A NI couple have shared a look inside their beautiful wedding day at Galgorm Resort and Spa.
Jowita (26) and Shane Donnelly (29), who live in Dungannon, had their big day on July 16, 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.
Read more: Couple's NI-Fijian fusion wedding at Rocky Mountain, Co Down
Jowita told Be: "We met through a friend outside a local restaurant where Shane worked at the time as a waiter, unfortunately our story is not a love at first sight story that everyone expects...
"We got engaged on Christmas Day, 2019 in the living room of our brand new first home. Shane and our wee boy Leo who was not even 1 yet at the time was also down on his knee, holding the box with the ring."
Here's all about their special day.
Tell us all about your wedding day!
Our wedding was the best wedding we’ve both been at.... not to be biased haha!
We had such high expectations and it lived way beyond that. Best day of our lives.
How did you begin planning your wedding?
We had originally planned our wedding to be in Poland as I wanted to get married there because of my roots. But Covid of course threw a spanner in the works so we took the easy route to get married here and it was the best decision!
We started with the venue because that’s one thing we were sure of! And the rest just rolled after that.
How did you decide on your venue?
We got married in Galgorm Resort and Spa in Ballymena, we chose the Renaissance Suite in the Galgorm as it was just a bit more our vibe with the décor. It's more modern than other wedding rooms they offer. It was an easy choice for us when it came to the venue. We’re absolutely obsessed with the place and visit for spa breaks a couple of times a year, so it was a no-brainer. They also have a lot of vendors already included in the packages which meant less work/stress for us. Our wedding co-ordinator Kim was brilliant, thanks to her everything turned out the way it did!
Tell us about your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and suits!
So the wedding dress was bought in Verona Bridal in Magherafelt. I absolutely adore 'Millanova' which is one of the brands they stock. They’re the only shop in the country that stock Millanova as well. I loved the brand but definitely didn’t expect to go for the dress I did. I was SURE I was going to go plain, no sequins, very fitted etc but went for the complete opposite! The dress was bought off the rack which was great and it was literally half of the price and it had only been tried on a couple of times.
The only problem I faced with the dress was the timing of when I bought it. Imagine I went wedding dress shopping a month after I gave birth to my wee girl Lana! I was a size 12/14 buying my usual size of dress which was an 8. But we did it!!!
But… because of the weight and length of the dress, I had got a second dress from Nadine Merabi to change into.
The bridesmaids dresses got so many compliments. I got them all from Pretty Lavish online and just got them fitted to suit each bridesmaid. They were really reasonable and were the best quality. I fell in love with the different necklines.
Shane’s suit, the groomsmen and the fathers' suits were all bought from Tom Morrow's in Dungannon. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful. As smooth as!
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
I think picking the vendors! It’s very exciting because we have so many talented people around here - so plenty of choices and I discovered so many people I didn’t know about! Also stationery and décor of the room! My fav!
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
It would definitely have to be between walking down the aisle and having this crazy feeling you’ve never felt before, or when entering the room at the venue! Nothing else on your mind but what’s happening around you - seeing everyone that wanted to come and share our day with us! The late licence to 4am was also one of the best ideas. Music and bar to 4am? Definitely something we’d recommend!
What are your top tips for other couples?
Find venues/vendors you like and as soon as you see your 'ideal' then book it, because everything does book up so fast.
Also, I would say that the most important thing is to make sure you put your vision out there with all vendors involved and don’t shy away from asking questions. Which can be hard sometimes because for most it’s the only time that you have to deal with that many professionals at once, and it leaves you out of your comfort zone. Well that’s how it was for me anyway...
But, don’t ask, you don’t get!
What were the hardest parts to plan?
It’s very hard to match the image/expectations in your head. Find similar and go with it. I wish I took that advice, I would say don’t think too much about whatever you’re trying to find to the point that it feels like a chore searching. Don’t beat yourself up about finding perfection.
What was your theme?
We had a minimalistic theme I would say. My dress ironically would say otherwise but plain white roses, gold and cream décor. Sounds pretty boring right? But less is more in my opinion.
Would you do anything different?
Honestly no, hindsight is a wonderful thing. There’s always something you could change/improve but I’m just grateful everyone came and shared the day with us and I didn’t trip walking up the aisle. The rest is all a bonus!
All images by Reskphotography, @resk_photography_.
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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.
