Today is a special day for One Fab Day - it's a first for us, and we're really excited about it - we're featuring our first ever Civil Partnership celebration! Will and Aiden tied the knot under a beautiful beech tree on the grounds of Bellinter House in Meath, surrounded by family and friends all ready for a fun and fabulous celebration.

This wedding really epitomises why I love writing about real weddings. Fiona Brophy captures the mood and moments so well - everyone is relaxed, happy, joyful and completely at ease so you can see how the pictures really tell the story of a very special day for two people and their loved ones.

Aiden & Will had one thing in mind when it came to their wedding "our only aim was that it would be a small and intimate, relaxed and fun affair and that it would be a celebration of the love that we feel for each other."   And they certainly achieved that, so it's a joy to be able to share it with our readers.

Trust me, by the end you just can't help but smiling and wishing you were there to celebrate with them.

So how did these chaps first get together? "We met at a nightclub in Dublin just over ten years ago and were quickly smitten.  The only problem was that we both had busy work schedules at the time, so organising a first proper date was really difficult.  The only night we both had free happened to coincide with a trip to Paris that I had to make, so it was decided that Will would just have to come along and our first date took place, rather appropriately, in ‘gay’ Paris!  What a way to begin!" First date in Paris? Are you kidding me?! Sure how could it end any other way but with an aisle?? But the proposal was a little more low-key, after all, after 10 years together it's really just about the two of you, so the proposal was very natural and relaxed.  Will took Aiden completely by surprise by proposing in their own back garden on a gorgeous sunny evening.

We didn’t want a ‘walking down the aisle’ moment, so opted simply to walk our guests outside to the tree under which the ceremony was going to take place.  That meant there was no real moment in the ceremony where myself and Will would see each other for the first time.  With that in mind, when we were shopping for our outfits, my sister came separately with both of us to choose them, so neither of us knew what the other would wear (but knew we wouldn’t clash given my sister's input!).  Our plan of action was that I would arrive first at Bellinter and Will would arrive a little later and that we could then meet each other and walk our guests outside.  That way, we both had a surprise element without making a fuss and it worked wonderfully for us!

We’re both atheist, so our ceremony was secular and very personalised.  We included a sand ceremony that involved the mixing of sand of two contrasting colours, to symbolise both our union and our individuality within our marriage and we also had two readers that were told to choose something that they felt represented their thoughts about our marriage and that would be a surprise to us on the day.  They were both really lovely.  One was a Shakespearean sonnet and the other a reading from Bridget Jones (the part about the velveteen rabbit!) — Quite a contrast but equally special to us! 

Bellinter is one of my personal favourite venues for its mix of old and contemporary and Will and Aiden were very much on the same vibe. "We had visited a few venues and had seriously considered some of them but the moment we arrived at Bellinter for our viewing, we both instantly knew that this was the place for us.  Bellinter is a historic and really unique venue.  It has a lovely charm, is situated in a really picturesque setting and the staff were amazingly relaxed and friendly.  It was exactly the sort of venue we were looking for and the sort of atmosphere we wanted to create and being able to have our ceremony under the magnificent tree on the grounds of Bellinter absolutely clinched the deal!" So after the ceremony everyone retired to the house for some fun and frolics...

As for advice for other couples, it's very simple - "what better reason to celebrate can there be, than to marry the person you love most in the world, so don’t ever stress or worry — no matter how your day evolves, it will be the best day of your life!"

So where to after such a fantastic day? For their dream honeymoon Will & Aiden initially rented a Landmark Trust property in Co. Down called ‘Helen’s Tower’ - a restored four storey tower for two, set on top of a hill in the middle of a forest, complete with stone spiral staircase and the most amazing views.  If you haven't heard of Landmark Trust before, check it out now! Seriously. To quote Aiden:"It literally couldn’t have been more romantic!" The properties are all completely unique and perfect for that alone time you both need to come down from all the excitement. Following that, Aiden and Will travelled to Madeira and stayed at the "very classy, yet really relaxed ‘Cliff Bay Hotel’.  Madeira is a really beautiful and colourful place and the people there were incredibly friendly — we started married life together very relaxed and in love and plan on continuing to stay this way!"

And as for picking a particular moment from the day that was the highlight, as with all couples Will and Aiden struggled "It’s genuinely hard to pick just one highlight but we’d have to choose the ceremony as it was incredibly special.  There were also some really touching (and hilarious) speeches made!  Probably the biggest highlight for us after the wedding was seeing our photos for the first time.  They captured so well the essence of the day and all of the special moments that we had, that it was like reliving it all over again!"

I think they're dead right - Fiona Brophy has done a stellar job on the photography, proving how important it is to find the right photographer to do your day justice!

Congratulations guys, here's to a very long and happy marriage! And huge thanks to Fiona Brophy for sharing her images with us.

Credit where Credit is Due:

Ceremony & Reception: Bellinter House | Photography: Fiona Brophy Photography | Grooms’ suits:  Louis Copeland (suits); Brown Thomas (shirts and ties) | Shoes: Aldo | Cake: Johnnie Cupcakes |Hair & Grooming: Queen, Aungier street | DJ: DJ entertainment |Band: MARLI | Celebrant: Romy from A Beautiful Ceremony |