How did you meet your fiancé?

Jordan and I met in school, two little childhood sweethearts ! We were 14 and 15 and just got on really well, I fell for his humour and good looks, he makes me laugh every single day!

How did he propose?

We were spending a weekend on the North Coast, our home away from home and happy place. We had been together just over 10 years at this point and after a lovely morning out for brunch and window shopping he asked if we could go for a walk on White Park Beach somewhere we both love. However bare are in mind this was 27th October so the beach was absolutely freezing and not a single person was on it, except us which felt perfect. Half way along the beach Jordan turned me to him and went on this massive speech about much I meant to him, of course I was balling my eyes out. He then got down on one knee and popped out the ring and asked me to marry him, and the rest is history.

Were your wedding plans impacted by Covid-19?

Our wedding was most definitely impacted by Covid 19. It was first organised for 4 July 2020 in Dordogne, France. At that stage travel was still not great and we decided a month before to postpone until July 2022, thinking all would be sorted by then, boy were we wrong! Fastforward to April 2021, our suppliers in France needed final payments and things were still not looking good for France with curfews and travel bans still in place, we decided to pull the plug on France and have something at home. We were definitely over the excitement of wedding planning with all of the Covid stress. So with less than 3 months to go we planned a whole new wedding with all new suppliers minus our dresses, suits and photographers. Not at all stressful, I only cried at least once a week!

How did you know your dress was THE ONE?

Thank goodness for Instagram! After searching for the ‘one’ for a few months online and in 6 or 7 bridal stores including travelling to one in London, nothing felt right. I mean there were plenty of lovely dresses but none ticked all of the boxes, light weight (for France), comfortable, easy to put on and take off, a sparkling feel. Finally I came across Jade Alexandra Bridal and knew I had to get there to try some of the Alyssa Kristin dresses. I booked an appointment easily on Instagram and went straight away. She had so many beautiful dresses in her store and talked me through them all, we picked out 4 of the AK dresses and tried them on from least favourite to favourite. and honestly even the first dress was the best I had ever tried on, it was so comfortable and ticked all of the boxes. I kept trying until I had number 4 on AKA my dress of dreams! It was perfect, so comfortable and filled with sparkle. Finally said yes to the dress!

Any tips for future brides on how to find the perfect dress?

Do your research, check which stores may hold designers you like the look of and make sure their dresses are within your budget. Definitely go in open minded do try things you may not necessarily go for, this could help with your pros and cons. Bring honest support with you, if the dress isn’t right you want the girls to tell you.

Where was your go-to for wedding inspo?

I lived on Instagram and Pinterest for wedding inso - it is so good for searching ideas, from planners, previous brides, locations and all suppliers. Any photo I liked I saved them in a folder using the bookmark function so it was easy to go back and see ideas. This was how I decided on my dress, flowers, make up, suits and marquee decor.

What was the highlight of your day?
There were so many great moments for us on the day, I loved having the time in the morning to get ready with my family and the girls, that was special. I also loved the car ride Jordan and I took to go get photos done, this was the first time we got to have a proper converstaion and we were the happiest two people in the world. And I also loved having our first dance outside in the garden surrounded by our nearest and dearest, it was very special, at that moment we both thought, who needs France.

Did you stick to traditions or add anything new into your day?

We had a mix of traditions and new. I knew I wanted a long veil and wanted to have it over my face as i walked down the aisle, this was definitely the idea of a traditional bride, however my dress was modern, with full embellishment and low cut, a perfect mix. Our meal was not traditional ham and turkey dinner instead we wanted something yum and fun, Wolf and Devour set up their catering van in the garden and we had gourmet burgers and chicken and chips, this was more us!

DREAM TEAM

Dress - MADELYN by Alyssa Kristin

Veil.- MUNROW : Two Tier by Ashley Wild

Venue: Ceremony - Carrick Parish Church, Limavady. Reception was at a family members garden.

Photographer: The Lous

Videographer: Media Lab NI

Florist: Posy and Tie

Cake: La Pasterleria

.Stationary: I did this all myself with the help of my sister, Sara

MUA : Rosanna Hughes

Hair: Wands Hairdressing, Cookstown

Bridesmaids We opted for 3 different looks. Our dresses were from Rat and Boa, Forever Unique and ASOS.

Menswear: Remus Uomo from Tom Morrow, Cookstown