Today's real wedding is taking us to The Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare for Máire and Aiden's gorgeous summer wedding celebration. This pair were clear from the outset that they wanted a destination wedding in Ireland that was fun, relaxed and all about their guests, while still indulging in a little bit of glamour! Well, we think they nailed it! But according to Máire & Aiden, the secret to the success of their dreamy day was the help they got from friends and family members, who helped organise various elements, performed music, conducted the ceremony, and completed countless other tasks in the run up to the big day! There to capture the wedding, and all its beautiful moments, was the wonderful Livia Figueiredo Photography.

Máire & Aiden originally hail from from Kerry and Clare respectively, but are currently based in Christchurch, New Zealand. We get the lowdown from Máire on how they met, "We met in Ennis in 2009. We had just finished college and were both taking a CELTA course. We didn't know each other before then, but it turned out I knew Aiden's best friend. An early seal of approval from him probably helped! He was one of the best men on our wedding day. We spent a few years teaching English in Daegu, South Korea, and moved to New Zealand in 2014, where we have lived since."

Aiden popped the question on Máire's 30th birthday, "We hiked to a beautiful waterfall about an hour outside of Christchurch. Aiden proposed at the foot of Washpen Falls, and we had a party with our friends the evening after. My birthday is December 22nd so we celebrated our engagement, my birthday and Christmas all together."

For this couple, the whole objective of their wedding was to bring their two families together for a relaxed celebration on home soil. "Our wedding was a pretty relaxed affair, a celebration with our family and friends."

Their priorities from the beginning were making their guests comfortable and serving great food! "Being honest, budget was a big factor for us. We had the added expense of flights and taking five weeks off work while still paying rent, but we desperately wanted to give our guests good food and a good party. We tried to be realistic about where we could keep costs down, so our groomsmen wore their own suits, we didn't have a band or videographer and I bought a secondhand dress (admittedly it had never been worn). This meant we could pick a venue known for its good food and a great photographer!"

Máire & Aiden really wanted to maximise the time they had with the people they love, so they opted to have a first look and have their bridal party portraits taken before their ceremony with their photographer Livia Figueiredo, who the couple highly recommend. "Livia was without a doubt, the best investment we made! The photographs were truly beautiful and Livia was the perfect mix of professional and fun on the day."

Máire's dreamy dress is by Charlie Brear which she found on stillwhite.com. She accessorised her look with Jimmy Choo shoes borrowed from her mum, earrings borrowed from her sister, and the headpiece was an ASOS find. We admire her thriftiness! 

Máire tells us that she and Aiden loved every minute of their wedding ceremony, which was conducted by their good friend, Micheal. "Neither of us are traditional so initially, we weren't sure what we would do, ceremony-wise. We always knew that we wanted to have two celebrations, one in Ireland and one in NZ. We decided to have a symbolic ceremony in Ireland and our priority was for that ceremony to be short and personal. We were lucky enough to have our friend Mich act as a celebrant for us."

She adds, "With pretty much no direction from us (we were both fairly relaxed about it), he did an amazing job! It was really personal, with a great balance of humour and sincerity. Our guests still talk about how lovely the ceremony was."

The Dunraven Arms Hotel turned out to be the perfect setting for this couple's celebration. When asked what made it 'The One', Máire says  "A few things, but the food, garden, ballroom and the initial communication were the standouts."

Planning a wedding far from home is no easy task, and Máire & Aiden tell us they stuck gold with fantastic suppliers and helpful family and friends. "All of our suppliers were great, keep in mind that most of our contact was by email, generally at mad hours of the day (pesky timezones!) and still our flowers, makeup, hair, photographs and the hotel were all perfect!"

She also adds, "We'd also have to say here that we had an amazing amount of help from our friends and families to pull everything together. Our bridal party went above and beyond - from hen and stag parties to making covers for our readings, we probably wouldn't have had a wedding day without them! Aiden's Mam organised an amazing cake for us. My Dad organised the printing, my Mam and Aunt met the florist in the morning and organised table centers. Our friends, Peter and Sarah, sorted the sound system, Aiden's cousin, Tomo, provied the ceremony music, and another friend, Cathal, looked after the playlist. My brother made up our NZ and Ireland snack baskets. The list is honestly endless!" 

After exchanging vows in a lush garden ceremony, the couple and their guests then retreated indoors for a revelrous dinner reception in the elegant ballroom.

Now that's our kinda midnight munchies basket!

Máire & Aiden's advice to engaged couples is to, "think about what is most important to you and go with that. There are so many traditions and expectations around weddings, but you don't have to feel pressured to follow all of them. Do what makes you happy. My final piece of advice, consider doing a first look. It gives you an amazing moment together as a couple beforehand, but also gives you so much more time to be with your guests at the ceremony."

For their honeymoon, Máire & Aiden had a minimoon in Killarney before heading back to NZ. "Aiden is originally from Tralee, so he was delighted to be back on home ground! We would definitely recommend it!"

We've got to say a huge thank you to Máire & Aiden for sharing their beautiful wedding day with us, and to Livia Figueiredo Photography for providing the incredible photographs.