A cool offbeat venue and a drop dead gorgeous dress!

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Today's real wedding had, what the couple describe as 'a special atmosphere', and that certainly jumps out of the pictures by Louise Scott Photography. Cheryl and Rob are an English couple who loved the idea of gathering their closest friends and family for a fun and intimate wedding at The Village Barn in Tyrellspass - a venue they loved for its offbeat, mix and match feel. Cue a stunning wedding dress, DIY florals, a series of personal touches, a celebration that looks a lot relaxed, a little emotional, and a load of fun!

Cheryl and Rob met at Leeds University over 13 years ago, “We were both on the Broadcast Journalism course. We were really good friends and then one night in second year, we had a drunken kiss.”

Now, didn't I tell you Cheryl's dress was gorgeous! She opted for a contemporary Made With Love gown from London boutique Heart Aflutter - I love the she bodies and the geometric lace work.

Rob surprised Cheryl with a super romantic Christmas proposal, “It was the night of December the 23rd 2016 and we were walking home along the River Thames, just passed Tower Bridge, in the rain (with no umbrella!),” recalls Cheryl. “As we were about to turn towards our street Rob grabbed me and said I need to ask you something... He then got down on one knee in the pouring rain.”

You can almost feel the last minute nerves and excitement! The couple said their vows on site in the little chapel at The Village Barn - Rob's family in Ireland helped the couple find this hidden gem venue.

The couple had a firm idea of how they hoped their day would be, “We wanted our day to feel personal, fun and informal. Our guest list was kept to our closest friends and family. It created a special atmosphere - everyone was invested in us and the day, while having a great time together.”

Cheryl's bridesmaids wore a gorgeous selection of mix and match red dresses from across the high street.

These two looked so loved up!

The couple were instantly taken with the team at their venue, “It wasn’t just The Village Barn’s brilliant and bizarre site, but the passion (and piss-taking) of owner Peter won us over. We knew he’d help do anything to make the day as great as possible. Along with venue managers, Aoife and David, they did just that.”

The pair say the place itself was perfect too, “Mismatched tables and chairs, hand-painted signs, weird bits and bobs scattered around, a festival-style tent and lighting lining the walls of the garden. It wasn’t formal or too big. It was all in one place. It was exactly what we wanted.”

You know we are here for a bride who makes a speech!

The way these two describe their wedding, it sounds like our kind of bash! “We’d like to think our wedding was a fun, relaxed party filled with live music! There were rows of mismatched tables and chairs crammed in together with people sharing food, lots of drinks, lots of laughing and lots of speeches.”

Cheryl and Rob’s day was laden with personal touches, the pair list off some of their highlights, “Family playing live music, friends DJ-ing late into the night, Eithne (the humanist) tailoring the service to us and speeches scattered between the courses. We picked out photos of our guests for their place names, bought flowers from Smithfield Market for arrangements, bouquets and buttonholes and decorated the venue the day before with the help of our of friends."

With the help of their friends, the couple adorned their tables with hydrangea posies, greenery and candles in coloured glass - they also included a tipple for each of their guests.

This pair advise other couples to keep the guest list to close family and friends, “Sit people together who know each other to get a great atmosphere in the room. Spend time making personal touches to the venue. Plan ahead so you can just enjoy the day.”