Today's real wedding is one of those effortlessly elegant affairs, that's both relaxed and refined. Úna and Luke live in Boston, but they came back home to Ireland for their beautiful winter wedding at Castle Leslie Estate. Their day was stylish from the start, with Úna's stunning off-the-shoulder lace gown and seasonal bouquet (look out for her fab engagement ring!) and Luke's suave black tux. The chic feel continued on with white florals and candelabras for decor, and cocktails and dancing late into the night. Our favourite detail though? The gorgeous portraits of the bride and groom captured by Weddings by Kara!

Úna and Luke met on the night of Úna’s graduation in Dublin, “Luke was celebrating his friend’s graduation, and luckily our paths crossed,” recalls the bride, who was living in London at the time. “It took about six months of pen-palship before we managed to arrange our first date. We embarked on a year of long distance romance before I left London to join Luke in Dublin.”

What a sparkler!

But these two didn’t stick around in Ireland for long. “About six months after arriving in Dublin, Luke and I were on a flight to Boston to start our American adventure. We’ve been here ever since, and now living in our first marital home (an extremely tiny flat in the city).”

How cute are these page boy outfits!

Úna and Luke had a colour palette of white with hints of grey and dusky blue throughout - a chic modern choice for a winter wedding.

The couple had a few junior family members take part in the wedding, "For both of us, it was really important that our nieces and nephews were a big part of our day, so having them involved made it really special.”

You know those father/daughter moments always make us a bit emotional!

For Úna, the florals were at the top of the wedding wishlist, “I absolutely adore flowers, so it was important that we had flowers that represent what we love about them.”

How sweet are this pair, with their own mini bouquets!

St Macartan’s Cathedral in Monaghan was a stunning backdrop for the vows.

Úna tells us about the moment when Luke asked her to marry him, “The proposal was on a cold winter’s night in Washington DC, by the reflecting pool. It was a complete surprise, and luckily there was a photographer nearby to capture the moment.”

The couple were greeted at Castle Leslie with bubbly on arrival. They used a family friend's Bentley for their wedding car.

When we asked the couple to describe their day, these two gave us three perfect words for their winter wedding, “Our wedding was just what we had hoped for; jovial, relaxed and fun.”

The bride and groom tell us that the team at Castle Leslie were a real selling point of the venue, “Not only is it a truly enchanting location, but the wedding team are beyond fantastic. They were all so friendly and so so helpful,” Úna explains. “Our wedding coordinator on the day (John Mathews) was absolutely exceptional from, making sure my dress train remained spotless whilst taking photos outside to ensuring every guest had exactly what they needed. No ask was too big. In the months leading up to our wedding, Deneise Larmer was fantastic with helping us decide on and organise every detail.”

The light! These portraits are pretty special!

Love this soft shade for the bridesmaids - their mix and match dresses are beautiful!

Coming from the US for their big day, the couple wanted to put their guests first, “For both Luke and me, it was important that our family and friends felt a part of our celebrations, and really enjoyed the day,” says Úna. “The music and food, we felt, were integral to this. So, they were both priorities for us.”

Tall candlabras and some twinkling lights, all you need for an elegant winter wedding.

A family friend baked this beautiful wedding cake!

Úna and Luke have some tried and tested advice for other couples, “This is probably super clichéd, but our advice would be to try to enjoy it, and avoid stressing yourself or anyone else out.”

The couple left some time between their wedding and their honeymoon, “We are just about to go on honeymoon to a little island called Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos. We are really looking forward to it!”

Oh, the elegance. Looks like it was a fun one too! Thanks so much to Úna and Luke for sharing their beautiful wedding with us, and of course to Weddings by Kara for sending it our way.