A huge part of our job here at One Fab Day is showing Irish couples how their wedding day might look at various restriction levels, and today's real wedding is such a gorgeous example of what you can achieve within these (admittedly very tricky) parameters! Steve and Catherine tied the knot in early October 2020, meaning that their Level 3 wedding was subject to lots of last-minute changes, including the omission of a raucous reception with live band and dancing. We're so impressed by how much fun they managed to bring to their Level 3 wedding, and how many personal details they incorporated! Featuring a civil ceremony at Royal Hotel Bray, restaurant reception at Ripasso Bray, and an exceptionally stylish baby bump, their big day was captured in all its colourful glory by Lucy Nuzum Photography. Let's take a closer look...

Catherine tells us that she met Steve through a local choir. "I knew straight away that I wanted this total legend in my life," she says. "One date with a few too many tequilas began an epic journey that brought us to where we are today." The couple tell us that their gorgeous baby arrived safe and sound in February 2021 - congrats, guys!

Steve's elaborate proposal sounds so sweet! "It began when I was at a very boring training conference, and had the brainwave to design an escape room that Catherine had to solve, and at the end was the ring! The clues related to our early dating days and had plenty of inside jokes, there was even dry ice at one point! The final clue was a Polaroid of our new puppy Einstein presenting the ring box."

Catherine tells us that the couple's pritorities were, "making sure the day was relaxed, easy and very 'us', while also being Covid-safe. Our photographer was our most important expense, as we are terrible for taking photos of ourselves and we really wanted to make sure we had memories of the day!"

Catherine and Steve came up with some ingenius ways to incorporate elements that were sadly not possible on the day. "Ceremony music was prerecorded by our friend, Barry Cannon, since he couldn't be here in person due to pandemic," they tell us. They also asked a close family friend to capture the day on video to share with loved ones who couldn't attend.

Catherine initially had big plans for her wedding dress, but all of that changed when the pandemic hit. "There were plans for my mam to make my wedding dress, but as it turned out I wore a dress from Self Portrait, which I actually bought about four years ago that luckily still fit the ever-growing bump!"

The couple were sure to include as many personal details as they could on the day, with help from family members and friends. "The cake was homemade by the bride and mother of the groom, the toppers were 3D-printed figures of our Dungeons & Dragons characters, that we painted ourselves - we're both pretty nerdy," Steve explains. "We made everyone their own Lego character as a place setting, which all had a personal element to them."

With live music not allowed due to Covid-19 restrictions, the couple had to think creatively about how they could have their first dance! "We had our first dance on the bandstand in Bray, while a friend played our song on a little speaker." Steve says. "That ended up being a really special moment even though it wasn't what we had originally planned!"

As you can imagine, being reunited with friends and family members on their wedding day was a huge thrill! "We felt the whole day was particularly special as we had been separated from friends and family for so long over the previous months," Catherine says. "Everyone just really appreciated being together. Getting married in a pandemic really forces you to limit what you might have arranged any other year, but it also really highlights just how important and special it is to get together with your closest family and friends to celebrate life." We whole-heartedly agree!

The couple say that they were delighted with how the day turned out. "The vibe was chill and the craic was mighty! It wasn't what we had planned originally but it turned out to be just perfect in the end."

We love how cool and colourful the couple's portraits are! "We had a couple of zoom meetings with our photographer, Lucy, beforehand to chat about the kind of photos we had in mind, and she gave us exactly what we wanted for our big day," Catherine says. "She was completely non-intrusive and managed to capture spectacular photos that truly illustrated the essence of our day."

The couple tell us that they booked their reception venue, Ripasso restaurant in Bray, at very short notice. "We were absolutely blown away by the professional service and the standard of the food. They were so accommodating in every way possible, and the ambiance of the restaurant was so cosy. When we went to meet Gabriel, he talked us through how a socially-distanced celebration there would work, and tailored a menu especially for our party. We are hoping to return for our first anniversary celebrations... or sooner if restrictions allow it!"

Catherine and Steve's pals made sure that their love of sci-fi took was celebrated on the day! "Our friends organised a light sabre guard of honour for us when we entered the restaurant, that was a brilliant surprise!"

Catherine's advice to engaged couples is to try to go with the flow if Covid-19 restrictions impact on your day. "If things are changed unavoidably, you can still have an amazing and special day that you will always remember!

Steve had another surprise up his sleeve for the couple's reception. "He had been secretly rehearsing a song for a couple of months to serenade me with, which was an immensely tricky thing to do while quaranteening together 24/7!" Catherine says. "It was the best surprise of the day and there wasn't a dry eye in the house."

Thanks so much to Catherine and Steve for sharing their gorgeous Level 3 wedding with us, and to Lucy Nuzum for providing the beautiful imagery! Be sure to click on the gallery below to see more from this incredible celebration.