Everyone may immediately think of Paris when it comes to romance but one look through today's Irish elopement in Connemara and you may beg to differ. From the sweeping views and utterly romantic ceremony to the look of love on these sweethearts' faces, it's priceless. Sticking to their own unique style and not feeling pressured into any traditions, Sabrina & Tobi came across Europe to be married on the Emerald Isle, choosing the wild shores of Lough Inagh in Galway with a small wedding party totalling just 18 (couple included) and of course their trusty photographers Dirk and Saja of Brautrausch Wedding Photography. It's an enchanting elopement that we're delighted to share.

Today's lovely couple both hail from Germany, but have both been mega fans of Ireland for a long time. "Tobi and I became Ireland fans independently of each other. He on a round trip through the south, I on a riding holiday in the north of Ireland. We love the Irish, the beautiful and wild landscape of the west, the food, the pubs and yes, somehow also the weather! We've been travelling to Ireland together ever since we've been together, and I still go there on my own for horse-riding, mainly in Sligo."

But, first things first, how did this lovely pair originally meet? Bride Sabrina fills us in, "We met by chance in 2017 in a completely unromantic way on a student app.  Tobi's profile picture of himself playing ice hockey meant that I didn't even write "Hello", just "Do you play ice hockey? This was exactly the reaction Tobi had hoped for. And I was happy to finally meet a hockey player. We quickly realised that we had a lot in common, such as photography and a love of Call of Duty on the PlayStation. We clicked right away."

And the proposal, how did it go? Sabrina reminisces, 'at the time we were living in Bonn, Germany, right on the Rhine. Tobi invited me for a late evening walk along the riverbank. It was low tide, the Rhine was lapping beside us and the stars were overhead. Tobi asked me if I wanted to be his wife. I couldn’t breathe for a moment, but then I said yes!"

Talks of an Irish wedding began after the couple both vetoed the idea of a winter wedding in Germany. "At first we wanted to plan our wedding in Germany in winter. At some point we had a flash of inspiration and asked ourselves if we really wanted to have such a big wedding with over a hundred guests and if it wouldn't be much nicer to get married in Ireland in a small circle instead. After doing some research and finding that the bureaucracy wasn't that complicated, we decided to make our dream come true. The idea was, to have something meaningful for ourselves. Not the typical showoff that a wedding in Germany can often be. More intimate, with our closest friends and relatives."

So with 18 loved ones in tow, the duo journeyed across the sea to the beautiful setting of Connemara, for a  Celtic-Christian, ritual-filled ceremony  down on the shore of Lough Inagh, Connemara. The couple tell us that the ceremony was one of the most special parts of the day, "our officiant is a Christian-Celtic priest who is trying to bring this lost culture back to life. Parts of our ceremony were in Gaelic. We were blessed with an oak branch, water from a sacred spring, oil and the four elements. And during the “handfasting” our hands were bound together with a cord specially made for our wedding." Love this idea? We've written an entire feature on hand-fasting rituals and how to do them, which you'll find here.

The west coast of Ireland can be very wet and foggy in October, and a heavy storm was threatening the afternoon of the wedding day.  Miraculously, the heavy rain held off just enough for the couple to say 'I do' and it turned out to be a picture perfect, overcast Irish day.

Seeing her groom for the first time on their wedding day was the highlight of the day for Sabrina. "The best moment of the day was my walk from the lodge up on the hill down to the lake and the moment we saw each other for the first time. We had hoped all day that we could have our wedding outside and the weather had been good the days before. Unfortunately, on the day of the wedding it was very windy and rain clouds were moving over the mountains. We weighed up our options and decided to go outside anyway. And it was worth it. The light for the pictures was wonderful (as we are wedding photographers ourselves, we were quite happy) and somehow it also suited the theme. Even though it got a bit chilly at the end, everyone loved the ceremony down by the lake. Ok, the whiskey afterwards probably helped too!"

After the ceremony the couple and their guests headed back inside the lodge to have a relaxed and intimate reception, shooting some couple portraits along on the way. Guests were treated to drinks and appetizers at beside the fire while the wind outside was getting stronger. After, the party moved over to the restaurant for a wonderful dinner, and later, on to the pub for a night of fun, drinks and great conversation!

Sabrina chose the Illusion by Lila Bridal Couture gown for their special day which she accessorised with a delicate knitted shawl and a dainty pearl and gold leaf hair vine. Sweet and simple white bridal pumps were the perfect (and practical!) finishing touch to her bridal look.

Tobi adorned his tweed suit with a boutonniere made of small blooms and twine, and a dapper brown wool bowtie.

Alice Market Flowers in Clifden made Sabrina's sweet wildflower bouquet, which featured tiny daisies, freesia and Irish fern.

The couple fell head over heels for the warmth and character of their Irish elopement Connemara venue, Lough Inagh Lodge, "since we first saw Lough Inagh Lodge, we were absolutely thrilled with it as our wedding location. The unique setting in remote Inagh Valley - no neighbours near, the view of Lough Inagh in the foreground and being surround by the mountains of Connemara – is simply incredible. The warmth of the house, the cosiness, the amazing food and the charms of the tiny pub are beyond comparison. The staff – especially Dominic and Máire – are so attentive and did everything to make us and our guests feel comfortable. Weddings are not a mass business there, but really individual celebrations for which they have everything in mind. They were wonderful during the planning process and when we arrived, we simply didn't have to worry about anything. In short, it was perfect"

Instead of a first dance, the couple instead opted for a first pint! "We preferred a first pint to a first dance. But yet we did have some party. Since we're from Cologne, we’re party folks and there was a lot of Cologne songs and party music. We had party-hungry guests who partly made the music themselves or contributed to our playlist."

The couple and their guests stayed at the Lodge that night, and met again for breakfast, before the bride and groom headed off with their photographers (and their dog Hugo!) for an extensive after-wedding-session around Connemara. The portrait session started in Roundstone with coffee and wonderful weather at the harbour before heading on to Dog’s Bay for beautiful photos at the beach. Next stop, Clifden for a pint at EJ Kings before ending the session in the middle of the road in the Inagh Valley.

After the wedding the couple and their friends and families still had a few more days to explore Ireland. Sabrina and Tobi provided each of their guests with a self-made booklet filled with their personal travel tips and favourite places to discover giving their guests the chance to learn more about their love for Ireland before they all headed back to Germany.

As they were travelling, the couple opted not to do wedding favours, but instead created tiny wedding albums for each of their guests when they were back home as a sweet keepsake of the day.

Reminiscing on their day, the couple tell us what was really special and personal to them. "Our wedding was special because we focused on what was important, our love for each other. We wanted to have a wonderful time with our closest family and friends, and we did. And it all fit together - the Celtic ceremony, my wildflower bouquet, Tobias' tweed suit, the Irish blessings recited in English by my niece and nephew, the log fires in the lodge and the raucous celebration in the pub afterwards."

After the newlyweds' time in Ireland, the couple headed on honeymoon to Khao Lak in Thailand which they, "highly recommend. It’s not Ireland though, but it’s a bit warmer!"

As for advice for other couples who may be thinking of an elopement in Ireland? "Think about what you really want. What is important to you. You see so many beautiful things, but you can't have it all! Choose your suppliers carefully. Our wedding photos were extremely important to us, so we chose a professional whose imagery was 100% to our liking. All the other vendors were also absolutely professional. You really have to prioritise and not cut corners. On the day itself, I tried not to worry about anything going wrong. Enjoy the day and don't let it pass you by. This is much easier with a small wedding party. But to allow our extended family to attend, we had a big reception three weeks before the wedding. It was the perfect arrangement for us."

A big thank you to today's couple Sabrina and Tobi, as well as to Dirk Weber and Saja Seus of Brautrausch Wedding Photography for sharing this wonderful Irish elopement in Connemara with us all at One Fab Day.

Thinking of eloping? Check out How To Plan An Elopement: 14 Dos & Don'ts You Need To Read right here!