Today’s real wedding caught our eye for lots of reasons - the detail-focused styling, the hyper romantic setting, the sheer glamour that the wedding party are serving, etc. - but if you pushed me to choose my favourite thing about this celebration, I’d have to say the enormous smiles you can see in Studio Brown’s photographs. Denise and Derek, and their whole friend and family circle, LOLed their way through the big day at Kilshane House, which, if you ask us, is a pretty terrific result! Of course, we’ll still be taking you through all of the sensationally beautiful details in this feature! Let’s dive in, shall we?

Denise is just the most beautiful bride! We'll be breaking down her effortless bridal look further down in the feature, so make sure to keep scrolling.

Denise's wedding makeup featured the dreamiest golden eye look. I can see lots of brides pinning this one for inspiration!

When you see a wedding-morning flat lay like this, you know the details for the whole day are going to be on point! Can you spot Denise's gold cross necklace? It's the one she wore on her confirmation day!

Brides are getting really creative with the bridesmaids pyjamas and robes lately and we are loving it!

Denise and Derek tell us that they met when they were both attending Trinity College. "I saw him around college a lot, always looking at me," Denise says. "One November day, he walked up to me outside the Student’s Union shop, and asked me if I’d like to go for dinner some time. I said no and that I was 'dating three other people', which he didn’t react to at all for some reason! I rarely saw him around after that."

Years later, Derek added Denise on Facebook and asked her out. "I politely responded or ignored him completely as I was in a relationship. In 2016, he asked me out again, and, as I had been single for a number of months, I thought, 'What the hell?!' We went on our first date to Brasserie Sixty6 in Dublin, followed by the Chelsea Drugstore and, finally, Coppers 'til the wee hours. I felt like I’d known him my entire life. When I got home, I told my sister that I’d met my husband."

It looks like there were loads of laughs in the couple's church ceremony!

For his proposal, Derek surprised Denise with a stay in Harvey’s Point in Donegal. "On arrival, we were met with a champagne afternoon tea and Derek was acting very strange," she remembers. "He wanted to go outside to the lake. I thought it was strange, because Ireland’s Grand Slam decider was starting in about an hour. When we got out to the lake, he got down on one knee and opened a ring box. I don’t remember another word he said or what happened! I was so excited! The ring was so beautiful! I was on cloud nine when we checked into the penthouse suite!"

The newlyweds tell us that their top priority for the day was making sure that their guests were spoiled rotten! "The venue, the food, and the music were really important to us. I didn’t want any of our guests to walk away saying, 'The bride and groom spent €10,000 on flowers but we were left starving all day, had nothing to drink, and the band was terrible!'"

It didn't take this pair long to fall in love with Kilshane House, Denise says. "We were looking for a venue with exclusive access on the day, to give us a feeling of truly 'hosting' our guests and creating a house party vibe. We loved the venue’s beautiful, classic look and feel. Leanne, the wedding coordinator, was also genuinely sound and answered all my questions so promptly!"

How adorable are Derek's nieces, Aoife and Clodagh!? I can't cope!

Denise chose a timeless lace gown for the big day - we are just in love with that sophisticated silhouette and plunging neckline! - and accessorised with some nude L.K. Bennett heels and a simple veil.

Denise has got some solid wedding dress advice to offer her fellow brides! "Get your dress altered with plenty of time to spare," she says. "Small adjustments can be made at the end! I kept waiting to have my dress altered, because I kept hoping I’d lose weight. I left my absolutely gifted seamstress, Edyta Hordyn, under pressure to make huge alterations with a week to go. She did a stellar job though." As we discussed on this episode of The One Fab Day Wedding Podcast, the pressure to lose weight before your wedding can be really overwhelming, so be kind to yourself! 

Photography and videography were also hugely important for this couple. "When all is said and done, all you have of the day are the photos, the video and your memories!" Here, here!

Denise describes the day as, "classic, elegant, romantic, natural, warm, inclusive, sentimental, and fun." Based on the photographic evidence, we couldn't agree more!

It looks like these guys just had the greatest day!

How gorgeous are these girls!? Denise's bridesmaids wore chic, simple gowns in the prettiest, palest shade of dusty pink.

We can't wait to show you how Kristine Hayes Wedding Design styled the stunning reception space at Kilshane House!

Kristine and her team filled the space with vibrant greenery, epic centrepieces, and gold candlesticks and vases, creating an elegant, romantic look.

Denise admits that she understimated the number of man hours that some of her DIY projects required! "I spent weeks designing and redesigning my invitations and ceremony booklets," she says.

We agree wholeheartedly with Denise's biggest piece of advice for engaged couples. "Don’t compare your wedding to anyone else’s," she says. "It’s easy to get sucked into a bad place where you think your wedding doesn’t stack up against other weddings you’ve seen on Instagram. Your wedding is totally unique and it’s about the two of you. Work within what you can afford and be proud of all your efforts. It takes a lot of work to plan a wedding!"

The bride adds that her one regret about the big day was that she didn't ask friends and family members for help right at the beginning. "I only asked for help with a few months to go and should really have delegated more and sooner!"

After the wedding, Denise and Derek headed off to Tenerife for a relaxing break. "We were (very wisely) advised not to do anything too adventurous or go anywhere too far-flung immediately after the wedding because we would be exhausted! We went on a mini-moon to the Royal Hideaway Corales Beach, an adults-only resort in the Costa Adeje, Tenerife. We couldn’t recommend it more highly! We’re planning to go to Kenya and Uganda later in the year with Cazenove and Loyd tailormade holidays."

And that's a wrap! Thanks so much to Denise and Derek for letting us swoon over their big day, and to Studio Brown for sharing the beautiful photographs.