Planning your wedding is one of the most exciting and important times of your life.
But it can also be stressful, with so many things to organise and big decisions to make.
In Be ‘s new weekly feature ‘Inside My Wedding’, Northern Ireland couples will be sharing an insight in their wedding to give you some tips and ideas for your big day.
First up, we have Natalie and Francis Brennan from Belfast who got married on May 10, 2021.
31-year-old Natalie, a primary teacher and Francis (29), a keen footballer got engaged in June 2018 when they were expecting their first baby.
Here is a look into their beautiful wedding day, with their second baby on the way.
Natalie getting ready for her big day
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
What were the most stressful moments in the lead up to your day?
We were due to get married in July 2020 in Ballyliffin, Donegal. Obviously because of Covid this was postponed, so we rearranged for the following May and it was postponed again.
Because of the uncertainty we just decided to cancel altogether and had plans to run away just by ourselves with our little boy somewhere and do it low-key. We were so fed up by that stage.
We were due to have a wedding with 180 to 200 guests and we had to cut that to 60. That was stressful as we both have big families that we are so close to and wanted everyone there, but unfortunately Covid restrictions didn’t allow it.
We kept it all very low key, many of our friends and colleagues didn’t even know that we were getting married!
Beautiful flowers
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
Why did you pick this venue?
Our original venue was The Ballyliffin Lodge and Spa in Donegal. Donegal holds a special place in our heart as it’s where we first told each other we loved each other and it’s where Francis proposed to me. However because cases were so bad in Donegal and everything was so last minute, we decided to go to The Loft/Rabbit in Templepatrick.
I used to babysit for the wedding planner there, Abby and she made everything so easy to plan. She took care of everything.
Unfortunately because they had no outdoor area as it was still under construction, we couldn’t stay there after the ceremony. We went to The Balmoral Hotel as they had the courtyard to accommodate for outside drinks.
Damien and Fionnuala, the managers were absolutely amazing. They were so accommodating and did everything they could to make our day really special.
During the ceremony
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
What were the best moments?
Our ceremony itself was amazing. We had a humanist ceremony and it was so personal and intimate. Emma Bailey conducted the service and she couldn’t have been anymore perfect.
Having (most) of our nearest and dearest in the one place was just perfect. It was the first day in a long time that everyone felt a little sense of normality back again.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
How did you find the planning and how did long did it take?
Third time around the planning was so much more laid back, it only took us five weeks! Luckily the suppliers we needed were all free and we just went with the flow.
Life’s too short to stress over whether the colour of napkins match the tableware anyway!
What do you feel were the hardest parts to pick?
To be honest, I didn’t find anything too difficult to pick. I’m a really decisive person and just knew how I wanted the day to look.
Luckily Francis is really laid back and was happy for me to go with whatever!
Emotional moments
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
Where did you get your wedding dresses from?
I was reading a bridal magazine and saw a dress that I totally fell in love with and managed to find it in Jenny Lindop Bridal. It was the first and only dress I tried on and I absolutely loved it. I got a little evening dress just from ASOS too.
Despite all of this, I found out that I was expecting our second baby – so neither of the dresses fitted! I went back to Jenny and she was so amazing, she managed to find me the perfect dress that went with our laid back theme.
My bridesmaids dresses were just from ASOS and again, were the first dresses I saw and I just fell in love with them. Luckily all of the girls did too! They looked amazing in them.
Just married
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
Do you have any advice for others in the lead up to wedding planning?
Don’t sweat over the small things – no one pays attention to them anyway!
Tell us all about your theme.
Originally we were going for a floral/boho theme. Thankfully The Loft had everything decorated so we didn’t have to do anything there and I told Damien at The Balmoral just to do whatever he wanted.
Francis and his groomsmen
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
How did you feel when your wedding was cancelled?
We were totally fine with the first cancellation. All we were concerned about back then was that everyone would survive Covid. The second time was a bit disheartening but again we were just glad that everyone we love was still happy and healthy.
We knew we would get our special day, it wasn’t as planned but it couldn’t have been any more perfect.
Natalie and her bridesmaids
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
How did it feel when the big day finally came along?
So much more laid back than we had imagined. Everything was really chilled out. We were both really emotional when it came to walking down the aisle though! Sobbed like babies!
The happy family
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
What were the most important to plan first?
I suppose everyone has different priorities. For us (first time round) it was the entertainment. We both love a good party so we made sure that we had entertainment sorted for the whole day – a mix between acoustic singers, a DJ and a six piece band.
The wedding party
(Image: Paper Window Photography)
We really weren’t too concerned about all the little small touches – anything that we couldn’t remember from any weddings we had been to – we didn’t bother worrying about. Hair and makeup are important for most brides I suppose… so I wanted to make sure I had them sorted too!
Do you want to tell us all about your wedding day? Email [email protected] to be featured!
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
