A Co Down couple have shared a look inside their 'fairytale' wedding day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Carlingford.
28-year-old Clare McCavery (28) and husband Paul (33) have been together for nine years and had their big day on December 16, 2022.
In our weekly feature Inside My Wedding, couples are delving into their special day to give bride and grooms-to-be some top tips.
Read more: Inside My Wedding: Co Tyrone couple's beautiful day at Manor House Hotel
Clare told Be: "We got engaged whilst on holiday in Ibiza on August 25, 2019 - on my 25th birthday. The proposal was perfect and so romantic!
"Despite both being from Annalong and having many friends in common, we did not meet until a night out in Quinn's Bar, Newcastle. From then on, we became inseparable. "
Clare has told all on their big day!
Tell us all about your wedding day!
Our wedding day felt like a fairytale! We honestly can’t put into words how much we loved every second. Everything was perfect - even the weather!
It was way better than we could have ever imagined. The morning of the wedding was very chilled and relaxed as Bronagh Trainor, my makeup artist, and Mary Maguire, my hair stylist, put the Christmas songs on and we just had so much fun.
We got married in St Joseph’s chapel, Ballymartin with roughly 150 guests. The service was fun and relaxed. From there we were escorted to Santa’s Cottage by Brendan from Luxury Chauffeur NI. The drive up to the cottage felt like nothing short of a fairytale. We couldn’t believe we got a white winter wedding, something we always dreamed of!
Leanne Magill and Ryan Mill were totally amazing and captured the winter scenes beautifully. We even got a photo with a reindeer! We then had our reception in the Four Seasons, Carlingford. It provided the perfect setting.
How did you begin planning?
Our planning really began with a conversation about how we envisaged our wedding day. We both love Christmas, so the winter wedding idea seemed like the perfect option for us.
We went to see a few different venues but when we went to the Four Seasons, we knew it was the one for us! We then booked our wedding day for New Year’s Eve, 2021. Unfortunately, we had to postpone due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding restrictions. We changed our date to December 16, 2022. In hindsight, we were happier with this as it meant we could relax and enjoy our first Christmas as a married couple.
After we chose the venue, we made a list of things we needed to book.
How did you decide on your venue?
From the moment we stepped into the Four Seasons we knew it was the venue for us. We fell in love with the room as it was so spacious and regal, which when decorated for Christmas was even more special. The staff were also what made us fall in love with the venue.
Linda and Ellen, our wedding coordinators, went above and beyond. They were so informative. Nothing was too much for them and they made sure everything ran smoothly.
Tell us all about your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and suits!
I was apprehensive about the wedding dress shopping experience as I am naturally very indecisive. I went to a couple of shops and thought I had found my dress. However, after ordering the dress and putting a deposit down, I quickly realised I had made a mistake.
I would advise other brides to take their time and don’t make rushed/panicked decisions. However, thankfully I went on to find my dream Dando London dress in Forever Bridal. I knew I had found the one. Leondra and her staff were amazing and very attentive during the bridal shop experience.
Suits were purchased in Binghams, Newcastle.
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
The best part of the build up to the big day I think would have been our stag, hen and pre-wedding parties. This allowed us to get excited with all our closest family and friends!
Also, we had close family that travelled from South Africa and Scotland so when they started to arrive, we really felt we got the wedding buzz and excitement. Family and friends really make your wedding what it is!
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
It’s so hard to pinpoint the best moment of our day as there are so many. I think though some of our favourite parts included seeing each other for the first time at the top of the aisle. I will never forget that feeling, we were both so overwhelmed with emotion!
We also really loved getting that quiet time at the cottage for our couple shoot as it was nice to take it all in together. Another favourite part was dancing into our reception to Westlife’s 'Uptown Girl'.
Seeing all our favourite people in the room was just amazing. What a feeling. We are really blessed to have had the best day ever with our amazing family and friends!
What would you tell other bride and grooms to plan first & what are your top tips?
I think we would tell bride and grooms to enjoy every moment as it goes so fast! I know it sounds cliché, but it really is the most amazing, fastest day of your life.
My other advice would be to take time when picking your vendors. They will be with you on the most important day of your life so it’s important that you feel comfortable with them and happy with their services.
All our vendors made our day so extra special.
Another tip I would give would be to take time just the two of you during the madness - just to be together.
What were the hardest parts to plan?
The hardest part of our planning was having to reschedule due to Covid uncertainty. It was stressful trying to rebook vendors and ensure everyone could commit to the new date. However, all our main vendors ensured that the process was seamless.
Tell us about your theme.
We had pinecone place settings and foliage throughout the tables and my aunty Colette designed festive floating candle centrepieces. The Christmas rustic vibe was reflected throughout our wedding from the invites, table plan, table numbers and Christmas decoration favours. My bridesmaids wore navy velvet, and the navy wintery tones were reflected in my flowers and cake décor. It really was our dream winter Christmas wedding!
Would you do anything different or wish there was anything you didn't worry about?
I wish I hadn’t worried at all as everything went perfectly. I had worried about silly things such as tripping walking up the aisle. Then again, I think it is normal to have them worries! However, I really wouldn’t change a thing about the day. It was perfect!
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Do you want to tell us all about your wedding day? Email be@belfastlive.co.uk for your chance to be featured.
