Sometimes we receive a wedding in the OFD inbox and certain things stand out and make us fall in love with it. Sometimes it is a stunning dress, or an amazing venue, or a beautiful dessert table and this wedding has all of these things but what mostly caught our eye is how beautiful, relaxed and comfortable the bride looked all day long. From pjs to party time, Carly was in control and she looked stunning!

I'm an unashamed wedding stationery nut, so there were plenty of 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' in the office when we spied Carly and Tim's lovely invitation, designed by Carly's friend Rachael - she captured Carly's vision of a vintage-inspired Cath Kidston style celebration perfectly.

Here are all of the gushy proposal details: "The proposal, what can I say… it was perfect in every way! This happened early on Christmas Eve 2010, I was about to sneak off to the sales without telling Tim as I knew he wouldn’t be too happy about it, little did I know he had been planning this day for a long time and I was about to spoil everything! Minutes before I was about to hit the shops my doorbell rang and my nephew who was 11 months at that time came waddling into my room with a card followed by my sister who was delivering a massive bouquet of roses and finally followed by my brother-in-law who was capturing the whole surprise on camera. I immediately started crying as I read the card which said, To Carly…Be ready at 11.30am sharp, pack swimwear and something nice to change into. Love you, Tim.

"My first thought was…Oh no, he's bringing me to the beach and its -2 degrees outside, but no, I was wrong, after a very nerve racking car journey together we eventually arrived outside the Galgorm Spa in Ballymena where I was told I was booked in for a pamper day and that is exactly what it was. I was treated like a princess and at the end of the treatments I got myself all dressed up was met by Tim looking very handsome and slightly pale, he then took me out for dinner which began with a hot mulled wine in the snowy garden that was lit up with fairy lights and playing Christmas music in the background…it was at this stage when our journey all began as he popped the question and produced the most beautiful ring that we had picked out 6 months previous!! A perfect way to start Christmas!"

Carly looked stunning in her cowl neck embellished gown and veil from Castle Couture, but it's not just the ladies who need to look their best on the wedding day...

How cute is this little guy?! Now that's a chauffeur!

What about the venue? Was it hard for Carly and Tim to choose their perfect place? "Lough Erne Resort was very difficult to say no to, from the moment we arrived we had fell in love with everything it had to offer, the setting is stunning, the venue is built with class and the staff are the best of the best. The day we arrived to view it we booked it!"

Every bride has that one moment during the day when they are taken aback by the whole thing. It could be walking up the aisle or putting on the dress. What was Carly's ?...Turns out she had a lot of favourite moments. "I loved every moment and that is the honest truth!! Getting ready at home for the last time with all my family there enjoying the preparation, putting on my dress, the car journey with my dad to the church, walking up the aisle to meet my future husband, the quality time I got to spend with Tim in the car to Lough Erne, the photos taken by the amazing Paula O’Hara, the speeches, the beautiful meal we had, the band!!!! I honestly enjoyed every minute of our day! I would happily do it all over again..."

The bridesmaid's pretty blush dresses were the work of  Shirley Moorehead who Carly described as a "very talented lady, highly recommended!!!" And don't the pastel rose bouquets by Donna Kennedy look perfect with them.

"We based our wedding around a vintage theme, with pearls, rose petals, birdcages filled with avalanche roses, peonies and hydrangeas! This started when we were designing out our save the dates, we went with a Cath Kidston pattern for the background which ended up being our colour scheme and gave us the vintage idea."

Just look at that amazing dessert table and her wedding cake from the The Charming Little Cake Company. The cake, cake stand and cake topper are all bang on trend. We love the whole thing!

Carly has two pearls of wisdom for all your brides still planning your wedding..

"Don’t get stressed during the planning of your wedding, there is too much work and effort that goes into the preparation to let it be shadowed by stress!"

"And last but not least remember the actual reason your getting married…not for the dress or the big wedding, not for the flowers, cars or party at the end of the evening but for the exciting adventure your about to begin with your new husband or wife!! "

Finally, a special mention must be made for the extraordinary efforts of Carly's family for the reception entertainment "My Dad, sister, best friend, her boyfriend and Tim had all pre-recorded a video and song that my dad made up about our wedding day, this was done properly at a recording studio in Belfast and was very funny, and was shown during my dad's speech! I still find myself singing the lyrics that he wrote!"

Now that really raises the bar for families up and down the country...

And a last word to Carly - "Being married is the best! I highly recommend it."

Thanks so much to Carly and Tim for sharing their wedding day with us! A special thank you to Paula O'Hara for the beautiful photographs. Take a peek at her website for even more.

All the Wedding Details

• Ceremony: Emmanuel Church, Lurgan
• Reception: Lough Erne Resort and Spa
• Photography: Paula O'Hara
• Wedding Dress: Castle Couture
• Bridesmaids dresses: Shirley Moorehead
• Shoes: Castle Couture
• Flowers: Donna Kennedy, Lurgan

• Groomsmen’s suits: Groom Formal Hire
• Accessories: Helen Fitzpatrick and Accesorize
• Cake: The Charming Little Cake Company
• Cars: I Do Wedding Cars
• Stationery: Rachael Gardiner
• Hair: Sonya McMullen
• Wedding Band: The Gents