Hope you all had a great Bank Holiday weekend? It's back to normal now, and to ease the Tuesday blues we thought a beautiful real wedding would be just the ticket. Fiona and TJ were wed last August at Kinnity Castle, and their wedding is a great reflection of personal style and fun. It's a perfect pick me up and will definitely bring a smile to your face.

David McClelland was the man behind the camera, and his ability to make everyone relax and enjoy themselves, and quirky sense of a fun shot is a perfect match for this lovely couple...

Fiona and TJ chose the romantic Kinnity Castle for their reception, so Fiona got to play the princess and prepared herself and the bridal party in the regal red bridal suite...

While the preparations are underway, is a good time to get the gossip and find out how this real life love story started off...

"Ah, we met one fateful night in Copperface Jacks, I was finishing a shift in a local pub and went to Coppers for a late drink. He caught my eye and then came over to ask me to dance. I said no, thanks, but he stayed talking to me for the rest of the night. He asked for my number and the rest is history."

And zipping forward a few years, how did TJ pop the question? "It was on the first of December last year in the height of the really bad snow. I had left work early to try and avoid a 5 hour drive home. When I approached the house I could see that he had put up the Christmas Tree and there were lights shining through the windows. When I came into the house he looked really shocked to see me and showed me all the decorations he had put around the house. I turned around and he presented me with a ring and asked if I would be his wife. I said yes and we danced around the kitchen."

Fiona chose a Stephanie Allin gown the ‘Gemma’, which she found in Myrtle Ivory. Teaming the dress' almost 50s full skirt with slight mullet train (that's what they're called I swear!) and her beautiful voluminous birdcage Fiona created a bridal look that blended a touch of vintage with her own personal style... Loving how enthusiastic she is! Every bride should feel like that on her wedding morning.

And so off to St. Flannan’s Church in Kinnitty village, in the vintage VW Campervan - Fiona knows how to travel in style!  Fiona and TJ had a special word of thanks for "the wonderful Fr. Michael O’Meara was our priest. He made it so personal and was so welcoming."

The couple's favourite moments of the day were the ceremony itself "To be honest the ultimate highlight of the day was actually getting married, I loved the church, the ceremony and how personal it was. My friends Adele and Siobhan sang for us and picked music that suited us as a couple. Our priest allowed us choose readings and a reflection that meant something to us as people and as a couple and it felt very personal." And isn't that how it should be?

After enjoying their 99s they hopped back into their trusty steed - the grey VW Campervan and sped up the winding drive to Kinnity Castle...

While there was no defined theme, in Fiona's words the couple just "tried to create a happy and relaxed atmosphere whilst allowing our personalities shine through." the colour palette of pinks, reds and white is evident not only in the main bridal party but also in the little handmade and chosen touches that Fiona roped in her friends and family to do: straws, decorations, parts of the invitations.

Leaving the guests to enjoy their champagne in the summer sunshine, Fiona and TJ headed off with their photographer David McClelland to capture some private newlywed time...

And they are full of praise for David "World's best photographer and the most relaxed guy in the world. Exactly what we wanted, a photographer that took brilliant photos without you even realizing he was there. So professional and fun. I would highly recommend him. Our album is amazing and so lovely to look back on. Best supplier of the day and a big lesson learnt - choosing your photographer wisely is imperative."

It also helps to have a lovely backdrop as well as a super photographer, but how did they come to make such a perfect choice of venue I wondered, was it the product of months of research or had fate a hand to play..."I'm a busy girl and I had work and college deadlines up until the wedding day so my approach to wedding planning had to be decisive. We only looked at two venues, walking into Kinnitty I knew it was the place for us to get married. I had an inexplicable sense that this was the right place - the staff and the aura made it right for us. Plus my hubbie had helped someone who had broken down outside the gates just a week before we got engaged. He felt it was a sign and I wasn’t gonna mess with that."

Fiona is also full of praise for the staff in Kinnitty Castle: "Andrew, Cavan, Mary and the girls were so helpful, and at the same time remained very relaxed. No request was too big or too small, they allowed us take over the Castle for the weekend and pulled a blinder. I would highly recommend this venue for a relaxed and fun-filled wedding weekend. Thanks guys." So if you're on the hunt for a wedding venue with a bit of olde worlde charme you know where to look...

As you can see Fiona is quite the dancing queen, with TJ not far behind shaking that booty, but it nearly wasn't such an The only disaster was that just before the first dance I swished over a tea light and the back of my dress unfortunately caught fire. Thanks to my sister/bridesmaid she quickly threw a bottle of Coors light over me and I was extinguished. We had to cut the tulle inside the dress because the smell of burning material was horrible. Later that night the D.J dedicated a song to me-Kings of Leon ‘oh oh the Bride was on fire’.

So any final words of wisdom for other brides and grooms? "I suppose no matter how much thought, energy, worry and time you put into planning a wedding, it's really about how you are as a couple on the day. The mood and energy you bring to the day dictates how your guests enjoy the experience. From the beginning I was determined to keep the wedding in perspective, be as organized as possible and look forward to returning to life post-wedding, and we did, life post-wedding was even better. Being married is the best."

An absolutely brilliant day. Lots of fun and happiness all round.

So huge thanks to Fiona and TJ for sharing their brilliant day with us, much love from the OneFabDay crew. And to David McClelland we are very grateful for letting us share his work - there's lots more fun and romance to see over on www.davidmcclelland-photography.com

All the Wedding Details

Ceremony: St. Flannan’s Church, Kinnitty, Birr, Co. Offaly.

Reception: Kinnitty Castle Hotel

Dress: ‘Gemma’ Stephanie Allin Couture bought in Myrtle Ivory

Bridesmaids dresses: Anoushka @ House of Fraser

Shoes: Harriet Wilde

Flowers: Michael Costello

Groom(smen)’s suits: Chaplins, Dundrum

Cake: House of Cakes

Make Up & Hair: Powder Room Girls - Sandra Berstock and Valerie Ward

Ceremony music/ Reception music: Friends Siobhan Odumosu and Adele Keating accompanied by Kevin from Music Unlimited

Band: 20th Century Gold