So... where to start with today's real wedding? It's an incredible honour and privilege to be sharing this with you all, because today's wedding is when One Fab Day team member Joanna tied the knot with Michael. Joanna was our second intern at One Fab Day, and was one of the founding members of the […]

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So... where to start with today's real wedding? It's an incredible honour and privilege to be sharing this with you all, because today's wedding is when One Fab Day team member Joanna tied the knot with Michael. Joanna was our second intern at One Fab Day, and was one of the founding members of the fab team of lovely ladies, she left us for a while to explore the exciting world of food styling and youtubing and loads of other things she can tell you about some day, and has just recently returned as our Marketing Manager. So you see she's very special to us all. Michael is her soulmate and they adore each other, their wedding is a joy from beginning to end, full of special moments captured beautifully by the very talented Peter Carvill. It's the perfect wedding to kick off Winter Wedding Week on One Fab Day and we're honoured... Hope you enjoy this as much as we do...

Beautiful Winter Wedding at Smock Alley Theatre, Styled by Sweet Pea and Violet and Captured by Peter Carvill Photography | see the rest of this wedding on onefabday.com

Joanna and Michael are together as long as anyone can remember, literally growing up together, but as Joanna explains there was a very romantic first date to begin it all... "We met 13 years ago during the Junior Cert! After a summer of teenage texting (remember running out of credit texting your crush?) we went on our first date on August 17th to see I, Robot and that was it. Michael has been by my side through Junior and Leaving Cert results, college applications and exams, grandparents passing away, the sudden death of my Mam when I was 22, my Dad remarrying, internships, jobs and everything else you can imagine that comes your way when you grow up together. He’s my rock."

Joanna and Michael are such a rock solid couple, and so settled together, it was just a given they would get married, the burning question for many people was when? But if the term unflappable describes anyone, it's Michael. He wasn't going to be pushed, and knew when he was ready, he would be able to surprise Joanna, despite all the chatter from family and friends over the years... "To say Michael was under pressure to propose is the biggest understatement! We got to 10 years together and planned a trip to Bali. EVERYONE thought he would do it on that trip, but I knew he would do it in his own time. Michael is quiet and calm, no bells and whistles, which is exactly how he proposed two years later on his birthday. We were at home in the house that we bought that day one year previously, and he just popped the question in our hall when I was putting on my coat to get the bus into town. It was exactly how I knew he’d do it, and I wouldn’t change a thing – except that he was so casual about it I thought he said it by accident!"

But once the ring was on her finger, Joanna entered full "planning mode", after all this is a lady who'd worked at a wedding blog for two years, and in food styling since then, she knew the industry inside out and had a very clear idea about what kind of celebration would she and Michael would enjoy. So the countdown began - 3 months until the wedding!

Winter Wedding by Peter Carvill Photography 34

So bear that in mind when you see the rest of this wedding, that if you're organised and clear about what you want to achieve, and pick the right team of professionals, three months is enough time to create the most beautiful of celebrations. And that's what Joanna wanted for their wedding, her ideal was "a celebration of what is important to us – touches of each of our personalities scattered throughout the day from the décor to the dinner menu. If we wouldn’t use it in our normal life, I didn’t want to pretend on our wedding day." So the priorities were set by Michael and Joanna together - the budget, what they wanted to spend most on, what they were not bothered by, and Joanna organised her dream team to make it all come alive.

In all of the excitement and celebration, one very important person was missing for Joanna - her beloved Mam. This was one very, very special lady. She was the heart of the Carley family and her community, someone whom everyone loved, and even for those who never had the honour of meeting her, she's a presence and a light. For Joanna, she was simply the best Mam in the world. So the wedding was going to be a emotional balancing act, bittersweet and joyous, but Joanna knew how she was going to manage it... "We wanted everyone to be cosy, comfortable and happy and to thank everyone who was there for being such an important part in our life. I also wanted to include my Mam’s memory but in a way she would be proud of. I know she would have been annoyed if I made a martyr out of her, so I included her in little ways that most people wouldn’t even know. I wore her dressing gown getting ready, I went to the ceremony in a VW Beetle as it was the car she drove, and we served chocolate as the dessert, as she was a chocoholic!"

And there's the man himself - Pops Carley - the legend who is Joanna's Dad. If you ever meet Bob, make sure to stop him for a chat. I guarantee it will be worth it!

So the wedding was planned in three months, but it was far from a "beef or salmon" affair, in fact that was precisely what Joanna wanted to avoid "I really didn’t want it to be an ‘off the rack’ wedding. We actually had three venues - Smock Alley, Bison Bar and Drury Buildings. It was a little insane but all worked out in the end...

"I had always loved Smock Alley. I remember thinking it was such a unique venue, modern but steeped in history and I loved that you could make the day your own! We knew we wanted a city wedding, and I couldn’t believe they had the date free with just three months notice. It was meant to be! We wanted to both the ceremony and dinner there but that meant hosting 80 guests somewhere while Karen worked her magic swapping the room from ceremony to dinner...

Joanna's Dad organised a special surprise for her, and only told her as they were coming up to Smock Alley - she was a bit worried as Pops Carley has a penchant for the wonderfully crazy - but this was just plain wonderful. He'd heard a busker on Grafton St two days before and asked him to come and play a selection of the ceremony music outside the venue while the guests were arriving... Joanna was blown away!

The ceremony was held in Smock Alley to catch the last of the winter light through those gorgeous stained glass windows, with a truly personal ceremony a family friend and my uncle performed the ceremony making it so beautiful and personal. My brother in law and his sisters did the music which people still talk about. Our siblings performed readings as a surprise which was so emotional to hear what they chose for us."

"Friends and family truly made the day what it was. My cousin designed our stationery, a friend of the family supplied the Vintage Beetle. We're so grateful to them all..."

Because the couple and guests were dining in Smock Alley later, everyone had to be ushered somewhere while the room was reset by Karen and Carmel..."We chose Bison Bar just down the road for the drinks reception, where the team were great, Dee in particular, was an absolute hero. She went above and beyond to make a tricky enough part of the day run so smoothly."

While the guests were in Bison Bar and the guys were popping confetti cannons on Capel Street bridge, our own Karen Louise and her partner Carmel were transforming the venue into "the most beautiful setting that blew my pinterest boards out of the water." Karen and Carmel have a newly-established styling venture called Sweet Pea and Violet, capable of creating magic as you can see...

Working in food styling for the last couple of years, and with a whole host of foodies invited, it's understandable that what was being served was of utmost importance to Joanna and Michael, so they called on someone they could trust implicitly to do a phenomenal job... " Our friend Kevin of Gruel Guerilla looked after the catering and did every single thing to perfection including making doughnuts from scratch an hour before the dinner to ensure maximum freshness! He did the most amazing dessert table that featured recipes that had meaning to us. My grandma's pavlova, doughnuts for my dad, Rice Krispie treats for Michael as they are his favourite etc. It was insane!" Insanely delish!

So to the question we ask every couple... what advice do you have for others planning their weddings? "I know it sounds silly but a million times throughout the planning (and especially because we did it in 4 months ) you have to remember it’s a day for you as a couple. You get caught up in keeping everyone happy with dates, venues, choice of menu etc that from time to time you need to think –‘what do WE want!?’ The elements which lots of people told us not to do are what people commented on most. Also relax. It’s the most fun day ever and if you spend any of it worrying, you’ll regret it. Things go wrong, timelines change but at the end of the day none of it matters!"

After the dinner (Smock Alley closes at 11pm!) we walked through the city to The Drury Buildings where we danced, drank and ate the night away!

Joanna and Michael haven't yet gone on "big honeymoon" - as she explains "no time to do both in 4 months but we did go to the Christmas markets in Germany for 3 lovely nights and it was the perfect way to wind down after the wedding and get into the festive spirit! "

Huge Congratulations to Joanna and Michael - can't believe that all came together in just three months - what a whirlwind, but what a day it produced! Much love for your life together. And a big thanks to the super Peter Carvill for sharing his gorgeous images with us all.