A Ballyliffen Lodge Wedding Featuring Stunning Flowers and Accessories

From the bride: We wanted to have all of our close family and friends gathered together to share our wedding day with us. We wanted a relaxed and happy day for everyone to enjoy, nothing elaborate just a celebration of our love and marriage. We had our wedding on the 12th July as it fell on a Friday and we knew that family and friends could make a weekend of it and stay down a second night to relax and enjoy ourselves. The weather was unbelievable, however that is one element we have no control over!

What did you want in your dress?

When I set out to look for my dress I knew that I wanted a sweetheart neckline, fishtail skirt and a band to break up the waistline. I knew that I definitely wanted a beautiful lace with no beading or embellishments. I just wanted the fabric to speak for itself! After visiting 8 bridal shops and not finding the “one” my Mum spotted the Suzanne Neville ‘Hepburn’ online and I had it ordered into Castle Couture in Ballymena. It was perfect! The design and craftsmanship of the dress was out of this world, it gave me curves where I had none!

What inspired your day?

Our theme was slightly Vintage and Floral. The colour scheme was Spearmint and Coral. We got married in The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beragh and the reception was in The Ballyliffen Lodge and Spa Hotel. We fell in love with the hotel and location (by the beach) when we were at Paul’s cousin’s wedding the previous year. The staff, accommodation and food, it was so welcoming. We thought that it would be beautiful for photographs and it worked out well having the seabreeze on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year! 28 degrees!

Tell us about all your little details.

On the morning of the wedding Paul and I had left a card for each other. Inside mine was a picture of a Minature Schnauzer puppy…my wedding present! I had bought Paul a set of little car cufflinks to wear on the day. Paul’s Dad made me a CD of my favourite relaxing songs to chill me out whilst getting ready on the morning of the wedding, it was lovely. My mum, sister and auntie from Greece had decorated the house beautifully with flowers and organza. My mum and sister had left me a little gift bag with little goodies and essentials for the day. I created my own head piece and necklace. The headpiece was a beaded and embellished sample of lace from my dress and my necklace was made from my Grannie’s pearls which I embellished. I made the bridesmaid’s haircombs, shoulder brooch, earrings and bracelets. I added floral embellishments to my little Goddaughter’s flower girl dress. I also created my mums jewellery to match her outfit which was created by our wonderful friend, neighbor and very talented dress maker, Lily Anthony. Lily made the bridesmaids dresses and did all the alterations to my dress. I bought lovely spearmint and coral coloured jam jars which I had filled by a local lady with beautiful summer flowers for the tables. My sister and sister in-law, the bridesmaids made lovely sweetie jars and table numbers in little photo frames for the tables which were surrounded by tealights. Our table plan and invitations were designed by Lotus Graphic Design, Oonagh Moore. We had a local traditional group playing music as the guests entered the reception, we heard them playing in the hotel on the previous year’s St.Patrick’s Day. A lovely friend of ours Valerie Shortt made delicious traybakes for the guests arriving, along with a scrumptious fruit cake for after the meal. Adele Doherty created our amazing cake which she also set up for us.

We had pictures taken at the gardens in Knockmoyle and on the beach at Ballyliffen. We all had different coloured Converse style shoes for the beach just to add a bit of fun!
We donated money to Alzhiemer’s Society UK, Chron’s and Colitis UK and Cancer Research in lieu of favours.

What was your favourite part of the day?

The whole day was amazing from start to finish, it just swept me away like a fairytale. It’s hard to decide on one particular part but when I was getting ready to leave my house and my whole family gathered on our front lawn to have a glass of champagne in the glorious sunshine, it was so surreal. I loved seeing Paul’s face as I walked up the aisle. After the meal my brother had put together a surprise slideshow of Paul and I over the years from childhood to our wedding day. That was really lovely, and emotional!! And our first dance to Michael Buble’s ‘Everything’ to which I had the band announce that I had booked us tickets to see him in Dublin on the way to our honeymoon in Portugal. It was brilliant to see the surprise on Paul’s face! He is a big fan ha ha! Our band were fantastic, they had everyone dancing!

Any advice for our planning brides?
Keep it simple and spend your money on the things that are most important to you. Everything does fall into place on the day. Just remember the most important part of the day is your marriage ceremony. Relax and enjoy the buildup and the Big Day!