Get lost in the beauty of an Irish castle wedding in today's fairytale real wedding celebration filled with regal bridal style and romantic details. After getting engaged on the Emerald Isle, USA couple Leslie and Ryan dreamed of an Irish castle wedding and hosted an elegant and romantic, summer destination wedding weekend at Markree Castle in the Sligo countryside for 90 of their nearest and dearest.

Their day is just one of those weddings that everyone will love. Because it's beautiful, because the smiles are real, and because you can feel a sense of restrained elegance and attention to the finest of details through each and every image. Photographed by Anna G Photography, prepare to fall in love with this fairytale Markree Castle wedding celebration just as all of us here have.

So, first things first, let's get to know our lovely couple a little better. Bride Leslie is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Groom Ryan is from Kansas City, Missouri. The pair are currently based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

The couple first met at a mutual friend’s birthday dinner not long after bride Leslie moved to Kansas City.  The pair were friends for about a year before Leslie planned to move closer to home (11 hours away).  Ryan had wanted to ask Leslie out and thought he lost his chance when she was going to move, but fate intervened, and a chance job offer the day before she was set to leave kept her in Kansas City.  Upon hearing the news that she was staying, Ryan didn't waste anymore time and asked her out that next week.

Fast forward a couple of years to 2022 and the proposal happened while the pair were in Ireland for Leslie’s sister’s wedding at Dromoland Castle, and after the wedding travelled around Connemara to visit the farm where her great-grandmother was born.  Ryan had never been but planned to propose on the family land.  Earlier in the day he asked her parents for permission to propose and when he told them where he planned to do it, her mother started laughing.  Upon arriving at the farm, they all discovered that the land around the original house had now been transformed into a pig farm (not the most ideal setting for a proposal!).  Pivoting quickly after getting chased by pigs, Ryan directed Leslie’s new brother-in-law to drive all the crew to a beach in Spiddal.  Racing to get there before the sun set, they finally arrived at the beach; and after much confusion on Leslie’s part about why they were there, Ryan proposed with Galway Bay and the Irish sunset behind them.  It was a magical trip, to say the least!

Once the planning began, the couple knew they wanted to have their wedding in Ireland and began venue hunting online and toured venues virtually from the US. It was Markree Castle’s beautiful architecture and interiors, and the fact that they could accommodate 2/3 of the couple's guest list that quickly won them over, "as did the fabulous wedding planning staff who were so kind, helpful and detail-oriented throughout the planning process", Leslie says.

Another factor that the couple loved Markree Castle was for its warm welcome and hospitality which was one of the couple's main priorities. Leslie says, "Our main priority was ensuring all of our friends and family were welcomed, entertained and having fun throughout the two days at Markree Castle.  We wanted the experience staying at Markree Castle and the wedding to be as memorable for them as it was for us!  Other priorities were great food, tunes, and dancing."

As Irish music lovers, and with the bride being an Irish dancer herself, music was very important to the pair. Leslie tells, us, We had live music by Patrick Davey Music during our ceremony and drinks reception which was really special.  I walked down the aisle to a beautiful version of Stolen Kiss, a traditional Irish slip jig which, as an Irish dancer, was very meaningful and memorable!  They also played traditional Irish music during the drinks reception which brought in another element of my family’s history and culture, which I loved.

Describing the overall look and vibe of their wedding weekend, the couple tell us it was, "A Downton Abbey-style weekend in a castle with our closest friends and family, filled with love, laughter, merriment, and a bit of mischief.  The vibe was romantic and old world with a very heartfelt and humorous ceremony in the on-site chapel, traditional Irish music and drinks during the afternoon reception, hilarious speeches in the gallery, a beautiful candlelit dinner in the gilded Markree Castle dining rooms, day and a big brass band to keep our guests dancing into the wee hours."

The bride adds, "The location being in Ireland and at a castle also played a large part in the aesthetic – from a custom watercolour of our castle in the invitations to Ryan’s custom tuxedo jacket that had a custom printed fabric with the same artwork, we tried to integrate the sense of place throughout.  I am drawn to traditional and romantic elements so my dress, the bridesmaids dresses and the flowers reflected that."

Another detail that made the couple's day really special and personal to them included a friend who played the bagpipes which enhanced the drama of the celebration. Leslie says, "A friend is a bagpipe and flute player in the band Project Smok and he played the bagpipes at the castle entrance while guests were arriving, which was really special."

The bride also adds, "Having family and friends from all stages and locations of our life in one place – and in a castle in Ireland that we had to ourselves for two days – was so fun and memorable.  We also had quite a few Irish dancers at the wedding so a few dances were had late in the evening!"

Leslie's swoon-worthy gown is by the bridal label Casablanca Bridal which she sourced at Emily Hart Bridal at home in Kansas. She completed her dreamy wedding day look with the white heels by Loeffler Randall and a fairytale princess-worthy tiara by Maria Elena Headpieces.

The bridesmaids were Leslie's perfect 'Something Blue' in mismatched blue bridesmaids dresses in a range of hues from ASOS, Azazie and Amsale while Ryan his groomsmen suavely sported black tie ensembles from Paolini Garment Company.

The couple chose a gorgeous pastel colour palette of whites, ivories, touches of blush and peach and blue with lots of Irish foliage. These beautiful shades were brought together with Quicksand Roses, cream Peonies, white Stock, pink Scabiosas, blue Delphiniums and mini spray roses in peach and lemon. A classic and elegant vision which came together beautifully on the day.

So, after putting together such an inspiring destination wedding celebration, we asked the couple if they have any advice for others still planning theirs? Leslie tells us, "It is an overwhelming task so I think figuring out what is most important to you and what you want to really invest in is important early on.  It’s easy to look to Instagram for inspiration which is great but its also important to be true to who you are and what you want as a couple for your wedding and not just follow the trends (or the budgets) that you see there.  And really take a minute on the day to pause and take it all in… it’s so special to have all your closest family and friends together celebrating you and your love and its important to take a minute to cherish that!"

The couple took the floor (outdoors!) for their first dance as newlyweds to Leon Bridges’ “Beyond” while surrounded by a sea of sparklers.

After their Irish wedding celebrations were over, Leslie and Ryan headed on honeymoon to Croatia and Venice.

A very special thank you to Leslie, Ryan and Anna G for sharing this fairytale summer Markree Castle wedding celebration with all of our readers. You can see even more gorgeous details from their day in the gallery below.