A Northern Ireland couple has opened up on their perfect local wedding after cancelling their original Dominican Republic plans.
In Be ‘s new weekly feature ‘Inside My Wedding’, couples are sharing an insight into their wedding to give you some tips and ideas for your big day.
Kenzie McClaughry, 25, from Bangor and her husband John, 28, from Fermanagh got engaged on Christmas Eve 2017 and were supposed to marry in the Caribbean on July 10, 2020. This was postponed to April 4 of this year and later cancelled.
The SEN classroom assistant and artist finally got married on July 24 at Glenpark Estate, Co Tyrone, and have told all about their beautiful wedding day.
The happy couple
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
Tell us all about your wedding from start to finish!
We fell in love with Glenpark Estate after attending a family party there. We knew instantly that if we were going to get married at home this was the venue for us. From our first meeting with Kendall the wedding planner, we knew we had made the right decision.
They went above and beyond for us and nothing was ever too much bother. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect and we couldn’t have asked for anymore. We even managed to get the weather we would have had in the Dominican Republic which made the whole thing even better!
The bridal party
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
What changes were caused by the pandemic?
We were originally due to get married in the Dominican Republic but Covid got in the way of things. We cancelled and rescheduled our wedding two times before giving up on the idea of an abroad wedding.
After seeing Glenpark in May 2021 we decided we weren’t going to let Covid carry on wrecking our plans to tie the knot and instantly knew this was the venue for us – so we booked our date for a few short weeks after.
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
What was your theme?
We decided to go with a rustic theme as we felt this suited our personalities and fitted with the venue as it has a quirky feel to it, plus we like to be a little different.
John is very handy and he decided to build his own wooden games, signs and an arch for us. We wanted to have a laid back, fun-filled day and I think our guests will agree it was just that!
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Where did you get the dresses?
My dress was by Enzoani which I got at the bridal suite at Blackwood Golf Club which has sadly since closed.
Bridesmaid dresses were online from Ever-Pretty and my cousin did all the alterations for mine and the bridesmaids dresses as she is a dress maker. The suits were from Walker Clothing in Irvinestown, Fermanagh.
What flowers did you go for?
I got my flowers from DD’s Flowers in Irvinestown, Fermanagh. I decided on a wild flower theme as I love flowers and again wanted to be a little different to the usual. I felt they matched our theme and the venue well. I had pink tones to tie in with the bridesmaids and some splashes of colour for summer time.
Unique seating plan
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
What were the best and hardest parts of planning?
The best parts of planning were definitely getting to come up with different ideas that we hadn’t seen at weddings before and getting to add bits of our personalities to the day.
We asked John’s friend to be our flower man which went down a treat with the guests and we also had Polaroid pictures of all guests to find on a pallet for our seating plan.
The hardest parts of planning for me was not having my mum there. I lost my mum when I was a child so I’ve always known my wedding day was going to be such a bittersweet day as I prepared to have one of the biggest days in my life without her.
Another worry for us was Covid of course, the constant panic and worry in the back of my mind that at any second Covid could mess up our plans again.
The ‘flower man’
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
What was the best moment of your big day?
We both agree that the best moment of the day was our sparkler send-off. Towards the end of the night all our guests lined up facing each other and we walked through a lit-up pathway.
I just remember feeling on top of the world that our day had finally happened and all our family and friends were there to celebrate with us!
Sparkler send-off
(Image: Submitted)
What are your top tips for other brides?
My top tips to other brides would be to share the workload with family and friends – they are always happy to and willing to be involved in your big day.
Don’t get caught up on the small things, they really don’t matter – life always has a way of working out! Enjoy and take in every single moment because it really is over in a flash!
Wedding cake
(Image: Sheena T Photography)
What do you wish you didn’t worry about?
To be honest I was very laid back about it all, I just couldn’t wait to get married. My only worry was people not being able to attend due to isolating or having Covid.
Although this was completely out of my hands so I wish I spent less time worrying about the ‘what ifs’ as it all worked out in the end.
Do you want to tell us all about your wedding day? Email [email protected] to be featured!
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