Magical and joyful, today's real wedding feels right out of a fairytale. Laura and Sam said 'I do' at the magnificent Markree Castle in Co. Sligo and their relaxed and romantic celebration will sweep you off your feet. 185 of their lucky loved ones joined them for their fun-packed bash on a sun-kissed day in April. With contemporary, colourful and seriously chic style, they paid attention to all of the sweet small details that felt personal to them and they placed their loved ones at the very heart of their dream day.

Modern and meaningful, Magda Lukas of Written in the Stars was on hand to capture all the magic as it came to life. From their heartfelt ceremony in the Grand Hall to their reception in the spectacular ballroom and their romantic first dance in the courtyard, soak up all the splendour of their spring celebration below.

Donegal lass Laura and Cork gent Sam have a lot of mutual friends (some of whom were very intent on hooking them up) and they met at the Other Voices festival in Dingle. Sam moved from Dublin to London just five days after so they didn't go on their first date until a few months later. "Once we did, things fell into place pretty naturally," the bride reflects. "For about 18 months, we made the most of weekends and trips back and forth between Dublin and London. Looking back, that time was really special. It gave us the chance to get to know each other properly and made us appreciate every moment together."

Sam popped the question in wonderfully romantic style while they were staying at Dunbrody House in Wexford. Laura had no idea that he had in fact planned to propose there a few weeks earlier. He had everything arranged with the team but she unexpectedly booked a last-minute trip to visit her sister in California so he had to postpone the whole thing!

Laura tells us, "When the day finally came, the rain was torrential. We went for a walk along the cliffs and ended up on a small beach where Sam was considering proposing, until we unfortunately came across a very dead and decomposing sheep... not exactly the romantic backdrop he was looking for… so he needed to make a change of plan. We hopped in the car and headed on to Hook Lighthouse but on the way the rain eased off so we stopped at a beautiful misty beach. There was nobody else around. We walked down to the water and as we were looking out at the waves Sam got down on one knee. He proposed with two beautiful rings: a promise ring that he'd chosen with help from my sister Raychel which I ended up using as my wedding ring, and my Gran’s engagement ring. It was completely unexpected, very emotional and absolutely perfect. We arrived back to Dunbrody House to champagne on ice and a beautiful dinner which was the perfect start to the celebrations."

When it came to their wedding, Laura and Sam wanted to be surrounded by as many of their loved ones as possible and to show them a great time. "We were determined to be as relaxed as possible and to genuinely enjoy the day ourselves. We communicated a lot with the venue and with all of the vendors in advance to try to keep things as seamless as possible on the day. The team at Markree Castle, along with our bridal party, were incredible and did so much to keep us calm and present throughout the day. We tried to pay attention to the small details that felt personal to us - our song choices, the food and cakes, the flowers and what we said in our speeches. More than anything, we wanted our family and friends to be part of our story and to feel they'd shared something really special with us."

The couple, who are based in Sandymount in Dublin, were blown away by the show-stopping Sligo castle and Laura cried all the happy tears when they arrived to view it for the first time. "Something in me just knew it was special. We really wanted a venue that was near the sea - we both love the sea and when we started planning we had a vague idea that we’d like to go surfing as part of our second day. We also knew we’d have a large number of guests to celebrate with but we still wanted the venue to feel intimate, so the fact that we could have Markree Castle all to ourselves was a big factor."

They originally planned to hold their ceremony in the wooded area on the castle grounds but the weather had other ideas and they considered tying the knot in Markree's chapel instead. "It was absolutely stunning and we would have loved to use it, but with our large number of guests, not everyone would have fit and we didn't want anyone to miss any part of the day. About an hour before we were due to start, we made the call to move everything to the Great Hall. In the end, it turned into one of the most memorable parts of the day. The girls and I made a dramatic entrance down the grand staircase and through the double doors, with guests gathered across two levels. A few minutes into the ceremony, I looked up and was overwhelmed to see so many of our wonderful family and friends smiling down at us. It was such a special moment."

The ceremony was officiated by Margaret Gammel with music from The Tiny Quartet. The Finnish Line by Colm Con Mac Iomaire was the perfect choice for the processional, it created exactly the atmosphere the bride wanted as she made her entrance with her bridesmaids. Their friends Riannagh and Aaron delivered beautiful readings that reflected them as a couple: The Vow by Len Pennie and a quote from Einstein on relativity. "Together, they struck a lovely balance between romance, humour and sincerity."

Another hugely special moment was when their talented friend Denis sang a spine-tingling rendition of The Wonder of You. "Having friends contribute to the ceremony in such personal ways made it feel even more meaningful, and those moments are some of our favourite memories from the day."

The bridesmaids wore darling mix and match dresses sourced from Forever New and Vinted. Sam's suit and accessories were from Louis Copeland & Sons while the groomsmen wore suits from Morleys.

Laura's sister Raychel was a huge support when it came to the planning and styling, they made a dream team. "She is a textile designer and super creative so it was brilliant to be able to share our vision and bounce ideas with her. She was amazing for helping me tease out ideas and giving me confidence in our vision. She and her husband Raz got married 18 months before Sam and I (their wedding also featured on One Fab Day!). I think if you have a creative friend or family member you should absolutely make the most of them! But at the same time, if you have a vision or even a few ideas you feel emotionally connected to it’s important to stay true to them. The weddings that have felt most special to us are the ones where you can see how much thought and care the couple have put into creating a day that genuinely reflects who they are."

"Markree had so many amazing spaces and we really made use of them all. Everything happened in the castle and each had its own dedicated space. For prep, the girls couldn’t believe how perfect the room was - so big with so much natural light and a kitchen stocked up with tea, coffee and lots of treats. We had our speeches on the stairs and dinner in the gorgeous light-filled dining room looking over the gardens with occasional visits from Fionn the Irish wolfhound!"

The drama of the castle slightly influenced Laura's dress choice which was the spectacular Melrose draped taffeta ballgown by Moira Hughes from The One by Sinead Corcoran in Rathmines, Dublin. She accessorised with bow mule heels by Loeffler Randall, A.B. Ellie pearl drop earrings, Bespoke Diamonds solitaire studs, and a red heart-shaped Vivetta bag.

"I wore jewellery from both of my grandmothers. They were hugely important influences in my life, and it meant so much to be able to honour them in a small but meaningful way on the day," Laura says. Her 'something borrowed' and 'something blue' was her Granny’s sapphire engagement ring which was lent to her by her aunt Pauline. She also borrowed her Edwina O’Gorman veil from her friend Nakita along with a slip from her and a robe from her friend Lucy for getting ready on the morning of the wedding.

The mother of the bride Anne and the bride's aunt Bernie made their cakes and they also had 200 brownies from Shellybean Bakery in Glenties. "The Little Cottage Cafe let my mum store the cakes in their freezer the night before the wedding which was so kind!"

Laura and Sam poured their heart and soul into their speeches. "We put a huge amount of thought and effort into our speeches, using them as an opportunity to express not only our love for each other, but also our appreciation for our families and closest friends. They were incredibly personal, and we got to say all the things we wanted to say but, being Irish, don't usually say out loud without people thinking we're being a bit over the top! So many of our guests told us afterwards that the speeches were one of the highlights of the day."

They had a sparkling first dance in the courtyard. It was a sweet full-circle moment as they swayed to Favourite by Fontaines D.C. which is their favourite band and the first concert they went to together! Then they partied in the cellar which was set up so perfectly with a dancefloor sandwiched between two bars. "Luke Thomas and The Swing Cats had everyone on the dancefloor for the whole night. We had a ball,” she adds. The fun didn't end once the DJ finished, as a big group of friends and family stayed up for a singsong. "We could still hear everyone singing when we finally went to bed at 5am, which felt like the perfect ending to an unforgettable day."

With so many making the journey to celebrate with them they chose to hold their Day Two at Markree Castle too and it was one of the best decisions they made. "Filling the castle with family and friends made it feel as though we were all living there together for the weekend, which was exactly what we'd hoped for. Everyone was able to properly relax, catch up and make the most of the time together. The surfing on the morning after the wedding was another real highlight. We weren't quite sure how it would go, but Melanie and the Rebelle Surf team were so relaxed, welcoming and encouraging. Standing on a windy beach with the waves crashing around us felt like the best possible start to married life! And some guests who didn’t surf ended up coming to the beach to cheer us on and laugh at us as we tried our best to catch the waves."

They had barbecue food in the dining room and a very relaxed drinks reception in the drawing rooms before spending the afternoon playing lawn games and catching up. That night they turned the chapel at Markree Castle into a disco to party all night. "Some of the groomsmen started a game of Spikeball in the chapel in the castle. Olan, one of Sam’s best men, had made us a playlist and when the music started it escalated into a real party. The team in Markree set up a bar for us within the chapel and someone realised that a live feed video of the chapel could be streamed to the screen in the bar area of the castle so when the other guests saw how much fun the disco was on screen they came down to join us! We eventually ended up in a drunken conga line from the chapel to the bar to entice the final few - it was completely ridiculous and so fun!"

Laura and Sam's honeymoon in Italy was the perfect mix of exploring, relaxing and celebrating. "We went to Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, and we absolutely loved it. We moved around quite a bit while we were in Sicily, starting in Syracuse before travelling on to Taormina and finally Cefalù. Having that time together to unwind while reliving all the amazing moments from our wedding was really special. We would highly recommend all three destinations, but Sicily was a particular highlight. One thing we would definitely recommend if possible, is going on honeymoon soon after the wedding. It gave us the chance to properly switch off, soak everything in and enjoy that 'Just Married' feeling while putting off the return to normal life for as long as possible!"

The sweetest congratulations to Laura and Sam! Thank you to our wonderful couple and to Magda Lukas of Written in the Stars for sharing today's captivating Markree Castle wedding with our readers!

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