Together since they were teenagers you can just tell from the following pictures by Danielle O'Hora that today's lovely couple are totally smitten. School sweethearts Lisa and Karl planned their Ballybeg House wedding exactly as they wanted, with very little formalities and no elaborate DIYs. As adorable bride Lisa enthuses "At the end of the day, you are marrying your best friend and that’s all that matters."  Then, to top things off Lisa and Karl got one big surprise, and one amazing extra reason to celebrate...

Teenage sweethearts Lisa and Karl met through a mutual friend at a party. They got talking and before they knew it, had spent the whole night side by side. Lisa sentimentally describes the following days and weeks..."We were instantly mad about each other. We spent weeks hanging out with each other and then eventually made it official."

After years being each other's other half Lisa and Karl bought a house together, followed by an adorable little puppy named Ollie. That Christmas, totally smitten Karl surprised Lisa with one final promise of lasting commitment. Lisa recounts the moment..."Karl had started talking about how happy he was and how great things were going for us. The next thing I knew he was down on one knee (our puppy Ollie had jumped up on his knee and was looking up at me too – you couldn't have planned it if you tried!!!) and was asking me to marry him. I was so surprised. I hadn't expected it all. We were meeting all of our friends the following night for a Christmas night out so it was amazing to be able to tell them all at once and have a sort of double celebration that night."

The last thing Lisa and Karl wanted for their wedding was a big show, or spectacle. Instead they wanted the wedding day to feel like one big party - with wonderful friends and family.

On the morning of the wedding Lisa and Karl got ready at their venue, adding the finishing touches to their outfits - including a surprise wedding accessory for Lisa. "The morning of the wedding Karl’s Granddad gave me Karl’s Nana’s Claddagh ring to wear. Karl’s Nana had passed away a few months earlier which was really upsetting. She was most definitely missed on the day so to wear her ring which she had worn every day was really special to me." Such a thoughtful gift, and a lovely way to remember Karl's Nana on the day.

Lisa and Karl's venue of choice was the unique Ballybeg House, which they fell in love with the moment they found it. Lisa effuses..."We knew straight away it was the venue for us. We went up with my parents the month after we got engaged. We were brought around the whole venue and then pottered around the place again by ourselves. Before we knew it, we had been there for 3 ½ hours. It was perfect for what we wanted - the relaxed, bohemian, fun and personal wedding. Paddy Snr and Jnr and all the staff are fantastic, so friendly and an absolute pleasure to deal with. The whole lead up to the wedding, I was so excited for everyone to see the place. I knew how much everyone would love it. All of our guests were raving about it – they still are! So many people asked us how we found it and couldn't get over how gorgeous it was. We added a few personal touches around the place but to be honest, it is that beautiful that if you did nothing at all it would still be amazing."

The dreamy wedding ceremony was held in the Ayers Ceremony Room, with rustic brickwork, high ceilings , exposed beams and an abundance of softly glowing candles. Again, Lisa can't help but gush..."We really loved our ceremony. It was so personal and the ceremony room at Ballybeg House is so intimate and romantic. It was the perfect setting for it."

To compliment the laid back boho feel of the day, Lisa chose a slim fit wedding dress with subtle embellishment as well as a pink and pretty flower crown. Lisa's girls then wore short pink bridesmaid dresses from the high street to perfectly match the wedding flowers and feminine colour palette.

Totally in love with the existing Ballybeg House décor, Lisa and Karl simply added some delicate gypsophila, relaxed and enjoyed their wedding party.

For their honeymoon Lisa and Karl decided to wait a little while to plan a safari vacation, but in the meantime got a much better surprise. Lisa explains..."We decided to put the honeymoon off to the following year and do a safari. We hadn’t booked anything. We wanted to focus on the wedding and then enjoy planning the honeymoon afterwards. That was the plan. The honeymoon may be put off even longer though…Two weeks after the wedding we found out that we were expecting a baby. It was much sooner than we had intended but what an exciting way to kick start your marriage. There was no time for post-wedding blues. We were straight into even more exciting times." How exciting!

Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding with us, we wish you and your new baby the very, very best! A big thank you also goes to Danielle O'Hora for sharing her work with us, to see more from Danielle O'Hora visit www.danielleohora.com

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Ceremony: Ballybeg House
Photographer: Danielle O'Hora

The Wedding Details

• Wedding Dress: Smart Brides
• Bridesmaid's dresses: Oasis
• Shoes: Kurt Geiger
• Groomsmen’s suits: Trousers & Braces from H&M, Shirts from TM Lewin, Waistcoat from Michael Barrie
• Groom's Shoes: Topman
• Flower Crown: Etsy
• Bracelets: Alex & Ani

• Flowers: Smithfield Market
• Stationery: Menus: Prontaprint
• Ceremony Music: Lucy Kavanagh
• Reception Music: Upbeat Generation
• Ceremony/Reception Music: Lucy Kavanagh
• Catering: Swan Catering