Planning a city celebration? With an abundance of glitz and glamour, Alex and and Leanne’s modern-day fairytale wedding in Dublin City is all the inspiration you’ll need. From the romantic ceremony at the historic Dublin City Hall and a pretty in pink palette, to our two stylish brides dressed in epic individual bridal looks, every last detail is done to the nines.
“Casual, mystical, and intimate” was the vision for this pair, and boy, did they nail it. With the help of fabulous florals, a jaw-dropping pink wedding dress and the sweetest sentimental details, their Dublin City wedding celebration turned out equal parts ethereal and romantic. You can feel the love and joy of the day bursting through the imagery captured by This Modern Love, see every magical moment inside their day below.
First things first, let’s get to know our lovely brides a little better shall we? Both hailing from Dublin, Alex and Leanne met on a dating app. The pair fills us in, “We met on the apps (as everyone does these days!) during covid while everything was closed. We spent our first date getting numerous coffees & going for long strolls in St. Stephen’s Green and the Iveagh Gardens, as it was our only option! The endless chats gave us a sign that this was something special.”
That something special grew into something really special and the couple got engaged while on a staycation in Cavan. “We got engaged in Cabu By The Lakes in Cavan last July, a place that is dear to our heart. Leanne sent a box of decorations to them before we arrived and while we were relaxing in the hot
tubs, the amazing Cabu staff decorated our cabin. We arrived back at the cabin and Leanne proposed.”
Alex’s uncle Eoin kindly lent the couple his classic Porsche 911 as their ‘something borrowed’ and the pair drove to their city ceremony in style in Leanne’s dream car.
How sweet! But wait, it gets even sweeter! Alex cried so much upon seeing the decorations, and suddenly knew what was about to happen, that Leanne had to prompt Alex to actually answer the question. Alex had collected Leanne’s ring that week, brought it along just in case a moment arose and she proposed right back! “It was a very magical and emotional weekend.”
Once engaged, the couple began planning a wedding for 50 of their nearest and dearest in their hometown of Dublin with a vision for a relaxed and intimate day. “Our goal was for everyone to be able to relax fully and enjoy the day surrounded by plenty of bubbles and delicious food. The vibe was casual, mystical, and intimate.”
“We also wanted a day that we could enjoy and spend time with the people that we love and more importantly, each other. It was important for us not to have to ‘work the room’ and we knew this meant an intimate, yet relaxed day.”
And the perfect venues for their relaxed and intimate celebration? Dublin City Hall and FIRE Steakhouse Restaurant & Bar on Dawson Street. “Leanne always wanted to get married in City Hall, and after we visited a few venues and knew that they just were not us, we decided that it had to be City Hall and picked one of the three days that they had available! (We only got around to planning in January of this year!) City Hall was even more beautiful than we imagined and everyone we dealt with throughout
the process made our experience so easy and enjoyable. For the dinner, we’re lucky to know Richie Wilson from Fire and Sole well. We had full trust in him and his team, and they went above beyond on the day, it was nothing short of a 5* experience for ourselves and our guests.”
The ceremony took place in the timeless city treasure that is Dublin City Hall. Vintage Rose Company added colour to the ceremony space by way of subtle pastels and pops of hot pink. The Dublin String Quartet played Dreams by The Cranberries as the two brides made their way up the aisle.
The service was lighthearted and sentimental with the couple exchanging personal vows and bespoke wedding rings. “We worked individually with Ciara in Bespoke Diamonds to design and make our
engagement rings and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences throughout the whole
process. Ciara is a star!”.
The couple also choose to have a handfasting ceremony ritual with some incredibly special fabric fabric used to bind their hands. “Both of our fathers have passed away, which we knew would play a large role in the day. Emer, our Humanist Celebrant, suggested a handfasting ceremony using both of our fathers
ties, which was a very special moment for us.”
The newlyweds made their way down the aisle to Dancing Queen by Abba. Now that’s an epic recessional song for sure!
After the I dos, Alex and Leanne joined their guests for cocktail hour amidst cheers and outpourings of love for the pair.
The Dublin String Quartet also played some of the couple’s favourite pop and rock music throughout the
ceremony and drinks reception in City Hall.
For their summer wedding, the brides both choose unique looks outside of the typical bridal boutiques. Embroidered with hummingbirds and delicately scattered with shimmering sequins, Alex donned the epic sequined Petal Gown by Temperly London, while Leanne rocked a slick white pant suit from Reiss.
Alex completed her wedding day look with a handmade gold headband by Precius Pearls, pink metallic Christian Louboutin heels and a hot pink pearl bag by Shrimps, while Leanne’s look was finished with jewels by Rachel Jackson and One Dame Lane, patent loafers from Jimmy Choo and a classic
“We both have individual styles and wanted to feel comfortable and ourselves on the day. It was really important to us that we could get outfits that we could wear again and not pack into a box for the next 50 years. We went with our gut on the theme and colours of the day and trusted our experienced vendors, such as Susan from the Vintage Rose Company, to choose the theme and colours for the flowers.”
Bridesmaids complemented both brides well in outfits from ASOS, while flower girl Lexie and ring bearer Hannah looked darling in looks from JJs House.
“Tim, our photographer, was exceptional on the day and the pictures turned out better than we
imagined. We especially appreciate how the photos captured the feeling of the day as it is a
complete blur now and it’s nice to see how happy we were in the moment.”
At the reception at FIRE Steakhouse Restaurant & Bar on Dawson Street, a wonderful surprise awaited the couple in the form of handmade wedding favours. “Alex’s sister Sophie surprised us, learnt how to use a sewing machine for the occasion & made beautiful embroidered napkins to mark the occasion, customized for each guest.”
After swooning over all the details from their gorgeous celebration we wanted to know what tips they would have for couples planning their wedding day. “Ensure that you have one person who has the vision and another person who is the executor. Luckily it worked that way for us! And try to ignore all the voices and do it your way, you won’t regret it.”
The couple choose not have a first dance, and instead relaxed into the festivities of the evening before cutting their delicious two-tier wedding cake from Camerino Bakery.
After the celebrations the newly weds headed off on a minimoon to the Canary Islands. “We went on a mini moon to Princess Yaiza in Lanzarote and we are in the midst of planning something further afield next year.”
We want to say a huge congratulations and thank you to our lovely couple Leanne & Alex for sharing their joyful Dublin City wedding with One Fab Day! A very special thank you also to This Modern Love for the wonderful 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!