Real Wedding – Laura & Johnny

This real wedding is pretty close to my heart as it is my Sister in law and now Brother in law! I was very fortunate to be bridesmaid! Let me tell you all about it.

It all started when both Laura & Johnny met on a college night out while studying in Coleraine University. Laura thought Johnny said his name was Stephen and pretty much called him that all night….awkward! Anyway, it wasn’t long before they were boyfriend and girlfriend and flash forward to a few years later back in Portrush to find Johnny down on one knee asking for Laura’s hand in marriage. The romance was aided by a pack of young fella’s shouting ‘just say yea’! 🙂

Preparations

Laura and Johnny had a very clear idea of what they wanted and sure didn’t they have one of Ireland’s leading wedding bloggers at their beck and call to help them plan.

They viewed a number of venues and fell in love with the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim. It ticked all the boxes as it had the size they needed for their guest list, they were able to do 2-3 nights as there were plenty of rooms and it was a short distance from the church.

“Mary and Patrick (and all the Knightsbrook staff) were unreal, so helpful and accommodating, they couldn’t have done enough for us“

There was one thing that Laura & Johnny knew straight away……Eamonn Toal Wedding Band had to be there. They knew Eamonn already, he’s great craic and he’s a pro at getting the party going.

Laura visited 10 different shops….yep….10! The reason for this was that Laura had an idea of what she thought she wanted in her head, but when she tried on the dress she thought she wanted, it just didn’t feel like the ‘one’. On the 10th shop we visited, Bridal by Nikki Kavanagh, which has since gone, she tried on a gown that wasn’t in her mind set and WOW…..it was made for her. She chose a La Sposa classic gown….with pockets!

Johnny had all of his brothers as groomsmen and the Belfast boys got suited and booted out in Bogart’s (Belfast). It was a pretty easy decision as they wanted to keep it black tie and elegant.

Laura spotted Ted Baker bridesmaids dresses and we all loved them. As luck would have it they went out of stock. Laura searched high and low . The dress was spotted on poor Evelyn O’ Rourke, Laura’s mum even called her for a lend…..yes this is true! Laura also spotted the dresses on a Chinese website and ordered one….needless to say, the dress did not arrive, a T-Shirt did instead. Finally, through pure perseverance Laura got the 3 dresses from ASOS!

The Big Day

“The day itself was amazing and I have to say we didn’t stress out once, we knew everything was organised and Mary had everything under control! Even the weather held up, which I definitely didn’t expect on the 28th December!”

I’ve never seen a more relaxed bride and groom. You could see that this was the best day of their lives. The food was fantastic, not only did some of the guests say it was the best wedding meal they’ve ever had but others said it was the best meal they’ve ever had…you can’t get higher praise than that!

The decor was Christmas and winter themed. Acorns were a big feature and included in the table plan designed by Table Plan Designs. Laura found a huge birdcage in her granny’s attic and spray painted. Laura and Johnny displayed pictures of loved ones and their parents wedding on it.

One of the main features Laura wanted for her ballroom decor was chivari chairs and she went with Flor from Weddings at Home. They completely transformed the room. A light up dance floor gave the room the final sparkle and that was from Wow Weddings. The couple opted to go with a selfie mirror from Wow Weddings and it was great craic. Everyone congregated around it. The cake was displayed beside it and Sarah from custom cakes did a beautiful buttercream multi-flavoured cake.

The dancing was the best craic. Eamonn Toal had the dance floor full all night and even let Laura’s dad rock it out for a few songs as well which was definitely a highlight!

Parting Advice

What would you do differently

“I should have tried on every single style dress initially, even styles that I thought I didn’t want as it may have reduced the number of dress shops I went to! You have no idea what you like/what suits you until you try it on!”