A couple who travelled back to Northern Ireland from Bristol for their wedding day has shared a look inside it.
Charlotte (27) from Swindon, England and Matthew Dailly (28) from Ballyclare had their big day on August 13, 2022 at The Loft, Templepatrick.
In Be 's weekly feature Inside My Wedding, couples are delving into their special day to give bride and grooms-to-be some top tips.
Charlotte told Be: "We met whilst at university in Bristol in October 2016 before moving to NI in 2018. We lived in NI for four years before moving back to Bristol in May this year. We got engaged Christmas Day 2019."
The service advisor has told us all about their special day.
Tell us all about your wedding day!
Our wedding day was everything and more from start to finish. The weather the whole week leading up to it was beautiful and we had sunshine and a blue sky the whole day. Getting ready started early with my bridesmaids, but it was so relaxed and nice for everyone to slowly get ready with no rushing needed. Our ceremony was so personal to us as we used a humanist celebrant to perform our marriage. This was based on our values and our love story. It was such a beautiful ceremony.
The ceremony and wedding reception were both held at The Loft in Templepatrick and we couldn’t have asked for a more stunning and perfect venue. Everything from the food, staff, decorations and everything else involved was beyond our expectations. It was such a memorable day. Our photographer Kalie Reid captured the day with stunning photos which were taken at the venue and down a nearby lane. They are so beautiful and we can’t wait to see the rest in a few weeks time. To have all our friends and family from Northern Ireland and England together was so special to us and the day was a dream wedding.
How did you begin planning your wedding? What did you start with?
Because we got engaged in lockdown, I had lots of time to start researching wedding venues and suppliers. I used Instagram to find pretty much all of my suppliers. I saw weddings I liked and found the suppliers who were tagged. I used a spreadsheet to make lists of the different suppliers and quotes, then selected which ones we liked. I started with the venue to get the wedding date confirmed, then made sure the suppliers I wanted were free on that date. It all came together easily from then, once all the main suppliers were confirmed and sorted.
How did you decide on your venue?
We decided on The Loft in Templepatrick as it was such a stunning venue with so much to offer. Because we had so many people flying over from England, it was important to have a venue in a good location and near the airport. As soon as we saw the venue, we loved it and could easily see ourselves getting married there. Because they offer packages, it’s so easy to budget and know exactly how much it will cost. We also loved that we could get married and have the reception in one place, which made it so easy for everyone on the day. The whole venue is decorated as you see it, which meant I saved so much on extra decorations and it all looked so beautiful.
Tell us all your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and suits!
I had a lovely girls weekend with my mum and sisters up the coast to go dress shopping. I made appointments with Pippa Bridal and Jade Alexander Bridal in Coleraine as both have such unique and beautiful dresses online. In both shops I tried on dresses I loved, but ended up going with a sample sale dress from the designer Evie Young at Jade Alexander Bridal. It originally had sleeves which I had cut off and altered to make it a totally new and one-of-a-kind dress. Jade was so helpful and gave me the vision to see what the dress could be.
Our bridesmaids dresses I actually got off ASOS and they were perfect for the day. The quality of them was so nice and the colour really went with the venue. They were a bargain and only needed taking up. It also meant I could have the same colour but different styles, which really suited my bridesmaids who had different styles and body shapes. The suits were from Red Groomswear in Belfast, we hired the groomsmen suits and had the groom suit tailormade so Matthew could keep it afterwards.
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
Because half of the wedding guests were coming over from England, including ourselves, the build up began on the Wednesday before the wedding. Everyone started gradually arriving and all the last minute jobs were done. It really started to build up and was lovely as it made it even more exciting.
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
Walking down the aisle and the wedding ceremony was so perfect and was definitely the most memorable part of the day. It was so personal to us and told our love story from the day we met to our wedding day. We had not heard of a humanist wedding ceremony prior to getting engaged, but a few of our friends also did this, so we knew it was perfect for us. After the ceremony, we went off for photographs - just the two of us. This was actually really lovely and gave us some time together before the reception. The evening reception was so much fun and was the perfect finish to the day.
What would you tell other bride and grooms to plan first & what are your top tips?
I would say start with the basics and get the big things like the venue, flowers, photographer and celebrant (if non-religious) booked. You will be surprised how quickly they book up - so if you have someone in particular you would like to use, make sure they can make your date. Everything else like cake, hair and make up, dresses and suits can be done afterwards, leaving the final details to nearer the time. We also sent out save the dates which was really handy for people flying over so they could book flights and accommodation early. Also, write down a list of all your suppliers with how much you’ve paid them and how much is outstanding. This will make it really easy to know exactly how much you owe and is perfect for budgeting as most suppliers will send final invoices a month before the wedding.
What were the hardest parts to plan?
The most difficult thing when planning the wedding was choosing which suppliers to go with. All of them are so good at what they do and there is so much choice. The table plan was also something which took a lot longer than I thought and needed redone a few times before it was finalised. Everything else is so much fun to organise and you can get really creative - so enjoy it as it will be over so quickly!
What was your theme?
Because the wedding venue was rustic and beautifully designed, we wanted to keep the theme and colours similar. I chose soft colours and flowers which would go with the vibe of the venue and fit in well with the existing decor.
Would you do anything different or wish there was anything you didn't worry about?
Nothing at all, everything went perfectly and I made sure I didn’t worry about anything because I wanted to enjoy every second, which I did. On the day you don’t notice if things don’t go as planned, so no point worrying about anything. Just take it in and enjoy every second.
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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.
