How did you meet your fiancé?

Lee first caught my eye when he was dressed as a Sailor at a Halloween Party back in 2008. We were both 18 but neither of us spoke to each other. Two years later we met in a local bar and got chatting and the rest is history, as they say!

How did he propose?

Lee brought me to Edinburgh for my 27th birthday. We were doing the usual sightseeing, Lee thought there was a river that ran through the castle gardens but it was train tracks - it totally ruined his big moment! He still hadn't asked me to marry him at that point so we ended up doing a bit of a bar crawl, obviously to settle his nerves. We were both quite tipsy and our phones had died so we started to walk back to the Hotel via the Christmas Markets. We passed a ferris wheel, decided to get on with it stopping right at the top and that was his moment. It was so lovely just the two of us with all the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh beneath us.

Were you wedding plans impacted by Covid-19?

Yes, a personal impact more than anything. We had originally planned a Summer wedding for June 2020. Covid arrived so we changed the date to January 2021 but with Lee's family travelling from Bristol and a rise in cases it wasn't worth putting family and friends at risk. We decided to change our date again to 12th November 2021, with all our suppliers moving with us. Coincidentally my Dad ended up hospitalised with Covid on the first date we had moved the wedding to, he thankfully made a full recovery. Sadly, a week before our wedding my Auntie passed away from Covid related illness'. We went on to have our wedding on 12th November 2021. Despite the rawness of the previous weeks, we had the best day and know that Marlene was with us throughout it all.

What brought you to Jade Alexandra Bridal?

I had been scrolling Instagram and saw the Alyssa Kristin, MAVEN dress and tulle wings and instantly knew that was the style I wanted. I searched for an AK stockist and saw Jade Alexandra was the only stockist in NI & Ireland. Jade's studio hadn't officially opened but I had my appointment booked and was ready to try AK dresses on and see the Pampas Palace. It was definitely my favourite and best experience of all the wedding planning!

How did you know your dress was the one?

My head was initially set on MAVEN without trying it on. At my appointment I tried on nearly all Jade's AK range and some other designers. I left my initial appointment with EMERY being another favourite! My Mum and Nana weren't with me at my first appointment so I booked another one which happened to be the same date as the Alyssa Kristin Trunk Show. The one was hanging on the rail but I hadn't even seen it at that point as the plan was to just let Mum and Nana see MAVEN and EMERY. My sister and maid-of-honour saw MADDISON and pulled it out for me to try on. It was amazing! The dress, shape and fit was basically MAVEN but with a little detail on the bust.

Do you have any dress shopping top tips for future brides?

I think because I knew what I was looking it made the shopping experience so much easier. I did visit one other bridal studio before going to Jade Alexandra but thinking back that was to pacify myself should I not have liked the Alyssa Kristin dresses. I suppose with that in mind, I would advise future brides not to doubt yourselves - if you know what style you like and what will suit your shape then go for it. For any dress appointments and fittings remember to bring footwear of a similar height that you plan to wear, shapewear and hair and makeup right so you get an idea for how you will look on your day.

Where was your ‘go-to’ for wedding planning inspo?

I knew I wanted a simple, elegant style and as long as sage green was there somewhere I was happy. I did love looking through Instagram at wedding ideas. It was Insta that gave me inspiration for our bespoke neon signage with our surname! We ordered from Esty and connected it to faux foliage panels with cable ties . We used it as the backdrop for our cake, it is now fixed to the wall in our hallway - a forever keepsake!

What was the highlight of your wedding day?

It's so hard to pick a specific highlight because we had such a great day and weekend with our family and friends. I remember a friend saying a few months before the wedding to take a moment at dinner and take a look at everyone in the room. It was lovely seeing everyone laughing and having the craic, I just thought it was amazing that all those people were there to celebrate the two of us finally getting married.