How did you both first meet?
Myself and Gavin met when we were just seventeen years old in July 2015. I lived in Carlingford at the time. My two friends, Tara and Lauren called to see if I wanted to go out. I was in my pyjamas with no makeup! The girls and my mum encouraged me to head up the stairs and get ready. Tara had told me she had a man set up for me and I told her if he was wearing a shirt and brown boots, I didn’t want him! This was a pet hate of mine at the time.
So here I am in Carlingford and a group of boys all in their shirts and brown boots come walking towards us! Despite this, I got talking to Gavin, he bought me a drink and was really nice. My phone was stolen that night. As a seventeen-year-old, this was devastating to me at the time. However, Gavin played the hero and got it back for me. He walked me home that night and the rest is history.
Tell us about the proposal!
Gavin proposed on 22nd January 2022 after nearly seven years together in the beautiful Lough Erne Resort, Co.Fermanagh. We were only after having our baby boy Charlie in May 2021 and this was our first weekend away without him, so I definitely wasn’t expecting a ring in the slightest. The whole drive up in the car Gavin was very quiet and on edge.
When we arrived at Lough Erne, there was a bit of a queue at reception and Gavin started pacing up and down (clearly with nerves but I had no idea what was wrong with him). When we got to the desk the lovely woman told us our room wasn’t ready yet but she would take our luggage and we could go to the library for a drink while we waited. We were guided into this beautiful big library with a balcony and a roaring fire. I turned to Gavin and said, “I think they have mistaken us for someone else because this is a private room”. Gavin didn’t even answer me because he was that nervous, he just got down on one knee straight away and proposed and of course, it was a massive yes!
The lovely staff arrived with champagne, a photographer took our pictures and we were taken to our suite which was gorgeous with rose petals and more champagne.
When did you start planning your wedding?
I started planning the wedding straight away. We had an engagement party about two weeks after Lough Erne and that started the whole process. I am a major organised person and absolutely love planning events so thankfully I didn’t find the planning process too hard. Gavin wasn’t a huge fan of all the planning so he was happy to let me work away.
I did find it quite hard getting dates, venues and vendors that we wanted for the wedding because there seemed to be quite a backlog with COVID. We ended up getting a cancellation for our wedding date which we were delighted about because it was on the same weekend that we had become boyfriend & girlfriend in 2015. I quite enjoyed the planning process until the end when everything started to get a bit stressful but it worked out in the end and all fell into place.
Would you like to give a special mention to any of your suppliers?
Our stunning venue was at Ballymagravey Village, Co.Meath. It is honestly such a breathtakingly beautiful place! From the moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to get married there. Not to mention how amazing the food and staff are.
Our fabulous flowers were by The Wild Butterfly, Camlough. Eilis couldn’t have been more helpful; she understood my vision and helped it all come to life.
Who captured your day?
Our amazing photographer was Chris Semple. I genuinely couldn’t recommend him enough. I had originally picked him because I always loved how bright and colourful his pictures were along with capturing all the special candid moments. Chris had such a hard job on our wedding day because it was officially recorded as the rainiest day of the year! Despite this, our pictures turned out fabulous and the rain added a little sparkle! He truly acted like a wedding planner on the day and helped everything run so smoothly.
What did you and the wedding party wear?
I have always loved Pearls from such a young age so I knew that my wedding had to be centred around this theme along with colour ivory so I stuck to this theme and started researching for all our amazing suppliers for our outfits & accessories.
Gavin & our son Charlie wore tuxedos made by Dee Graham Tailor and the Bridesmaids & Flower Girls were made by Emma Murnion Design. My amazing Wedding Dress was from The Vow Bridal Studio and designed by Hera Couture. My bridal headband was from Niamh Barber Millinery. I got my veil embroidered with our initials from Visionary Veils. My evening dress was from La Boda Bridal.
What was your favourite part of the day?
It really is so hard to pick one favourite moment of the day because there are so many for different reasons. I suppose walking down the aisle alongside my mum and seeing Gavin standing at the top of the aisle, emotions were so high and I knew I was about to marry the love of my life and my best friend. Being able to spend the day with all our closest family & friends is so special in itself.
Any advice you can give?
My advice to any bride-to-be would to be just enjoy the process, don’t get stressed about the details because it will all work out in the end and the most important thing is the love between you both and sharing that with your friends and family. Pick a theme or a colour and centre everything around that. Invest in a good photographer and videographer because it’s so special to look back on all the pictures and your wedding video for years to come.
Article made by Wedding Journal Online