Marketing Assistant Shannon Stokes married Electrician Luke Joyce on May 26th, 2026, in an intimate Dublin City Hall ceremony followed by a celebratory meal at Fire Steakhouse. Childhood sweethearts who have been together for over 12 years, the couple kept their wedding small, personal, and true to themselves, with a romantic black-tie aesthetic, a surprise proposal in the Caribbean, and a soundtrack that took them right back to their teenage years, all captured by Niamh Smith Photography.

Shannon and Luke first met at school when they were just 14. Luke was a year above Shannon, and with Instagram only beginning to take off, he decided to make his move by commenting on one of her photos and telling her how beautiful she was.

The next day, Shannon was in Business Studies when the next class waited outside to be dismissed. Luke bounded through the door, clearly not the most patient person, and the pair instantly locked eyes. From that moment, the rest was history. More than 12 years later, their school romance had led them to the altar.

Despite being together for a decade, Shannon was completely caught off guard when Luke proposed during a Caribbean cruise to celebrate their 10th anniversary. At the time, they were still living with their parents, and Luke had always insisted that buying a house together should come before getting engaged. Naturally, Shannon wasn't expecting a ring any time soon!

Luke had originally planned a beautiful beach proposal, but the Caribbean weather had other ideas. When rain began to fall, Shannon, whose naturally curly hair clearly had its own priorities, immediately ran for shelter and insisted they return to the boat. Luke kept hoping the rain would pass, but Shannon wasn't having any of it. Little did she know, she had completely derailed his carefully planned proposal!

Back on the ship, Shannon headed straight to their cabin to sort out her hair, blissfully unaware that Luke was downstairs arranging a surprise with the team. When they returned to their room that evening, she opened the door to find petals, candles and balloons everywhere.

"I froze, rubbed my eyes and said, 'Am I dreaming?'" Shannon recalls. "I honestly couldn't believe it. I was in complete shock!" With nobody else around, the proposal was private, personal and exactly right for the couple. They called their parents afterwards, making it one of the best evenings of their lives.

For her bridal beauty preparations, Shannon kept things relatively simple. She had microneedling treatments every four to six weeks in the months before the wedding and made sure to wear SPF every day. She also made a conscious effort to drink more water, admitting that staying hydrated wasn't always her strong suit. "I genuinely think that helped my skin look so clear on the day," she says.

For their wedding fragrances, the couple both opted for Jo Malone London. Shannon wore Honeysuckle & Davana, while Luke chose Cypress & Grapevine, giving each of them a scent to associate with their wedding day.

When it came to finding her dress, Shannon had a fairly clear idea of what she wanted. Seeing Pippa Middleton's wedding dress convinced her that lace and a high neckline were the perfect combination, so she booked an appointment at her local bridal boutique to browse. She had already created a wish list of styles she thought she wanted, but the bridal stylists encouraged her to try different silhouettes before ruling anything out. As it turned out, she didn't need to look very far. "My dress was actually only the third dress I tried on," Shannon says. "As soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one."

Looking around at her mum, sister-in-law and best friend, all of whom were crying, confirmed what she already felt. Then came the veil. "Once I did, it completely completed the look for me," she says. What had started as a casual browse quickly became a very successful shopping trip. There was another important consideration, too. Shannon loved that her dress completely concealed her shoes. "I'm all about being comfortable, so I knew I could wear Crocs without anyone knowing!" Honestly, a bride after our own hearts. Once Shannon had found her dress and the couple had settled on their venue, she knew Luke needed a tuxedo. Thankfully, he was more than happy to let her take the lead on the styling. "Luke is incredibly laid-back and hates fussing over what to wear," Shannon explains, so choosing his look was refreshingly straightforward. He knew what he needed, and the suit fit him perfectly.

The couple kept their wedding party intimate, with fewer than 20 guests in attendance. All the women at the wedding were Shannon's bridesmaids, while the men acted as groomsmen, each wearing a boutonniere. For the bridesmaids' outfits, Shannon had one simple request: "Please wear a black dress that you feel comfortable and confident in!" She had been drawn to a black-tie aesthetic while creating her Pinterest board and loved the idea of letting everyone choose a dress that suited their own style. The result was a cohesive look without anyone having to squeeze into something they didn't feel like themselves in.

For the couple, a small wedding was always the plan. Neither particularly enjoys being the centre of attention, so an intimate ceremony surrounded by their closest family and friends felt much more natural than a large celebration. Even so, Shannon found that saying her vows was a little more nerve-racking than expected. Although her job regularly involves speaking in large meetings, standing in front of Luke on their wedding day was a different story entirely. "When it came to saying my vows, I suddenly couldn't string a sentence together!" she says. "I was shaking and stuttering just like I had during our first conversation when we were 14 years old at school."

Walking down the aisle with her dad was another highlight. Shannon describes him as one of her favourite men in the world, and the moment was particularly special. "I was so in awe of my husband-to-be that I genuinely didn't see anybody else or even hear anything around me." The couple also included a unity candle ceremony, lighting the candles together to symbolise their lives joining as one. It was something neither had experienced before, making it a meaningful addition to their intimate ceremony.

Although they were based in the UK, Shannon and Luke both have Irish heritage and knew they wanted to get married in Ireland. Their venue search was remarkably short. During a 24-hour trip to Dublin, they came across Dublin City Hall and decided to have a look around. After seeing the space, Shannon turned to Luke and asked, "Shall we get married here?"

It was the first wedding venue they had ever visited or even discussed, but they knew almost immediately that it was right. The architecture and atmosphere were exactly what they wanted for their intimate, romantic ceremony, and they didn't need to look anywhere else. Afterwards, they celebrated with a meal at Fire Steakhouse. With steak as the couple's favourite food, the choice was easy. They wanted to share a really good meal with their family, and the restaurant certainly delivered. Shannon's 79-year-old uncle was particularly impressed, declaring that he hadn't eaten a steak that good since he was in New York in the 1970s. That's quite the review!

The couple also wanted to get the music just right. They chose violinist Courtney Cullen Music after Shannon discovered her on social media. When they spoke, Shannon asked whether Courtney could learn a few songs that weren't already in her repertoire, and she happily agreed to prepare them especially for the wedding. Her performance sounded even more beautiful as it echoed through Dublin City Hall, providing a personal soundtrack to the ceremony. The song choices were especially meaningful to Shannon and Luke, taking them back to their first concert together as teenagers. And who was the artist behind that first concert? Justin Bieber, of course. A little teenage nostalgia was always going to make its way into this love story!

When it came to reflecting on the day, Shannon had no hesitation in naming Niamh Smith Photography as one of their best decisions. As someone who loves photographs, she found the right photographer particularly important. "I'm huge on photographs, so finding the right photographer was incredibly important to me," she says. Niamh captured the day exactly as Shannon had hoped, giving the couple memories they will treasure for years to come.

As for their worst decision, Shannon doesn't think there was one. Keeping the wedding small and making choices that felt right for them left little to regret. After more than 12 years together, a rain-interrupted Caribbean proposal and a wedding that brought their story full circle from school sweethearts to husband and wife, Shannon and Luke created a day that was entirely their own. And with a hidden pair of Crocs, a Justin Bieber connection and a steak worthy of a decades-long comparison, they certainly made it memorable.

- Gráinne