Our real wedding couple Michaela and Cathal tied the knot on the cusp of a new year with 200 of their loved ones joining them to celebrate at The Address Cork. Their Christmas wedding was loaded with phenomenal style from Michaela’s custom wedding dress which had a sweet connection to her beloved grandmother, to the black bridesmaids dresses, the romantic all-white flowers and even the wedding favours with a gorgeous festive twist. Without further ado, let the swooning commence as you check out the fabulously lensed photos from Shane O’Sullivan of SOSAC Photography.

So getting to know our real wedding couple is as good a place to begin as any. They’re from Dublin and today they call Glasgow in Scotland home. We adore the story of how they met, Michaela did the honours of filling us in. “We grew up five minutes from each other but met 10 years ago in Shannon College on the first day. We started dating three days into our course.”

Location, location, location was certainly a factor when Cathal popped the question. Michaela explains, “He proposed to me in New York where we have spent such important times in our lives. We actually did long distance there for a year when I was in London and he was in NYC. He proposed at midnight in Central Park after going to see Hamilton to which he fell asleep in. I was completely shocked and it was always how I wanted it.”

When it came to their priorities for their big day, they wanted it to be all about great music, serious fun and incredible locally sourced Irish food. “We wanted a celebration of love and laughter with family and friends. I loved that we were ourselves throughout the whole day and felt entirely in a bubble of love.”

The couple exchanged vows in St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church and held their reception in The Address Cork, a venue which is very close to their hearts. “It was one of our first ‘holidays’ together. They made all of our dreams come to life. The hotel is out of this world and so perfect for a wedding.”

The couple wanted a classical celebration with a black and white theme featuring glints of gold. Michaela arrived to the church in serious style, in a vintage wedding car. Our jaws dropped when we saw Michaela’s wedding dress which was a custom French lace gown with a high neck, long sleeves and a fit and flare silhouette by Niamh Lynch of Bespoke Bridal.

“I always knew the design of my dress from when I was a teenager,” Michaela says. “My nana used to be a dress maker and specialised in lace, I have always been obsessed with lace. The lace was very personable and had so much emotion. The whole process took over a year and after one meeting with Niamh, she had sketched the dress of my dreams. She made the whole process so easy. I never worried about anything.”

As for accessories, she wore her grandmother’s diamond cross on the sleeves of her dress and slipped into her dream wedding shoes, the Hangisi satin pumps in brown by Manolo Blahnik which are one of the most popular heels for brides. Her bridesmaids looked sublime in asymmetrical neckline black gowns with bow straps from Folkster.

“Cathal has a big family and wanted to have his brothers but also close friends from school and college. He originally wanted 12 groomsmen! I got him to seven,” Michaela says. The grooms party looked super slick in black tuxes. As for her bridal party, she explains, “It was easy choice for me as I am so fortunate to have such incredible women in my life from my family, school and college.”

Music played a key role in making their celebration utterly unforgettable. “We had so much of it. Music plays a huge part in both of our lives. One of my longest and closest friend sang me down the aisle. Cathal’s cousin who is an award-winning violinist played a piece for us in the church. It was so emotional and amazing.”

Michaela and her two close friends did a calligraphy course and ended up doing the place names together for the reception, how cool! “It was so special and I love the photos. We put photos of all our family and friends around the hotel it made everyone feel so at home.”

“Each guest received a white China ornament for the Christmas tree as a wedding favour. We wanted something subtle so every year they will remember our special day,” Michaela shares. Chocolate are always a foolproof wedding favour idea, and they ticked that box too.

“As a family we love Lily O’Brien’s chocolates and wanted to support Ireland so everyone got chocolates on the table. We also left handwritten notes with chocolates in each room for all of our guests staying.” Reflecting on their dream day at the four-star hotel, she says, “The food and service was incredible. We got so many compliments about the venue.”

They had a surprise up their sleeves for the guests after dinner with a drumming troupe and Irish dancers. For their first dance song, the couple chose a slow version of I’m Gonna Be by The Proclaimers which progressively got livelier. “We had our Day Two for New Year’s and it was another party with a guitarist, band and DJ. This was so much fun!”

Their top tips for couples planning their big day? “Be yourselves, have time for each other and be kind. Also do not care about other people’s comments or views.” The couple basked in the sunshine as they honeymooned in Thailand for three weeks before heading to Dubai.

A huge congratulations to Michaela and Cathal and thank you for sharing your magical city wedding with One Fab Day. A special thanks Shane O’Sullivan of SOSAC Photography for the exceptional images, you can see even more in the gallery below.

Tying the knot? Get Inspired with even more Irish Real Weddings!