A Belfast couple has shared a look into their relaxed wedding at The Treehouse at AMPM.
29-year-olds Charlotte and Ciaran Doran had their ceremony beforehand at Belfast City Hall on July 29, 2022.
In our weekly feature Inside My Wedding, couples are delving into their special day to give bride and grooms-to-be some top tips.
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Charlotte, who was 20 weeks pregnant on the big day, told Be: "We met in 2014 when we matched on Tinder (which was the ‘in thing’ then). We had our first date a few days later and instantly clicked. We met at 7pm for dinner and drinks and were still out chatting at 4am in McDonald's in town.
"Ciaran asked me to be his girlfriend in July 2014 and he proposed in November 2016 at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle."
Here is all about their special day.
Tell us all about your wedding day!
Our wedding day was July 29th 2022, our anniversary as a couple so we wanted to combine the two dates! We had an amazing day. Our wedding was supposed to be two years prior but with the pandemic it had to be postponed a few times. For it to finally happen was so exciting. I was worried about the weather as rain was forecast, but the sun ended up shining for us. A little rain came in the evening, but thankfully our venue had a retractable roof so we got the best of both worlds!
How did you begin planning your wedding?
We got engaged at a young age so when we started wedding planning, we did get a bit overwhelmed. At first, we looked into getting married abroad in Marbella as we love it there, however we couldn’t justify the expense as it was a lot to ask our friends and family to travel. At the same time, we were saving for our first home which took priority. As we knew we both wanted a small, laid-back vibe, we settled on a city wedding.
How did you decide on your venue?
We looked online at a few options in the city centre. We viewed the Merchant Hotel which was beautiful, but for us it was too much of a traditional hotel wedding which we didn’t want at all. I had been to a work party in The Treehouse previously and I remembered really liking the space. We booked in to view it and decided on the day that it was perfect for what we were looking for. The location was so close to our City Hall ceremony and the décor was so pretty, we didn’t have to add much.
Tell us about your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and suits!
I purchased a dress from Forever Bridal, Finaghy quite a long time ago before our original date in 2020. However, in April of this year, I found out I was pregnant meaning I would be 20 weeks on our wedding day. I started to panic a little. With only a few months out to the big day I knew my dress wasn’t going to work and my taste had also changed. I didn’t have time to go dress shopping properly in local boutiques, as I knew order times can be months in advance. I searched online for hours and bought a couple of dresses.
After a few weeks, I found the one from the same brand I bought my bridesmaids dresses, Pretty Lavish. I had the sleeves altered and added some buttons to the back to create the dress I wanted. My dressmaker recommended an amazing fabric shop, Craftswoman Fabrics, which I spent some time in choosing material for the buttons as close as a colour match to my dress as possible. It was a really fun experience and it was nice to support a local business after purchasing my dress from an online retailer. For my bridesmaids dresses, I wanted simple, elegant and something they would feel comfortable in. I also had my heart set on white, I think it's such a classy look and a bit different. For the suits, Ciaran decided on a tux which was definitely the right choice, they looked really smart.
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
I found out during the process that I love organising things for other people but not so much myself. That being said, I didn’t let things overly stress me out, even with being pregnant! I’m really organised so I just took one thing at a time and took my time with making decisions. About a month before the wedding, my bridesmaids and friends organised a lovely hen party for me in Galgorm. We stayed in the Shepherd's Huts, which was so fun. We lit the firepit in the evening and all played a quiz! The weeks leading up to our wedding really did fly in, so we just enjoyed our time together during the countdown, seeing family and friends before the big day!
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
My favourite part was walking down the aisle and seeing Ciaran, which was surprising as this is what I was most nervous for. The whole experience of City Hall was really fun. It was a Friday lunchtime when we got married, so town had a good buzz. We got stopped by so many people congratulating us and giving compliments, it was so lovely and everyone seemed in great spirits. We both enjoyed having our photos taken in the Grand Central Hotel. Ciaran also felt our baby kick for the first time, which really was a special moment I will never forget.
What are your top tips for other couples?
To relax and enjoy the process! Try not to overthink and don’t panic if you can’t get something booked or don’t follow certain wedding traditions. There’s always a way to create something special to you and it's more than likely going to turn out way better than it would have. Everything will fall into place.
What were the hardest parts to plan?
For us being affected by the pandemic, it was quite challenging to get our date changed with the venue and vendors. We lost our original cake and hair vendors, but I was so happy with both the cake and how my hair turned out so I wouldn’t look back!
Would you do anything different?
I wouldn’t change a single thing, everything came together. At times during the evening, I was a bit conscious if people were having fun, but looking back I was in my own head and everyone had an amazing time!
Venue: Belfast City Hall & The Treehouse (AMPM)
Photographer: Brendan Gallagher Photography
Reception singer: Luke O’Loan
DJ: Greg Cush
Flowers: Kathryn’s Flower Barn
Cake: French Village
Makeup: Gemma Garrett
Hair: Amy Fay
Suits: Red Groomswear
Dress & bridesmaid dresses: Pretty Lavish Bridal
Dress alternations: Lesley Morgan Dressmaker
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Do you want to tell us all about your wedding day? Email be@belfastlive.co.uk for your chance to be featured.
