner to The Cliff Townhouse on St. Stephen's Green for a fabulous evening of fun.

How about this for a wedding favour: each guest was given a hand-crafted corsage or buttonhole from Unique Flowers Dalkey in City Hall and a framed photograph prepared by Colm on their place setting in Cliff Townhouse!

The couple chose The Cliff Townhouse because it met their requirements perfectly - Caoilfhionn described what they wanted for their wedding... To have a big party and treat everyone like a VIP, we were able to do this as we kept the numbers of guests below 50. The quality of the food and the professionalism of the staff, and the décor in Cliff is timeless and adds to the atmosphere. The proximity to City Hall was also important as we wanted to take photos in the city on the walk between the two venues.

As with us all, travel plans are currently in limbo for Caoileann and Colm, but post-pandemic, Vietnam is top of their wishlist for a honeymoon. I'm sure it will be all the sweeter for the wait.

Huge thanks to Colm & Caoileann for sharing their fantastically inspirational wedding with us. You've gotten our own creative juices flowing to think of new ways of invigorating the day, especially for a smaller number as many weddings will be for the forseeable future. Thanks also to Paul and Elaine of Moat Hill Photography for sharing their gorgeous images.