An NI couple have shared a look into their classic wedding day at Galgorm Resort and Spa.
31-year-olds Andrew and Lee Scott-Mulholland from Lurgan met in 2017 when staying at the hotel to start off their Christmas holidays.
The primary school teacher and finance worker later got married in December 2021 back where they first met.
Read more: Inside my wedding: NI couple's beautiful day at Roe Park Resort
In Be 's weekly feature Inside My Wedding, couples are delving into their special day to give brides and grooms-to-be some top tips.
Andrew told Be: "Lee and I met four years ago. We were both staying up at the Galgorm to start off the Christmas holidays in style. We had actually been staying at the resort for the previous few years as a bit of a Christmas tradition, but we hadn’t actually crossed paths until 22nd December 2017.
"We were both down at the spa and I noticed Lee swimming past me. Initially I didn’t think that I was his type, but when we got chatting later on that evening in Gillies, and I realised that I was, I just knew that he was the one.
"By Boxing Day, I was down in Carlingford meeting Lee’s entire family, as they were staying there for Christmas, and the rest really was history. We were sale agreed on our house within five months of knowing each other, and with a trip to the Amalfi Coast coming up that summer, I knew that I wanted to ask Lee a very important question…
"After a romantic meal at a roof top restaurant in Sorrento, I popped the question and asked Lee to marry me, down a picturesque, cobbled street. Lee of course said yes and we immediately got to work on planning the best day of our lives!"
Andrew has told us all about their big day!
Tell us all about your wedding day!
As we met at the Galgorm on December 22, we knew we wanted to have a festive, classic wedding just before Christmas. It's our favourite time of the year, so it made perfect sense.
The night before the wedding, we stayed at the cottages at Galgorm with our respective wedding parties and our parents. Lee stayed with his four groomsmen and I stayed with my four groomsmaids. We had a rehearsal dinner at Castle Kitchen and it was great to just get our nearest and dearest together to kick off the celebrations in style.
We wanted our wedding to be unforgettable and we wanted to make sure that our guests were entertained from start to finish.
We chose to have a humanist ceremony in the Phantom House. Emma Bailie did the most perfect job with our ceremony. It was such a beautiful, emotional ceremony and although there were plenty of tears, there were also lots of laughs too. It was so personal to us. Emma shared our story with our guests and she helped us write our own vows too. Then we had mulled wine for everyone.
After the ceremony, we had our reception in the Great Hall. We had a jazz singer, Andi Mac, providing the entertainment with loads of Bublé and Sinatra classics before our call for dinner. We had cocktails, copious glasses of prosecco flowing and delicious hors d'oeuvres and canapés for our guests to enjoy.
As cliché as it sounds, it was just the most perfect day from start to finish, jam packed with lots of surprises for everyone. We had fireworks, a cigar bar, s’mores, a snow machine and gold confetti cannons for after the first dance. We would give anything to be able to do it all again and are already planning an extravagant vow renewal for our ten year anniversary!
How did you begin planning your wedding?
Our first port of call was booking our venue. We knew it was going to be at the Galgorm and just wanted to secure our date. We just love the hotel and always have the best time when we’re staying there. It’s a very special place for us and is just our happy place.
We went up to the wedding showcase and met with our wedding coordinator Donna. She was honestly amazing and made the whole planning process stress free.
How did you decide on the venues?
At the Galgorm we wanted to use the Phantom House for our ceremony venue. For the time of the year that we were getting married, we wanted a real intimate feel for our ceremony and it was just beautifully decorated. It was perfect.
The Great Hall suited our wedding theme very well. We wanted real classic and elegant vibes so it was the natural choice.
Tell us all about the suits and dresses!
I had four groomsmaids and Lee and I wanted them to be in white for our wedding. Our mums were also given the same brief to make sure we all tied in. The men wore classic black tuxedos and Lee and I went for some statement velvet jackets to top ours off. I wore a maroon jacket, while Lee wore a green one. The suits were by Red Groomswear and they were so easy to deal with, we’d really recommend them. Ask for Tom!
Lee and I also treated ourselves to a pair of Louboutins each. I mean why not?!
We actually struggled to find the perfect dresses for the girls. We went to a few shops but nothing was jumping out. Lee stumbled across the perfect dresses on ASOS. They were long sleeved, sequin embellished white dresses and they looked amazing on each of the girls! They were perfect!
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
We absolutely loved it all. Lunches out with the wedding parties, our stags, all the Galgorm wedding showcases that we attended - we loved the hype and the build up. We were so excited for our big day.
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
For me it was the ceremony. It was so perfectly emotional and personal to the pair of us. Everyone commented on how amazing it was. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room!
Lee’s favourite part was the fireworks. They were the perfect way to finish off the most amazing day.
What would you tell other couples to plan first & what are your top tips?
Definitely the venue. I think just do you too. As a same-sex wedding, it was nice to break some of the traditional rules. We walked into the ceremony with our mums. It’s your day and you want it to be perfect for you. Who cares what anyone else thinks?!
For us, one of the things that we are so glad we got, was a videographer. It’s great to have to look back on and remember the day. We cry every time we watch ours!
What were the hardest parts to plan?
To be honest, as a very organised person, and with our wedding coordinator help, we didn’t find anything too difficult. I had a spreadsheet for everything. I suppose Lee and I had a few disagreements over the guest list and it was tricky trying to do the seating arrangements, but in the end everything worked out perfectly.
What was your theme?
We wanted a real classic, timeless and classy Christmas wedding. We did our best to think of everything to really set the vibe for the day, right down to the invites. The invites are people’s first opportunity to get a feel for your day, so it was important for us to have invites that reflected this. Laura at Two Little Words design studio did not disappoint.
Would you do anything different?
Honestly no - the whole day was everything we dreamed of. It was exactly what we wanted.
Do you want to tell us all about your wedding day? Email be@belfastlive.co.uk to be featured!
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