An intimate city wedding with vintage-inspired style

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Now this might be the hopeless romantic in me, but today's real wedding reads like something out of a film or a novel - from how the couple met, to how they got engaged, to the perfectly laid-back and lovely city wedding they'd always talked about. Sarah & Breiffni said 'I Do' in Dublin City Hall, with their closest friends and family around them, before heading the The Cliff Townhouse for their simple, elegant reception - a venue with a special significance for the bride and groom. With gorgeous style throughout (several of us in the office are obsessed with Sarah's dress!), Martina California captured this sweet Dublin wedding beautifully.

Dublin City wedding City Hall Cliff Townhouse wedding by Martina California

Sarah & Breiffni met back in 2013 with the cutest encounter, as the bride tells us, “We met in the Science Gallery Café in Trinity College, where we were both having lunch, and started chatting because we were reading the same book. I had moved to Dublin a few months previously to study primary teaching and we discovered that we both lived in Drumcondra. We knew our relationship was special early on and we moved in together after a few months.” The same book - how serendipitous!

How fabulous are these mix and match nude bridesmaid dresses - the touch of sparkle really sets them off!

The couple had been discussing marriage and weddings since early in their relationship, so tying the knot was a matter of time and money, as Sarah explains, “I had told Breiffni about a few venues that I loved in Dublin and my heart had been set on the Cliff Townhouse a long time before the engagement.”

Then Breiffni came up with thoughtful date idea “Breiffni said he would like to copy our old dates and asked me to meet him at Trinity before going for dinner. Breiffni was late for the meeting but we met at Trinity, had some lovely food in Fallon & Byrne and then I thought we were heading home when he suggested we have a drink in the Cliff Townhouse.”

Breiffni had been so calm all evening that Sarah didn’t suspect a thing, “When we got there he started walking upstairs and I knew then! He had set up the room with flowers, champagne and photos and he got down on one knee. After a lot of tears, I said yes. Breiffni had been late because he had rushed home after I left, packed a bag and dropped it off in the room.” Now that is one insanely romantic proposal.

Sarah & Breiffni describe their wedding day as elegant and intimate, “With a nod to vintage glamour. It was a relaxed day which incorporated our favourite things – a walk in the city we love, good food and wine and some jazz!” The dream!

The couple knew early on, they wanted to spend their day with just close friends and family by their side, “We wanted an intimate wedding so that we could share our day with the people we loved most. It was important to us that our wedding was non-religious and in Dublin; the city where we fell in love and call home. Other than that, we wanted our wedding to have good food, wine and hospitality.”

The pair advise other couples not to take on anything that doesn’t reflect your tastes and beliefs, “Everyone will have a good time if the bride and groom are happy. Most people at our wedding had never been to a humanist ceremony or a small wedding but loved ours because it suited us.”

Their other top tip? Don’t take on too much. “We bought a house six months before the wedding and it put us under pressure for time and budget which caused some stress in the lead-up. It worked out perfectly in the end but we had some stressful days!”

Sarah tells us about how she fell for the venue, “We were walking through Dublin one Saturday a few years ago when we spotted a wedding on the balcony of the Cliff Townhouse. I fell in love with the beauty of the venue then and after we had been for dinner and tasted the amazing food, we knew it was the place we would get married.”

When the couple got engaged, Cliff Townhouse lived up to their vision, “We were struck again by how perfect it was for our needs and the wedding coordinator, Kayleigh, was the most helpful and kind person to deal with. The first floor dining room is an elegant Georgian room and the balcony overlooking St Stephen’s Green makes the venue so special.”

The bride and groom say that both their venues tied in with the vibe they wanted from their day, “We agreed that we weren’t the type of couple who could put together a beautiful, rustic and home-decorated party so we chose City Hall and Cliff Townhouse for their simple elegance and just added some small personal touches.”

Sarah & Breiffni’s big day was made all the more special by the people around them, “We knew before the wedding that we had wonderful, loving families but the strength of love and support on the day really moved us."

The couple really felt the love on the day, "The ceremony music by Breiffni’s brother, Daragh, and his good friend, Paul was magical in City Hall. The cake table, put together by both mothers, took so much time, effort and love and looked just perfect on the day. A real highlight of the day was the speeches, where the outpouring of love prompted many tears! Sarah’s sister Rebecca wrote a beautiful narrative of the love story and the joining together of the families.”

Sarah & Breiffni headed to Italy for their honeymoon, “We stayed in Florence and travelled in the region for 10 days.”

Doesn't this wedding just make you smile! Thanks so much to Sarah & Breiffni for sharing the story behind their day, and of course to Martina California for capturing all the love!