Today’s real wedding couple Claire and Nial were on the hunt for a beautiful Irish castle for their special day and they found everything they dreamt of and more at Markree Castle in Co. Sligo. The lavish castle set a stunning stage for their modern and full-of-fun celebration which was brimming with brightly-hued and completely jaw-dropping blooms. If you adore baby’s breath you’re going to be in heaven, trust us… The bride brought their wedding day aesthetic to life with the help of her family and her bridesmaids and so much divine autumnal inspiration for you to dive into. We simply can’t wait for you to see the fabulous images from The Lous!
Claire and Nial are both from Co. Fermanagh and they live there today. We adore how their love story started but we’ll let Claire do the honours. “Nial and I went to school together, we are one school year apart and used to wait in the same location for the school bus. We were friends at school but both went our separate ways after. We were reunited at a friend’s 18th birthday party. As Nial told everyone in his speech at the wedding; I made the first move! We were 12 years together when we got married. I was 17 and Nial was 18 when we started going out.”
They were together for 10 years when they got engaged. Claire reveals all, “I had organised a meal and a distillery tour of the boatyard gin with our families to mark the occasion but was disappointed Nial had not organised anything. He then said he would take some time off the farm and we could walk Rougey Cliff Walk in Bundoran and get some lunch on the Saturday morning which I was very excited about.” Except, it was all a rouse carefully planned by Nial.
Claire continues, “That morning I got a call from Nial telling me that the sheep had got out to the far side of the mountain and asked if I could help him get them back before we go. I reluctantly agreed and went to help in my farm clothes with no makeup on. We went to the Hanging Rock which has beautiful views (I had never been there). I believed we were searching for sheep but when I turned round Nial was on one knee asking me to marry him. He had packed a picnic with bubbles, chocolates and strawberries also. He picked the ring himself, we had a ball celebrating with friends and family, and there was no sheep to be rounded up after all!”
The church door entryway took our breath away with a subtle cherry-coded twist (which is a huge wedding trend right now) thanks to the waxy anthurium, along with clouds of baby’s breath in tonal shades of pink and colourful ferns.
Claire was phenomenally chic in a lace off-the-shoulder A-line gown by Suzanne Neville which she styled with fingerless lace gloves, pearl drop earrings, floral lace heels by Bella Belle, and her cathedral veil was the most stunning sartorial cherry on top.
For the couple their top priority was ensuring that they created the perfect atmosphere for their guests to have a wonderful day. “As a couple we love fun and spending time with our family and friends. We wanted our wedding to be a fun experience for everyone and ourselves. I believe that the combination of our colourful flowers, lively music and the Irish castle made it just that!”
From attending multiple weddings themselves, fabulous food was also a huge priority for the couple! “Markree Castle has a great tasting day which we attended and were very satisfied with the food. We both believe life is for living and love to enjoy ourselves, we wanted to enjoy but also enable all our guests to relax and enjoy themselves, so entertainment was also very important to us.”
Claire and Nial tied the knot in Rossorry Parish Church, a sweetly sentimental spot for the bride. “My home house is across the road from the church. That has been my church all my life. I had said from I was a young girl dreaming about my wedding day that I would walk over to church on my wedding day. When we were planning the wedding, I floated this idea many times, but I think most people thought I was joking.”
They were blessed with beautiful weather and the bridal party walked Claire to the church. “For me this was so very special and a moment I will cherish forever.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the church as their flower girl joined Nial in the church. “Our gorgeous niece Polly as our flower girl was so brilliant all morning as she was only two years old. She had her tiny bouquet which she wanted to carry to uncle Nial at the top of the aisle. This was also a very special and emotional moment for us.”
They are huge Coldplay fans so they made sure to include music within their ceremony track list. “Emily amazed everyone with Viva la Vida on the organ, it was amazing.”
As for their wedding aesthetic the bride highlights, “Autumn is a beautiful season with the lovely display of colours and mild weather. We played on the colourful theme as it is fun and fitted with the time of year.”
Markree Castle exceeded all their expectations. “We loved the characteristics of the building, and all the interior was so beautifully detailed. We loved that every aspect of the wedding would be in the castle building itself. The stairs were grand but also quirky which made for unique spot to have our speeches. The dancefloor and bars being in the basement of the castle was very different and it kept the fun and curiosity going for the guests.”
The 17th-century castle is a gothic masterpiece and Claire and Nial were so enamored by the beautiful aesthetic that they didn’t have to add any décor. “We gathered some ivy and we decorated the entrance stairs. This gave the stairs a nice welcoming warmth for our guests.”
The castle sits on a 500-acre estate of picture-perfect grounds, offering a breathtaking backdrop for wedding celebrations, and photos!
The bridesmaids wore deep orange floral velvet gowns by Jenny Yoo which married with the autumnal aesthetic perfectly while Niall and the groomsmen exuded timeless elegance in black tuxes from Freddie Hatchet.
Their niece and nephews Polly, Lucca and Jack were too adorable for words on their special day!
They had highly personal wedding favours, they were photo print outs of each guest with either the bride or groom. “We tried to go back through the years, and it really got the guests talking and laughing about the funny and happy memories we have experienced together. It was also a great talking point for people that had not met before the wedding.” Such a great idea!
The groom and his dad used their own jeeps as transport and the fabulous wedding cake adorned with a flourish of florals was made by the mother of the bride Audrey.
They advise couples to enjoy every moment because the wedding day goes by in a flash. “One thing we enjoyed was spending some couple time (just us) on our journey to our reception. Markree provided us with a private room just after the speeches, before dinner which we got relax and soak it all up for a little while. Calling each other husband and wife was very much a novelty at this stage!”
They had a “roaming band” which went down a storm with their guests. “They had everyone laughing and dancing which we loved to see. When we came back in from our photos, the reception room was so lively and full of fun which also made for a terrific memory. Nial and I ended up dancing to Maniac 2000 at 2pm surrounded by our chanting guests.”
Another hugely magical moment came as they shared their first dance in the courtyard under the stars to Something I Need by Ben Haenow. “All our guests had sparklers, and while we were dancing the bridal party joined in. This made our first dance a lot of fun!”
The newlyweds enjoyed the the trip of a lifetime on their honeymoon. “We travelled to New Zealand and travelled South Island which was an amazing experience with lots to do and see. We then travelled to the Fiji islands for some relaxation after a very busy time in NZ. Fiji is such an amazing place, the people are so happy and love a sing song! Our last stop on the way home was a busy two days in Singapore; what a city!”
A very special thank you to Claire, Nial and The Lous for sharing today’s fabulous Markree Castle wedding with One Fab Day!
Want to party like royalty on your big day? Check out 27 Fairytale Castle Wedding Venues in Ireland!
