Today, we’re incredibly excited to open the first chapter of Aoife Walsh and Ben Nicholson's wedding story, and trust us, you’re going to want to follow this one through to the end! The Irish influencer and her new husband celebrated their ‘I dos’ twice, beginning with an intimate micro wedding in Aoife’s hometown of Clonmel before whisking their loved ones away to the South of France for a second, utterly dreamy celebration.

Chapter One of their real wedding celebrations takes us to the beautiful gardens of Raheen House Hotel, where just 20 of their nearest and dearest gathered for a romantic summer celebration that felt straight out of a storybook. With gorgeous pink and green florals, sunshine and the prettiest garden party styling, this intimate day was every bit as magical as you can imagine, all captured beautifully by the wonderful Ivana Milchanska of Ivanas Photography.

And this is just the beginning. Tomorrow, we’re taking you to France for Chapter Two, but first, let’s step inside Aoife and Ben’s gorgeous Irish ‘I dos’...

Aoife, originally from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, and Ben, who hails from Ovens in Cork, are now happily settled in Clonmel, but their love story began, like many modern romances, on a dating app, Bumble to be precise! What started with a swipe soon turned into something much more special, and the pair quickly realised they had found something worth holding onto.

It was in Lisbon, in the summer of 2025, that Ben pulled off an elaborate ruse to surprise Aoife with the ultimate question. Enlisting his sister-in-law Claire and a photographer, Maria, he arranged for a seemingly spontaneous proposal overlooking the Tagus River.

With the promise of breakfast at one of Lisbon’s famous viewpoints, Aoife had no idea what was really in store. When they arrived at Miradouro das Portas do Sol, Ben dropped to one knee, and through tears and laughter, Aoife said yes!

Fast forward to February 2026, and Aoife convinced Ben to leave Cork and his bachelor pad behind, moving up to Tipperary to live with her and her beautiful little girl Penny. And, as Aoife puts it, “they've been happily ever after since!”

The pair said their Irish ‘I dos’ on 7th July 2026 in the most beautiful intimate setting, surrounded by just 20 of their nearest and dearest, including their children. With an outdoor ceremony and reception at Raheen House Hotel, the day was romantic, relaxed and utterly divine, with all the charm of a fairytale garden party.

This was the couple’s legal wedding ahead of their bigger celebrations in the South of France, but they were determined to make it a special occasion in its own right. “It was super intimate with 20 in attendance, including children,” Aoife says. “We would definitely recommend marking this special day of signing legal papers before going abroad with family and friends, just like we did.”

And it sounds like the day surpassed even their own expectations. “The day really blew us away and exceeded our expectations. A lovely core memory shared with our family.”

Both the ceremony and reception were held outdoors in the sunny gardens of Raheen House Hotel in Clonmel, a venue that already held a very special place in Aoife and her family’s hearts. “We’ve had various family get-togethers in the venue over the years, such as my mum’s 70th and my daughter’s christening, so it holds very fond memories and was the obvious choice for us,” she says.

For the ceremony, the couple enlisted violinist and family friend John Shorthall to provide the soundtrack to their ‘I do’s. Aoife walked down the aisle to a beautiful rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love, making for an especially romantic start to the celebrations.

One of the couple’s most memorable moments came during the ceremony, when Ben’s granny shared a poem. With Ben’s grandparents unable to travel to France, having them play such a special role in the Irish celebration was incredibly meaningful to the couple. “It was so special. We both shed a few tears during our ceremony reminiscing on our love story,” Aoife says, with the emotional moments beautifully curated by their solemniser, Michelle Kelly.

It was important to Aoife and Ben that Penny played an involved and meaningful role in their wedding day, so they worked with their solemniser, Michelle Kelly, to create some special ways for her to be part of the ceremony.

One of Penny’s favourite things to do is paint stones. “Any playground, walk or beach we go to, we collect stones. Our house is full of them!” Aoife explains. So, the family decided to incorporate the oathing of the stone ritual into their ceremony. Together, they painted a special stone with their initials, which Penny then handed to them as they declared their vows, symbolising the idea of “setting them in stone.” She also had the very important job of handing over their wedding rings.

And Penny’s wedding duties didn’t end there! She was also a flower girl alongside Aoife’s niece at their celebration in France, as well as helping with the rings once again. “She was very busy, but it was so lovely to have her so involved,” Aoife says. And just wait until you see the cuteness of Penny in her flower girl role at the French celebration!

One of the main reasons Aoife and Ben wanted to make their legal wedding extra special was because of Ben’s grandparents, who are very close to him but weren’t able to travel to France. “We decided to make a real family occasion out of the day here in Ireland,” Aoife says.

Aoife made us gasp the moment we saw her Irish wedding look! For her intimate ‘I do’s, she worked with designer Charlotte at Wilden London to create the dreamiest bespoke midi dress, complete with an embellished bodice, scalloped peplum adorned with pearls and delicate mini floral embellishments dotted throughout the cap sleeves.

She completed the romantic look with white satin Aquazzura bridal shoes, a white Jennifer Behr hairband and jewellery from Tadhg O’Flynn Jewellers.

For her beauty look, Aoife wore her hair styled by Tiffany Flynn, with makeup by Yvonne Maher and a gorgeous soft blush manicure by ArtNails by Klaudia. Lavish Beauty Clonmel took care of her bridal tan, leaving her glowing and aisle-ready for her special day.

Ben looked dashing in a neutral-toned suit from Moss Bros, styled with an open collar and no tie for a relaxed summer garden party groom look.

Both the ceremony and reception spaces were styled to perfection, with the outdoor garden setup looking like something straight out of a storybook. FrogPrince Weddings took care of the florals and design, bringing Aoife’s dreamy garden party vision to life in a palette of pink and green.

“Sharon in FrogPrince is absolutely fantastic at what she does. I gave her a theme and colours of pink and green and she really brought the vision to life and exceeded any expectations,” Aoife says. “I really wanted to do a garden party theme. One of my favourite moments is seeing all the flowers and styling, honestly they blew me away.”

Ruby Roo Design looked after the stationery for the day, while Sugarcoated by Lisa created a darling cake that was the perfect finishing touch to their garden party celebration. For a fun and personal wedding favour, Isa The Doodle Fairy created custom illustrations for their guests, a sweet touch that we absolutely love.

Intimate, emotional and magical are the three words Aoife and Ben use to describe their Irish wedding. As it was a small gathering ahead of their bigger celebration in France, they went into the day with no expectations and a wonderfully relaxed approach. Thankfully, they were also blessed with gorgeous weather, allowing them to hold both their ceremony and dinner outdoors, beneath the mature trees in the garden at Raheen House Hotel.

“It really added to how special the day was for us,” Aoife says. “We came away unexpectedly very emotional and just so happy. It was so relaxed, beautiful and a day that will live in our memories and our families' memories forever.”

When asked if there was anything they would change about their intimate Irish wedding, Aoife and Ben’s answer was simple: “Absolutely nothing, it was perfection.”

A huge thank you to Aoife and Ben for sharing their beautiful Irish ‘I dos’ and all the special details of their intimate Raheen House Hotel wedding celebration with us. We absolutely loved getting a glimpse into this gorgeous first chapter of their wedding story captured so beautifully by Ivana Milchanska of Ivanas Photography. And make sure you check back for their utterly dreamy French wedding celebration. Seriously, you do not want to miss this one!

Planning your own big day? Do check out our Real Wedding section to get inspired!

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