Karen is from Dublin and Niall is from Wexford and their beautiful wedding venue Borris House was the perfect half way meeting place for their families. Happy, vibrant and authentic, their summer celebration at the elegant Carlow venue will deliver the dreamiest dose of inspiration. We know you will be absolutely enchanted by their joy-soaked day which was captured to absolute perfection by Kheffache Studios. Let's check out all the magical details and prepare to swoon!

Karen and Niall met at a book club (that was as much a wine club!) that had been organised by their mutual friend which was "helped along slightly by online dating apps to make the connection soon after."

Their adorable cocker spaniel played a starring role in their proposal that took place in Phoenix Park which is close to Karen's home. "Our dog Marty had a bandana on saying 'Will you marry my dad?' when she turned around at one point on a Saturday walk next to the lake in the furry glen."

For Karen and Niall it was hugely important that they could relax on the big day and they wanted to be themselves. They wanted to spend time having fun with all their loved ones rather than being whisked away for photos or being too busy to enjoy the celebration.

They were surrounded by love as they were joined by 135 of their family and friends and having their dog Marty present made the day even more special.

They fell for the relaxed nature of Borris House instantly and the fact that they had the run of the house and grounds for the entire weekend made it an ideal choice. That coupled with the stunning grandeur of the venue itself, of course. "All the staff we met during an open day couldn’t have done more to make it a special place too!"

Mad About Flowers designed the colourful floral displays which brought the vibrant soul of the celebration to life.

Karen wore the sumptuous Jane Dress by Katherine Tash which she sourced at The White & Gold in Howth. She styled the satin face silk crepe gown with an ethereal 3D floral veil and champagne slingback Steve Madden heels with glittering brooches.

Previous weddings from Borris House that the couple discovered on the venue's Instagram page helped to shape their colour palette and overall aesthetic.

Caroline McNamara of Serendipity Celebrants curated an incredibly heartfelt ceremony for them. "Our celebrant Caroline spent a huge amount of time getting to know us, and met us a couple of times to learn our love story – she charted this out and gave everyone a run down throughout the ceremony – it made it extremely personal but also very special."

In a wonderfully touching moment their friend Killian Murphy played a song on guitar that he had written especially for the ceremony and it was their favourite piece of music from the whole day.

The couple planned and styled their summer fete themselves, they designed their own stationery and their DIY décor included a dreamy fabric drapery ceremony backdrop in muted earthy shades.

Exchanging wedding rings from Bespoke Diamonds, the couple cemented their forever.

"Your photographer and videographer are so so much more of an investment than for the photos and the video," Karen reflects. "They coordinate everything; our microphones wouldn’t work for the speeches the videographer had his equipment which was better, he sorted flawlessly. The photographer you spend a lot of time around them, make sure you like their personality (ours was utterly incredible, making gentle suggestions but never pulling us away from the party)."

Karen has so many wonderful words of wedding day wisdom to share. For example, on the logistics front she asks couples to find out if the venue has a back stairs. "How do you make sure no one sees the bride especially the groom. Designate a bridesmaid to champion this job. Car moving - tell everyone to leave their car keys if they park in your reception area/photograph area - designate brothers in law etc. for this job. Designate a bridesmaid to dry the flowers, these are dropped off the the getting ready area in vases and need to be dabbed at the end with a tea towel 30 minutes before and then put back in the holder without the water vases. This is so the water doesn’t dampen your dress. Put Nexium in the bathroom basket. No instant fake tan near the bride - warn the bridesmaids!"

Rope your family and friends in when it comes to finessing the finer details such as ribbons and napkins. "It makes it even more special when they swing a napkin in the air and they crack jokes about why on earth they ironed 130 of them for you."

Karen's bridal makeup was done by Ellie Murphy with hair by Danielle Whelan of The Space. "Make sure hair and make up girls are well minded, well fed and treated like the gorgeous queens they are. Designate a bridesmaid for this job," the bride stresses. "When they are happy you will look even more fabulous. Designate a bridesmaid/maid of honour to fix your hair when the veil comes off. Especially if backcombed underneath."

The romantic red bridesmaid gowns were from Reformation while the sleek suits, which included a Gatsby-coded white blazer with contrast black lapels for the groom, were from Dorian Black.

Don’t sweat it if anything doesn’t go to plan, Karen urges. "The moments you don’t anticipate like the four-year-old climbing under the length of the long tables during the speeches are so special worth their weight in gold."

The Honeyvoom Duo, All Talk Wedding Band and DJ & SAX created the stellar soundtrack to their June bash and the bride has even more tips for the party portion of the wedding day. "Lock in who is going to pay your band/DJ in cash envelopes and tell them the time they have to deliver them. Bring two pairs of Skims, you will dance and you will get sweaty!"

The celebrations continued the following day with at Joyce's Bar right across the road with music by Cuisle and Bosco’s Catering from Portlaoise pulled up outside to have a lovely BBQ. "It was great to be able to walk just across to that and continue the party."

They went on a mini-moon to Italy for a week and a half after the wedding taking in the sights of Naples, Ischie, Sorrento, and Rome. "This was amazing to capture the bubble. We went to South Africa a few months later for our actual honeymoon – highly recommend both!"

Congratulations Karen and Niall! Thank you for letting us pore over all the exquisite details of your dream day at Borris House which couldn't have been captured more beautifully by Kheffache Studios.

Check out more Irish Real Weddings now where so much more stunning inspiration awaits you!