1. How did you meet your fiancé?

Andrew and I went to school together. We've been in each other's lives since we were about seventeen.

2. How did Andrew propose?

We were heading to the North Coast for a hotel break between Christmas and New Year's. After walking from Portballintrae (a favourite spot of mine) around the Causeway and back he found his moment of opportunity, got on one knee and asked me to marry him.

3. Were your wedding plans impacted by Covid-19?

On the day the impact wasn't very big but along the way it felt like it might have been! We were very quick off the mark after getting engaged. We got engaged at the end of December and within a week booked our wedding venue for August. We tried to be decisive and had everything booked by the beginning of March. Then came the waiting game. We obviously had to change our evening entertainment plans but Andrew was only too glad to host bingo instead of having a band! Our biggest impact was our guestlist and while originally we were planning to have around 90 guests we started getting used to the idea that it might just be 10 of us in the garden. A few weeks before our wedding date everything suddenly became possible again for a while, we were very fortunate to be in that little window. With a smaller guestlist confirmed all plans of beautiful stationary went out the window and instead we sent e-vites to our friends and family less than three weeks before the big day!

4. What brought you to Jade Alexandra Bridal?

I had a quick look at a few boutiques but I had been swooning over an Alyssa Kristin dress on Instagram and Jade is the only stockist in Ireland. I'd been following Jade since her Bridal Bash event and was drawn to how soft, elegant and cool everything in her studio is!

5. How did you know your dress was the one?

I made two other appointments to enjoy a bit of the bridal experience with my mum but had my eyes set on my appointment with Jade, and on Emery from the get-go. I was so nervous to try it on, in case it didn't live up to my expectations but it totally did. I wanted chic and clean and my go-to is always a v-neck and spaghetti strap so it suited me perfectly. It also felt great! The crepe was so easy to wear. A more difficult choice was which veil to go with and I'm so glad Jade was there to encourage some AK wings!

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

I think I had it pretty easy because I knew what I wanted, so take some time to have a look before you actually shop. Shop for your own shape and style rather than what you think you "should" wear. I think it's important to shop with the right people as well. I brought my mum and my friend Judith who has very similar style to me. Both of these ladies know to speak their mind, so I knew their reactions would be sincere.

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

Instagram, Instagram, Instagram! When we got engaged I just started following a few photographers, boutiques and florists. Once we had chosen Titanic Hotel for our venue we knew what we wanted the wedding to look like. I found looking at Instagram accounts and websites for wedding photographers really helpful to see how to style the day.

8. What was the highlight of your wedding day?

It's all a bit of a blur but at the same time I loved every minute. I think the ceremony was the highlight for me. I walked into that room and felt such relief that we'd finally got there and this was it! I was so giddy and excited to become Andrew's wife. My uncle performed the ceremony and talked about how love is deep, love is unselfish and love is unending. It was such a special moment. Another highlight was sharing that day with friends and family after thinking for so long that we might not be able to. Of course I also loved swooshing my wings all day!

DREAM TEAM

Dress: EMERY & Tulle Wings - Alyssa Kristin

Venue: Titanic Hotel

Photographer - Emma Rock Photographer

Florist - Kathryn’s Flower Barn

Cake - Lola Rose Cakes

Stationery - Paperless Post

MUA - Oh So Tippy

Hair - Ciara Armstrong

Bridesmaids Dresses - Rewritten

Menswear - Red Groomswear

Jewellery - Coco Mango