Today's spectacularly chic real wedding is guaranteed to take your breath away. Lee and Ro said 'I do' in the heart of Dublin city and their summer celebration was loaded with personality and steal-worthy accents. Planned and styled by the couple, their love for 70s and 80s American culture informed everything from their phenomenal outfits to the romantic music and playful favours. They also infused their joy-filled day with classic accents including red roses and an absolutely darling kitschy wedding cake.
The couple exchanged vows in a beautiful humanist ceremony at Smock Alley surrounded by 52 of their favourite people. After tying the knot the couple swung by the Heartbreak Social Club tattoo parlour on Drury Street for an epic photoshoot and they held their reception at the award-winning restaurant venue Marco Pierre White in Donnybrook. Captured with artful flair by editorial wedding photographer Anouska Proetta Brandon of Love Story by Anouska, prepare to be swept away with their unique celebration loaded with heart.
So let's get to know our fabulous couple first. They both hail from Dublin, Lee is from Tallaght and Ro is from Palmerstown and they live in Rialto. They met after Lee commented on a video Ro had posted of his dog Iggy on Instagram. They got chatting and sparks flew instantly, Ro asked Lee out for a drink and the rest is history!
LA is one of their favourite places and that is where Ro popped the question. They reflect, "It was supposed to be on Lee's birthday but we went out the night before and were drunk and having great craic in the hotel room and the time felt right to Ro so he did it then and there at about 3am after many cocktails. We were very hungover for Lee's bday, the proposal definitely wouldn't have been as fun so was the right decision in the end."
They chose an utterly unique location to tie the knot, Smock Alley. Built in 1662 as Ireland’s first Theatre Royal, the building was recreated as a Catholic Church in 1811 and it is full of ornate features making it an awe-inspiring backdrop to exchange vows. The venue had the perfect church feel that they wanted for their humanist wedding and they fell in love with the bright and beautiful interiors.
They selected a vintage Bentley S3 from Cassidy Chauffeurs as their wedding car and the dusky pink and wine colour palette complemented their flowers perfectly.
They were surrounded by love as they celebrated with all their cherished people but one VIP guest who was absent but very much there in spirit was their beloved pooch Iggy. "He was not part of the day unfortunately as he gets extremely over excited around people and is very chaotic so we had to have someone look after him for the day. He is a massively important as it's really because of him that we are together and we love him to bits."
One of Ro's most cherished memories is seeing his breathtaking bride walking down the aisle towards him to the iconic ballad November Rain by Guns N' Roses.
The couple's top priority was that their celebration was full of joy and that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as possible. "The feeling of marrying the person you love, standing at the altar was such a surreal and amazing moment we'll never forget," they reminisce.
They included timeless and romantic rituals in their ceremony such as a ring warming ritual and a handfasting ceremony.
For their readings they chose Wedding Song by Bob Dylan and Just to be Beside You is Enough by Irish poet Gabriel Fitzmaurice which is a thoroughly sweet poem celebrating the joy of long-term love.
The ceremony songs included Sea of Love by Cat Power and Soul Love by David Bowie while Lee and Ro walked down the aisle into married life to Love Fool by The Cardigan from one of her favourite films Romeo and Juliet.
"We wanted our wedding to be as fun as possible, no stuffiness, no endless speeches, no strict dress code," they explain. "Just a room full of people close to us enjoying the day, laughing, dancing and sharing all the love on the best day of our lives. It was great craic start to finish."
The flowers curated by La Luna Floral Studio married classic red and blush pink roses with sprays of delicate pink baby's breath.
The aesthetic of their celebration was a mix of elements they like visually, "We do like American culture from the 70s and 80s which was the inspo for the wedding outfits, music and party favours and but we also love classic ideas like red roses, old school cake and big church windows for the ceremony etc. We were both on the same page when it came to pretty much everything which really helped. We enjoyed putting it all together."
Their photoshoot in the Heartbreak Social Club was off-the-charts chic. "A special mention to Anouska, Drew and Aine who captured the whole day, they were unreal."
Lee was a bombshell bride in a creation by Khirzad Femme, the Australian label helmed by Nilofar Khirzad who specialises in bold and decadent bridal and occasionwear. Her lustrous silk ensemble included a corset blouse with exaggerated sleeves and her accessories featured uber-pretty pearl platforms by Azalea Wang. She opted for a timeless Old Hollywood makeup look with a textured up do with waved bangs. So fabulous!
Ro's outfit was unquestionably full of style and personality! He embraced colour with his vintage pale blue suit which he bought on eBay and he had it tailored to perfection at Paul Henry Tailoring. He also wore a textured white shirt, a satin western bowtie encrusted with pearls and crystals and cowboy boots.
Their top tip for engaged couples is to plan the celebration the way they want it. "Try to enjoy the planning and don't look at it as a chore and don't sweat the small stuff."
They held their reception at the stylish eatery Marco Pierre White in Donnybrook. "It was perfect, it had different areas that people could hang out and the look and aesthetic felt perfect, big enough for everyone but still cute and cosy feeling. All the staff involved in the two venues were absolutely brilliant too, just made the day easy to enjoy."
Every detail was lovingly curated by the couple which included their wedding favours of poker chips, matches and margherita cans.
Their pale pink Lambeth vintage-inspired wedding cake which was adorned with chic swags and red cherries was absolutely drool-worthy.
The heartfelt speeches flowed during their candlelit reception and later the newlyweds shared their first dance to The Dark End of the Street by The Commitments.
The newlyweds celebrated with an epic two-week honeymoon in the States. They did four nights in Vegas and they stayed at The Venetian and they got married again in the Sure Thing Chapel by Hellvis. "Vegas was as crazy as you expect and the hotel was unreal, definitely a place you need to visit once in your life, Hellvis was the highlight for sure." Then they flew to San Francisco for three nights where they checked into the Inn San Francisco. "San Fran is lovely, the houses are incredible, you'd spend days just walking around looking at them. Mission District, Castro and Haight Ashbury were great for food, drink, shops and strolling around."
Then they rented a pick up truck to drive to San Luis Obispo, making a pit-stop in Santa Cruz for lunch. They stayed at the world-renowned Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo for two days which was "an experience in itself" and a place they recommend everyone to stay in at least one. They drove to LA stopping in Santa Barbara for lunch on the way. "The drive was amazing, we loved the surroundings on our trip from San Fran to LA. Definitely recommend a road trip in California to anyone." They finished off their unforgettable adventure by staying at the Short Stories Hotel in LA for four nights before flying home. "LA is one of our favourite places anyway so we always enjoy when we go, Ro has some family there so it's nice to catch up and the Short Stories hotel was lovely."
We want to say a huge congratulations and thank you to our lovely couple Lee and Ro for sharing their ultra-chic Dublin City wedding with One Fab Day! A very special thank you also to Anouska Proetta Brandon of Love Story by Anouska for the sublime photos, you can see even more in the gallery below.
Getting married in the city? Check out more City Weddings and our Pinterest for inspiration!
