Ciara Elliott
For some couples, destiny plays a long game. And for Lucy and Dylan, despite studying the exact same Biomedical Science course at Maynooth University, it took a night out celebrating the end of Christmas exams for destiny to finally step in."I heard his charming Roscommon accent and was hooked," says Lucy, who remembers how they clicked straight away, laughing and giggling as if they had known each other their entire lives. When it came to planning their wedding day for the August bank holiday weekend in 2025, the couple chose Ballymagarvey Village in Meath, a venue that the bride, who grew up very nearby, had driven past and dreamed about since childhood. The guest numbers were 110 and the whole day was captured beautifully by photographer Julie Proctor from Treasure and Heart Photography. And the proposal? "We had booked a weekend getaway to Cliff at Lyons in Kildare for our anniversary," says Lucy. "Dylan’s original plan was to propose during a walk nearby at our old dating spot but this was quickly thwarted by a massive storm. After a frantic, secret phone call from Dylan to the hotel to alert them that the proposal hadn't actually happened yet, we arrived to a suite upgrade filled with champagne and chocolates." The magic moment finally arrived just before dinner on a patio overlooking the pond. “At one point I turned to Dylan and said, ‘This would actually be such a lovely place to get married,’ and he said, ‘It would be an even nicer place to get engaged.’ When I turned, he was down on one knee!” The bridesmaids pyjamas are from Identity Lingerie while Lucy's gown is from Gigi and Olive with her robe from A Stor. The wedding styling featured soft, calming palette choices of sage green and dusty blue."The flowers were my something blue," says Lucy. The bride wore a classic silhouette dress featuring a dramatic cathedral train - both from Verona Bridal - with her and Dylan's initials hand-embroidered on the inside. The bridesmaids' dresses were from Six Stories with shoes from asos. Dylan looked effortlessly dapper in a custom tailored, double-breasted tuxedo from Louis Copeland. The groomsmens' suits were rented from Tangos Suit Hire, Dublin. Each groomsmen wore an elegant boutonniere. "The one thing that really impressed me was our florist who completely encapsulated that vintage feeling I was going for. It was all exquisite," says Lucy. The flowers were by Caroline Kelly at Blooming Norah in Galway. The couple's main priority was ensuring the day felt like a relaxed, elevated version of themselves, and filled the venue with clever nods to their shared passions. This included hand-wrapped books for guest favours and coffee beans from their local shop, Studio Brew, tucked inside a ceremony time capsule. The ceremony provided one of the most emotional highlights of the day. Lucy walked down the aisle to a harp rendition of A Million Dreams from 'The Greatest Showman'. "It all felt so magical. Dylan was crying, it was very emotional!" says Lucy. "Now when we listen to that song or watch 'The Greatest Showman' film it brings back all of the memories. When you listen to the lyrics, it’s all about a promise between the main characters starting out their life together and sharing their future. It’s a beautiful piece of music." Describing their wedding aesthetic as "Nancy Meyers meets Bridgerton," Lucy says the whole day felt as she had imagined - intentionally timeless, elegant and deeply personal. Later in the evening, the couple surprised their guests. Despite the bride being a self-proclaimed 'Swiftie', they shared their romantic first dance to the soulful sounds of Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez. Guests captured the memories throughout the night using Instax polaroid cameras, leaving photos and messages in an Etsy-designed guestbook. There was also an artist on site, Pollock on Paper. "We also have two cats, Buddy and Blossom, who are like our children," says Lucy. "We were so sad they wouldn’t be able to be with us all day for the wedding, so integrated so much of them into the day. We had cardboard cut outs for the dance floor of their heads and two white cats as cake toppers for the wedding cake." Lucy's sister also designed signature cocktails on the day in homage; there was a 'Paw-nstar Meowtini' and 'Meow-ld Fashioned'. "Everyone loved it!" says Lucy. "And we loved having them part of our wedding day in some way." The cake was created by Joy Birthistle. The brilliant wedding band was Sax on Fire. Reflecting on their journey, the bride offers the following advice to future couples: "Start early, so you don't go over-budget in the long run and just be yourselves and enjoy it!" Directly after the big day, the newlyweds jetted off to Corfu to switch off and soak in early married life, while a few months later, they travelled to South Africa’s famous Garden Route - starting in Cape Town, stopping at vineyards, coastal towns, and mountain lodges before finishing on a wild safari - and wrapped up the magical trip with a relaxing week on the beaches of Mauritius. Lucy and Dylan congratulations on your beautiful wedding! And thank you both, and Julie Proctor from Treasure and Heart Photography for letting us include you in our One Fab Day Real Weddings section. See below for more pics! Tying the knot? Get inspired with even more Real Weddings!
Because the couple were surrounded by so many close friends, the morning of the wedding was exceptionally calm, says Lucy: "My make-up artist and hair stylist are friends from school, and we are also friends with Joy, who made our cake, and Jennifer, who played the harp for us. It made the wedding morning and day feel so relaxing and special."
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