We have such a treat for you with today's magical and wonderfully unique real wedding, our fabulous couple Lisa and Keith marched to the beat of their own drum. They fell in love with The Station House Hotel in Co. Meath for its scenic surrounds, beautiful food and fascinating history as it is a former train station. Keith is a transport planner who loves trains so it was the cherry on top, and meant to be!

Their dream day was bursting with colour and all about fun. It was full of nerdy in-jokes and brimming with gorgeous hand-made touches from the bride, groom and their loved ones. The bride brought a vintage twist with her jaw-dropping ensemble. There is so much to swoon over, we know you'll love poring over the absolutely beautiful images from wife and husband team Susan and John of Susan Jefferies Photography. Let's go!

So let's get to know our wonderful couple. They met at swing dancing classes and quickly became firm friends before they started dating a year later.

They didn't opt for a traditional proposal. They explain, "We were saving up for a house and, during a casual conversation over lunch one day, decided that once we had the house and were settled in, it would be sensible to get married. So unromantic! Covid delayed things a bit but we eventually got the house and about a year after we moved in we started wedding planning. We kept it quiet until then because we knew it would be years before we were in a position to organise a wedding. So, we only told our immediate family we were getting married when we started planning, and our friends only found out when we sent them the save the date. That got some hilarious reactions!"

For the couple it was important that their celebration was really personal and reflected who they are as a couple and as individuals. "It would have been a lot less work to have a generic wedding, but wouldn’t have been as meaningful."

The bride wanted a beauty look that was "a little bit vintage and a little bit dramatic" and Fiona Harrison - The Makeup Studio aced the brief. Jacinta in Peter Marks created her beautiful curled up do. "She doesn’t usually do weddings but she made an exception for me as I’ve been a regular client of hers for years."

Dapper groom Keith wore a navy suit by Michael Barrie with a wildflower-patterned shirt from Paul Smith that perfectly complemented their floral-filled fete.

Excuse us, our jaws are on the floor. Lisa was a vintage dream in a true 1950s dress from Dirty Fabulous. "I knew I wanted 1950s and colourful, and I knew that Dirty Fabulous is one of the best places in Ireland for mid-century fashion. Kathy in Dirty Fab was a delight and I love my dress. It’s the perfect dress for twirling!" More on that later...

The Station House Hotel is located in the heart of the Boyne Valley Drive in the quaint village of Kilmessan. Nestled in 12 acres of its own private gardens it is a breathtaking location to the the knot with a truly enchanting outdoor ceremony space. The couple exchanged vows at The Turntable which is located in amongst the forest trees which is accessed by a magical path lit by festoon lights.

Lisa and her mother Pat arranged all of the flowers the day before the wedding and they brought an explosion of romantic colour to their ceremony. The couple had spent months scouring charity shops and car boot sales looking for the perfect vases and the end result was spectacular as they sparkled in the sunlight.

The bride twinkled with every step wearing gold crystal-encrusted heels by Steve Madden. Lisa designed and sewed her pretty tassel bag and she made one for her bridesmaid. She also made a hooded cape but she didn't need it in the end as they were blessed with glorious weather.

Their dear friend James was their celebrant and they spent hours together crafting the perfect structure and vibe for their ceremony. "He did a fantastic job. It was sincere, affectionate, but not solemn. There were lots of jokes and gentle teasing. We even snuck a Monty Python quote into our ceremony!"

The bride's ring is laced with sentimentality as it was originally worn by her great-aunt. When the ring box was opened, they played the treasure chest music from The Legend of Zelda video games.

One of the most emotional moments of the celebration came as Keith’s sisters read When I’m 64 by The Beatles. "Keith’s dad loved The Beatles, and he sadly passed away a few years ago, so it was a way to involve him."

The newlyweds walked down the aisle together to the theme song from Thomas the Tank Engine as a fun nod to their wedding venue.

They fill us in on their wedding venue journey, "When we went looking for our venue we had two main ideas in our heads. It had to be somewhere old, unusual and interesting. When we found The Station House Hotel we thought it was perfect. It’s so beautiful, both inside and out, the food was gorgeous and the ceremony area was utterly magical. It has fabulous outdoor spaces – a beautiful terrace and a fairytale wood. We got lucky with the weather on the day of the wedding; it was blazing sunshine and everyone loved being in the shade of the trees."

The food also had to be amazing, "We both love interesting food, and we have a lot of friends and family with dietary requirements who are also foodies, so we needed a venue that could cater to everyone, and still provide a meal that was above the ordinary." The Station House Hotel has won numerous culinary awards and accolades, it is a haven for foodies and it firmly fit the bill.

Their loved ones travelled from across the world to celebrate with them. "The most special for me was Orla, my bridesmaid, who came from New Zealand! We’ve been friends since we were three years old and she’s my ‘sister from another mister’. I’m so honoured that she travelled so far for me, especially considering that was recovering from a bad concussion at the time. The day would have been incomplete without her."

Lisa dreamt of a wedding day aesthetic that was colourful and a little dramatic that still complemented their scenic venue. "When one of my cousins asked me the dress code I told him to dress for a fabulous garden party! The entire wedding party (barring me) were wearing florals and it fit in so beautifully with the outdoor setting and the gorgeous, flower-covered dining room."

Specialising in natural and timeless wedding photography, the images by Susan Jefferies Photography are so full of happiness and love. "Susan and John really caught the vibe and the colour of the day."

Their top wedding planning tip is, "Make it about you. It’s your wedding, not anybody else’s. Forget tradition, and the clichés (unless you really like them). What’s going to make it feel like a celebration of the two of you? And don’t be afraid to get a bit silly with it!" They also advise couples not to try to do everything themselves. "While everything we did made the day so personal, we took on too much and were exhausted afterwards. I do wish we’d got a professional florist instead of doing all the flowers the day before the wedding."

We adore Keith's custom Converse which he had personalised with their wedding date and a love heart. So chic!

"I drew a fantasy map of the dining room layout, with some reluctant help from Keith," the bride highlights. "All the dining tables were named after fictional places from books, TV, movies and video games that we love."

The father of the bride, Len, drew the design for their invitations and then Lisa graphic designed everything. They turned his sweet etching of a little cat and dog into their logo which featured on their signs, place names and notes.

They had Lego figures for wedding favours because Keith is a big Lego fan. The groom spent months curating the perfect soundtrack to their happiest day. "The poor DJ didn’t get to do much, he just had to pick from our playlist of 100 songs."

After planning their epic celebration they didn't have the energy to organise a big honeymoon, so they spent two nights in the enchanting Kilronan Castle for their mini-moon. "It was perfect. The castle is absolutely stunning and the few days were incredibly relaxing."

Their ombre cake was flecked with edible gold and adorned with bright blooms. "It was as delicious as it was beautiful and perfectly fit our quirky, colourful vibe."

They held their first dance at The Turntable where they swing danced to Enchanted by Patrick Wolf. "We met at swing dancing classes, so that was appropriate, and we’ve been to several Patrick Wolf shows together over the years, so it had added meaning for us. There was even a pair of butterflies fluttering around the area during our dance! After the first dance, we played a couple more songs and got our friends and family up dancing with us. It was so lovely that it was difficult to persuade everyone back inside for the cake-cutting."

A huge congratulations and thank you to Lisa and Keith for sharing their super stylish Station House Hotel wedding with One Fab Day and to Susan Jefferies Photography for the utterly exquisite photos. You can see even more in the gallery below.

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