Today's real wedding couple Kate and Marcus, were originally planning a big wedding with all the frills when the pandemic hit, but with only six days to go, the couple had to cut their guest list of 180 down to 25 and find a new venue. They could have cancelled, but instead these lovebirds decided all that mattered was that they wanted to get married. They changed course on their original wedding plans and instead poured all their love into a downsized wedding at the beautiful No. 25 Fitzwilliam Place. In the end, they had the dreamiest day, with a small guest list, lots of luxe details, and smiles for miles as you'll see from the images captured beautifully by Claire Brown of Studio Brown Photography. The results are so pretty, you'd never think there was a change of plans!
How pretty are Kate's embroidered Bella Belle bridal flats? We're swooning!
Kate & Marcus' love story started 11 years ago while the pair were both on holidays with pals in Greece. It was a few days before Kate turned 21 and Marcus was her 21st kiss!
The proposal took place in Belgium just before Christmas. Kate loves Christmas and Marcus took her to the fabulously festive Bruges. But the proposal almost didn’t happen, because, after an early Ryanair flight, Kate asked Marcus if they cancel the Michelin star restaurant he had booked for dinner and go to bed early instead! Luckily, he convinced her otherwise and he proposed on the roof of the amazing Bonificus Hotel where they were staying – one of the most gorgeous and most frequently photographed buildings in Bruges.
As with many other couples, Marcus & Kate's priorities changed drastically as the pandemic hit. "It was amazing how our priorities changed! If you had told us 18 months ago that our guest list would be cut from 180 to 25 and none of our extended families would be there, we would have told you that there’s no way we could have an enjoyable day. But we learned a lot about what’s important to us, and the big party wasn’t as much of a priority as we thought. The marriage was what was important to us, not the wedding!" Kate told us.
"Mostly we learned that we have absolutely incredible friends and family. We will always be so grateful and touched by the friends who were there on the day, because this was a rollercoaster for them too, with our plans changing by the day! We value every single one of them so much! And as for our families, they could not have done more for us. This process was extremely stressful for them too and they spent months worrying for us. When we felt like everything was crumbling around us and we wanted to give up, they picked up the pieces. They were such an incredible support and planned so much behind the scenes! Without this pandemic, we’re not sure we would have known how loved and supported we are and how far the people we love are willing to go for us. We are so grateful for that!"
Kate's beautiful wedding dress is by Anna Kara. We adore the romantic appliqué and chic high neckline.
Marcus and his groomsmen rocked suits from Louis Copeland & Sons and the pretty blush pink bridesmaids dresses were clever ASOS finds.
While it may not have been their original venue, it was the wonderful No. 25 Fitzwilliam Place where Kate and Marcus had their dream day after some very last-minute changes. "After government restrictions meant our Dublin guests couldn’t travel to our original venue, the incredible Gloster House in Offaly, we went looking for a last minute location in Dublin with 6 days notice! The very first place we looked was No.25 Fitzwilliam Place and we absolutely loved it from the moment we saw it. Both venues have a similar Georgian style that we just love, and No. 25 was the perfect size for the number of guests we had. Somehow it didn’t feel like a small party at all!"
Kate adds, "We had been so anxious about moving venue, as we had spent 18 months planning a wedding somewhere else and found it hard to let go, but as soon as we walked through the doors of No. 25 we knew that we would have an amazing day in Dublin. Now that we can look back, we just don’t know how they pulled it together for us in less than a week. Stephen, Mark and the rest of their team were just beyond incredible. They managed every little detail as if they’d known about them for months! We never dreamed we would feel so at ease and we can’t thank them enough!"
In the end, after months of uncertainty, the highlights of this couple's day came in the meaningful moments. "Originally we planned all sorts of details for the day that went out the window with our changing plans, but what made the day so special for us was that every person there had come along with us on a journey of constant changes. They were all willing to travel across the country in a pandemic before moved to a venue in Dublin and some had to self-isolate before or after the wedding. We will never forget the sacrifices they made to be there! We don’t think we understood how truly amazing and supportive our friends and family members are before this pandemic and we are so grateful for that. We learned that when everything is stripped back, the love we have for each other and our family and friends is all that matters and it is a wonderful thing to know."
"Following a long few months of stress after postponing our original wedding date in May and a last-minute venue change with one week to go, the wedding was beyond anything we could have imagined. It was so relaxed and intimate and every single person seemed so happy to be there! We appreciated it every moment and will never forget it."
Kate and Marcus learned a lot from their wedding planning and re-planning experience and here's their top tip for engaged couples; "It will all be okay in the end! It’s so easy for us to say that now, because the months leading up to the day really were stressful, but when you focus on what really matters to you as a couple, those are the only things you notice on the day. And for us it was friends and family enjoying themselves!"
Thanks so much to today's couple Kate and Marcus for sharing their beautiful wedding day with us and to Studio Brown for providing the beautiful imagery.
