Get ready for an unforgettable real wedding packed to the brim with joyful hues, music, love, and fun. We simply can stop swooning over Clare and Alex's wedding at Limepark. Music is a huge part of their lives as they are both musicians and they play in a band together. They wanted their wedding to feel like a mini festival and their creative friends and family helped them shape a celebration that was personal, special, intimate, and absolutely unique to them.

The nature lovers wed on a gloriously sunny day surrounded by 85 of their nearest and dearest. Wonderfully captured by Mark Barton Photography their day of joy included a celestial wedding dress that will leave you starry-eyed, bright blooms, a glorious garden ceremony brimming with sweet rituals, gorgeous personal touches, an adorable cake, and much more. Let's get going!

Our bride Clare is from Belfast and our groom Alex is from Glasgow. They fill us in on their love story, "During lockdown Clare started learning to garden in a little patch of grass outside her flat. Through this she slowly started meeting her neighbours. Alex started coming over to hang out in the garden with his friends Cammy and Cara - who lived in the same tenement in Glasgow. With nowhere to go, the four of us started hanging out in the garden shared by the flats - playing card games, building campfires, playing music. We slowly became friends and a few months later started secretly dating - well we still couldn’t go anywhere."

Clare’s dear friend Freya did her makeup for the day and the laughs were never-ending.

Their engagement story is so romantic, they were in Norway to see the Northern Lights and Alex was carrying the ring in the camera bag the whole time waiting for the right opportunity to propose! "After a week we went to Tromsø and had a lovely day drinking hot chocolates and looking at some shops. We then took the Fjellheisen (cable car) up to the top of the Storsteinen mountain, which overlooked the beautiful city. The sun was setting, so it seemed like the perfect setting! The mountain was covered in snow, we had loads of fun playing in it. Alex started to go quiet and didn’t want to move anywhere with people nearby... Acting very strange so he was… He kept clinging onto Clare’s shoulders saying, 'I love you'."

They continue, "After about 20 minutes of this tomfoolery, Clare realised that maybe he was trying to propose, given that the ring had arrived in January and it was now October. To help him propose she said, 'I love you too, we’re going to have a great life together’, Alex said, ‘Which is why i want to ask you…', he then collapsed onto one knee and asked, 'Will you marry me?' Clare had missed it but looked down to see Alex with the ring. She then collapsed onto her knee and asked Alex to ask her again and she said, 'Yes'. They had a wee cry, had a drink in the restaurant on the top of the mountain and went to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner."

Clare and Alex wanted the aesthetic to be colourful, happy and earthy which is why they opted for wonderfully vibrant flowers. They reflect, "We didn’t think about the aesthetic too deeply – we just focused on choosing things we really liked and trusted that the aesthetic would come together around us. We have similar tastes and we knew the venue was beautiful so we just filled the day with people and things we like – trusting it would pull together into something coherent – and it did."

"We love wildflowers, mushrooms, trees, and generally being outside together so we really wanted to get married outside," they share. The couple tied the knot in a sun-soaked ceremony in the picturesque garden with flowers in pots lining the aisle.

Her two bridesmaids, her sister Ciara and friend Freya, made her entrance even more special as they sang Keep Coming Back by Gareth Dunlop and Kim Ritchey as she walked up the aisle. Her sister Ciara also sang Two Origuitas by Sebastián Yatra during the registrar.

Clare and Alex's moving ceremony included a handfasting which is a symbolic unity ritual. A couple stands face to face as their hands are tied together and they can recite words that express your commitment to one another. They opted for colourful ribbons which fit the joyous vibe of their celebration perfectly.

"We loved all of our ceremony and Gemma Hutton our celebrant, was fantastic. She crafted a ceremony which included all of the elements we wanted, including the ring warming, handfasting and sharing a drink of whiskey in the Quaich (also handcrafted by our friends Jenny and Anto at The Dribbly Yak). Thanks to her, the ceremony felt like it really represented us and that we were really connected to the people who were there to celebrate with us."

The couple first viewed Limepark in the middle of a storm and they still adored it. "As soon as we saw it we wanted to get married there. It is in a beautiful rural location, it has gorgeous grounds full of trees, wildflower and gardens to get lost in and it had quaint cottages for some of our guests to sleep in. They were really friendly and easy to work with and made us feel immediately at ease. They were also incredibly organised and professional so once we had decided how we wanted the day to go – we could just relax and enjoy ourselves while they guided us through all the different elements. We also knew other people who had got married there and they highly recommended it."

From the beginning of their wedding planning journey they were focused on how the day would feel rather than how it would look. "The most important thing for us was that we felt relaxed, confident and happy and that our guests had lots of fun."

 Their celebration included Colin the Caterpillar cakes from M&S!

They love going to music festivals and they wanted to emulate that feeling with different musicians playing throughout the day, their friends even made a 10-piece band and played for an hour which included a brass section to open up the evenings dancing and they played songs that were important to the newlyweds and to their families.

Ensuring the food was plentiful and tasty was another priority and their bash included great lawn games, plenty of dancing and oodles of glitter for an added dash of magical sparkle.

Their reception styling exuded rustic romance with the backdrop behind the main table including colourful pinwheels, bunting and photos of the couple through the years with their loved ones.

Flowers were a central focus of their spring wedding. The ceremony flowers, venue blooms and bridesmaid bouquets were from Hilltop Flowers and then were beautifully arranged by Clare’s mum and aunty. The mother of the bride also put together the flower displays on the tables.

Alex choose his kilt in memory of his beloved grandfather and he even choose the weave that related to his name. What a gorgeous tribute!

Clare fell in love with the glittery moon and stars on her White April celestial gown. The sparkling wedding dress shone resplendently in the spring sunlight, she dazzled every moment of her happiest day. Later, the bride changed into floral embroidered Converse!

Clare wanted her bridesmaids to chose their own dresses that made them feel the most confident and the groomsmen wore their own kilts. Guests were asked to wear whatever made them feel comfortable and happy on the day.

The couple has wonderful wedding planning advice for engaged couples. "Don’t feel under pressure to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Some of the decisions we made were not understood until the day when people saw it all come together. Keep it simple: We kept asking ourselves – do we like it? Do we want it to be incorporated it our day? Decisions can be as simple as that if you let them. Give friends and family members you trust jobs and responsibilities or ask for their help. Don’t feel under pressure to give them jobs and responsibilities if it will cause you more stress! Concentrate on how you and your partner want to feel on your day, they say If you and your guests are relaxed and happy, everything will fall into place and it will look great."

Alex’s dad made homemade tablet for everyone while Alex’s mum and stepdad brought a photobooth which went down a storm with their guests. Their friends made them a fabulous Super 8 video packed with unforgettable moments that they can cherish forever.

Their first dance song was High by Lighthouse Family.

This was followed by Saturday Night by Whigfield. "We spent many Saturday nights dancing to these songs during lockdown in the garden and they definitely played a big part in us falling in love."

A huge congratulations to Clare and Alex! A very special thank you to our wonderful couple and Mark Barton for sharing today's magical celebration with One Fab Day!