A boutique Hotel in County Meath, The Station House Hotel was originally built in 1862 as a busy railway junction. Nestled in the lush Boyne Valley, this family-owned haven of romance was the perfect venue for client relationship executive Nicola Ayres and senior service desk and data engineer Thomas Murphy's wedding on October 19th 2024. Captured by ID Photography, we love the laid-back charm of this wedding day. And we think you will, too!

The couple met at work seven years ago. The two were both shy at first, but eventually, struck up a conversation about their respective dogs at the office summer party. A week later, Thomas finally texted Nicola to ask for a date. "Before this, our work pals spent a week trying to set us up. We went for our first date to Siam Thai in Dundrum. After that, we have been inseparable."

"On Thomas' birthday, I took him to Milan to see the Formula 1 in Monza. On our last day, we walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. I spotted my dream ring, showed it to Thomas, and continued walking around without thinking about it. We talked about getting engaged for months before this, so I joked about him proposing while standing outside the Duomo di Milano. A few minutes later, I turned around and saw that he was down on one knee with my dream ring!"

Nicola kept her beauty journey simple with the goal of looking natural but still glamorous on her wedding day. "I worked with my amazing makeup artist Andrea, who did a consultation and worked with the products/brands already incorporated into my makeup, to ensure the best outcome on the day." She went to her hair stylist of eight years, Emma from YGH in Drogheda, to get her hair to a healthy point so it would grow with extensions, and for a year in the run up to the wedding, had a weft fitted to help improve hair health. "We then switched to keratin bonds to work better with an updo for the wedding. My hair did not budge on the day, keeping my veil in place till the evening. Having a go-to hair stylist and extensions expert made the process very easy!"

"I went to three different wedding stores before finding my dress. I found Zadika Bridal through one of my favorite influencers modelling their dresses and booked an appointment with the owner, Zita, who went above and beyond throughout my appointment! She started by asking about my inspiration, what shape works for me, what material I like, etc. Zita took what I said and picked the first dress, then the second was something similar, and the third was completely different, to compare. The first dress I put on was the one! I couldn’t recommend Zadika bridal more to any brides. We had the store to ourselves and she made it a personal experience for my mam and me."

"We were collecting our wedding rings in Newry when we walked by JV Kelly’s shop. Thomas saw the suit in the window and at first glance, he knew that was the one he wanted. Before this, he knew he wanted a velvet jacket but couldn’t decide on the colour. However, he knows what he wants when he sees it!"

For her bridesmaids, Nicola chose her sister in law, Laura, and best friend, Anisha. "I wanted something bright, comfortable and figure-hugging when looking for their dresses." But with most dress sites advertising red or dark velvet colours for October, she was on the hunt for something that would stand out. "I bought the most perfect dress from the website Oh Hello Clothing. They were a light pink, paired with a white fur shawl. We went to Olive from Ophelia bridal to alter the bride’s, bridesmaid’s and Mother of the bride’s dresses."

"The ceremony was gorgeous. It took place in Duleek Church in Co. Meath. Floral Art did the flowers. I asked them to surprise me with the church flowers, and they did not disappoint. I was in awe when the doors opened to walk down the aisle. My favorite part of the day had to be the personal touches we added to the ceremony and seeing Thomas's proud face when I met him at the top of the aisle."

The couple picked The Station House as their venue over a year and a half before the wedding in January of 2023. "This was not a long process for us as it was the second venue we viewed that weekend. The beautiful scenery, history and attention to detail from the wedding coordinators sold us straight away. I called up the next day to secure our date. Devon was an amazing help, from ensuring I was on top of the seating plan to ensuring we had something to eat when arriving on the big day!"

"The day was full of entertainment, my goal was to make sure no one could say they were bored or ask, 'When is the food starting?'. For the church ceremony, Mairead Conlon, who previously appeared on The Voice Ireland, sang for us. She brought our special requests to life with a beautiful sound. On arrival at the Station House, as guests sat down for finger food and cocktails, we had our friend and guest Conor O’Reilly walk around doing magic/card tricks with the other guests. This kept guests well entertained while the wedding party took photos. We had the excellent Steve Martyn play Music throughout the meal. He then performed for us later that night and got the guests involved throughout his performance, with some karaoke later in the night. During the dinner, we were surprised by a performance from Singer Secreto. They blended in well with staff members at the venue and caught everyone’s attention by falling, and then they got everyone up on their feet to sing along. There was nobody left sitting, it was a fantastic surprise."

Regarding their best decision, Nicola said, "We made our post box for wedding cards! Thomas designed and built it completely from scratch and painted it. We then had all our friends and family sign the post box instead of a signature book. This now sits in our living room as a side table; it is something we will always have."

Regarding their worst decision, Nicola said, "Not chasing people earlier for RSVP and room organisation! I highly recommend getting this done as early as possible. I did get feedback from people who wanted to wait until closer to the day, but with all the appointments and other things popping up, it is one thing you don’t need on your list."

- Gráinne