As night fell, eighteen guests watched as Sarah walked herself down the aisle as a violinist played November Rain. The room was filled with candlelit as she as David said their vows. The Woollen Mill gave them the setting, a Dublin restaurant where they could legally marry and then head downstairs for dinner.

Sarah had never really pictured herself as a bride. The big white dress, the long aisle and the idea of being given away wasn’t ever a dream for her – it was actually more like a nightmare. “’I’m autistic and wanted my wedding to be a reflection of who I truly am”, she said. “I wasn’t going to do things to make others happy and make myself uncomfortable. The day was low key. We really wanted it to feel more like an intimate dinner than a wedding.”

The day was also short, the ceremony was at 9pm and within a couple of hours the couple were home in bed. “I was happy to come home after a few hours without burning myself out socialising to please others”, she continued.

Before the ceremony, they walked through the city with their photographer, Katy Hill. They wanted to capture the feeling of Dublin after dark, rather than a list of formal group shots. Katy photographed them around the Ha’penny Bridge and outside the pub of the same name, where Sarah’s dad had enjoyed many pints of Guinness over the years.

Sarah’s city-bride look came entirely from Vinted. Her dress cost €70, her shoes €20 and her bag €10.“There a lot of external pressure”, she explained when asked about the biggest stresses during the planning process. “I stayed true to myself on this and bought things I loved second hand. I don’t regret a thing about it.”

The couple spent just €5,000 on the wedding. Sarah had wondered whether the evening she pictured could be created with a small budget. But keeping the guest list to 18 did the trick and they even had enough to hire Flowerpop and Studio Grace to decorate the private dining room.

Their plans also allowed for the evening to change. When their son, who was at home, became upset and needed them, Sarah and David left dinner early. Their guests stayed at the restaurant and there was no pressure to keep hosting or perform happiness until an approved finishing time.

“Although it’s considered the couples ‘big day’ it’s OK to put your children first”, Sarah said. “We didn’t care about anyone else’s needs and wants other than Solly’s. It may be our big day but for him it’s a disruption to his normal, safe, daily routine. None of this made our wedding any less special. Things can be very different and still magical.”