Today's real wedding might star two of my closest pals but that doesn’t mean I’m being biased when I say it was one of the best weddings ever! Claire and Seán are an Irish couple living in London. They brought their friends and family to their adopted home to celebrate their nuptials - and when better to do it than St. Patrick’s Day? Starting the festivities with an atmospheric ceremony at The Asylum in Peckham, the couple and their guests then hitched a ride across the Thames on vintage red buses for one massive party at The Drift. From the style and the details, to the gorgeous portraits by Eclection Photography and the all-out craic of the reception, sit down, make a cup of tea, and prepare to fall head over heels for this smitten pair and their fabulous wedding…

Claire and Seán first met 14 years ago through mutual friends, “We crossed paths a few times over the years,” says the bride. “I guess the world was trying to push us together, but either I had a boyfriend or he had a girlfriend, so nothing ever happened.”

Eventually in 2012, things finally fell into place, “We bumped into each other at the Sea Sessions music festival in Bundoran, waiting for the Happy Mondays to perform. We bonded over the crap weather (and the rubbish gig) - and he asked me to go for a drink with him. So I did. We had a smooch and he took my number.”

Three Donegal blondes, Claire's sisters look gorgeous in grey and those shawls from Roisin Cross Silks in Dublin felt even more luxurious than they look!

Such a pretty bouquet - those antique style roses look like something out of a painting!

But Seán figured he’d play it smooth, “He waited two weeks before texting me. Ever the charmer! But I was very happy when he did. A few weeks later we started going out properly and we went back to Sea Sessions this summer for our sixth anniversary!”

One word Claire and Seán used to describe their big day? “COLD. It snowed on the day, which was a bit of a surprise in March! But it really didn't matter. Our guests were absolute troopers, as was our photographer, Heather. I don't know how her fingers didn't fall off!” Get set to gasp over this stunning ceremony venue... 

As the couple live in London, Seán planned his proposal during a trip home to Claire’s native Donegal for her 30th birthday, “We were settling in at my parents and Seán asked if I wanted to take the dog for a walk on the beach,” recalls Claire. “I thought it was a bit weird, because he'd never shown any interest in walking the dog before. But I went with it.”

The beach in Bundoran was quiet, so while it crossed Claire’s mind that Seán might propose, he was playing it so cool, she put it out of her head, “We sat down on the rocks and had a little chat. Then he got down on one knee! I let out a bit of a squeal when he showed me the ring and demanded that he put it on my finger straight away. He said 'I take it that means, Yes' and I just laughed. It was gorgeous. He'd picked it himself, with a bit of help from our friend Claire.” (That’s me!)

Claire says she loved that Seán popped the question at home, “The whole thing was very sweet and romantic. We'd had our first kiss nearby at the Sea Sessions festival four years previously - so it's a special spot for us. It also meant that we could go straight back to my parents and celebrate with them. My mum had the bubbly ready. Seán can't hold his water, so they were all in on it! My birthday party turned into an impromptu engagement party - it was really lovely.”

The couple wanted their wedding to feel naturally ‘them’, “No matter the weather we were determined to have a relaxed, fun party that reflected our lives together. We didn't want anything too polished or traditional, so we opted for a city wedding in London.”

The Asylum Chapel in Peckham had the bride and groom at hello, “We fell in love instantly! It's a listed building dating back to the 1800s. It's no longer a chapel, but is registered for weddings, which was perfect for us as we didn't want a religious ceremony,” Claire tells us. “The old crumbling walls, candle light and stained glass windows give it so much character. It a unique place and incredibly romantic. A lot of our guests likened in to the chapel Ross and Emily get married in in Friends. Thankfully, Seán got my name right, though!”

The ceremony was a chance for Claire and Seán to show off their talented guests, “Our ceremony was incredibly special. My uncle Peter recited an incredible version of Love is a Temporary Madness from Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Our friend Roisin sang One Day Like this by Elbow - and our mate Alan wrote and performed a poem for us called Some Assembly Required.”

As you can imagine, the atmosphere in this beautiful place was pretty special. So much love in one room!

Ensuring the party got started straight away - and making the most of The Asylum - the couple arranged for a cocktail reception to kick off after the ceremony before everyone boarded buses to the reception venue.

Claire and Seán have lots of tips for other couples in the throes of planning, “Do it your own way - and don't invite too much opinion, as it will stress you out. A happy and relaxed bride and groom make for a happy and relaxed wedding party! At first we were nervous about getting married outside of Ireland, even though we live and work in London, in case people didn't want to travel. But we followed our hearts and it paid off. Our guests seemed to genuinely love getting away for the weekend.”

For Claire, the flowers were always going to be an indulgence, “Juliet Henin at Red Eden and Olive managed to nail the brief perfectly. I wanted a wild, romantic look and that's exactly what I got. I could look at pictures of my bouquet all day long.”

What a beaut! And I'm not just saying it because she's my pal - Claire's stunning wedding dress was by Rembo Styling (look out for the back of it!). Seán scrubbed up pretty well too!

There were lots of sentimental touches throughout the day for Claire, “My friend Emily let me have her veil as my something borrowed and I had my great grandmother's wedding ring as my something old. I joked, that I was my own something blue, as it was so bloody cold. Both my sisters were by my side all day and couldn't have done enough for us.”

All the contributions made the occasion even more special for the pair, “We felt blessed to have so much love and support - and it helped make the day feel incredibly personal and genuine.”

Claire has some great advice for creating a fun, inclusive atmosphere for your guests, “Make sure you have some unifying moments during the day. Confetti throwing or a massive group photo, bring people together and get them talking.”

From the venues to the transport, the couple loved showing their guests different hints of the city, “We had a civil ceremony and bussed it across town for a reception in a bar. We didn't pick obvious wedding venues, but they were beautiful and felt special to us. We had some traditional London elements, like vintage Routemasters buses and gin cocktails.”

With so many coming from Ireland, the couple planned the day with their guests in mind, “Our family and friends are our world, so we wanted to make sure they had the best time. The majority of people were travelling to London, so we tried to make things as straightforward as possible for them. We put together a wedding website with travel and accommodation details, which I'd really recommend. We provided transport to and from the venues and made sure there were plenty of hotels nearby.”

The bride and groom kept the festivities going on Day Two as well, “We wanted to spend as much time with our guests as possible over the weekend, so we had drinks with family and friends the night before and a rollover party on the Sunday.”

Claire and Seán structured the day so they could pack in as much time as possible with their guests, “We kept our ceremony short but personal. We shared the bus with everyone on the way to the reception venue, so we didn't miss a minute of the craic. We also decided against a top table for dinner and instead plonked ourselves in the middle of the room.”

The couple didn’t spend long away from the party having their photos taken, “We nipped off briefly to get some pictures on our own. But we'd asked our photographer and videographer to keep the focus on our guests and their interactions, which they did. I love how they captured our day.”

Getting married in London wasn’t initially the plan for this pair, “We toyed with the idea of getting married in Ireland and visited a couple of venues near where I grew up, but none of them felt right for us. So we started looking in London, as it's where we've built our lives together. We choose our reception venue first - a gorgeous bar near St Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately it closed down suddenly, so we had to find an alternative.”

Although The Drift wasn’t Claire and Seán’s first choice, it ended up working out perfectly, “It was cool and quirky and in a brilliant location. The staff were great and we loved that the bar was right next to the dancefloor, which kept our guests together for the night.”

Of course the day was always going to have an Irish feel to it too, “We chose St Patrick's Day, in part because we knew everyone would be in the mood for a party. My sister and her boyfriend brought over craft beers from each of our hometowns for our drinks reception and the Guinness was flowing all day long.”

The wedding fell on the same day as the Six Nations Final, “I was worried people would be distracted, but some of my fave photos are of our family and friends huddled together watching the match on their phones,” says Claire. “Some of them had just met each other, but they were cheering and celebrating together, like they'd been mates for years.”

Keeping the decor simple, there was a few personal touches and surprises throughout the day, “We used photos of us with our guests as place names and wrote them individual messages on the back, so they'd know how much we appreciated them being there."

Lots of friends and relatives pitched in with the details, “My mum illustrated our wedding invites and orders of service, our friend Claire baked the most delicious cake for us and another pal Greg designed our signage.”

This pair were eager to jet off on honeymoon straight after the wedding, and chose Borneo on the recommendation of their friends, "We spent the first few days relaxing on the beach to wind down after all the madness of wedding planning and then went off trekking through the rainforest. We encountered the most amazing animals and ate the most incredible food. I'd recommend it to anyone.”

The couple’s top tip? “Most importantly, make decisions together - and spread out the work. Seán was really invested in our day. It meant it reflected us as a couple, and not just me - the bride. Things will go wrong. We had venue closures, emergency scaffolding, stuff went missing in the post. The weather was TERRIBLE! But as long as you're in it together, you'll get through it. None of that mattered on the day and we still had the time of our lives.”

Everyone hit the dance floor pretty hard after dinner, “Our first dance was Try a Little Tenderness, from The Commitments, which is Seán's favourite film. The dance floor was packed all night, thanks to the excellent Wedding Smashers. They curated the most amazing playlist, but also took requests from guests. Riverdance was my highlight. The place went wild! It was a little Irish haven in the middle of East London.”

These two also kicked off our new favourite wedding trend, “We had a glitter bar, glow sticks and confetti cannons. So it really did feel like a big party from start to finish.”

What a deadly pair! Thanks so much to Claire and Seán for letting me share their day - and of course to Eclection Photography for capturing it all so beautifully!