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Belfast Live

Nadia Breen

Inside My Wedding: NI couple's big day at the Carrickdale Hotel & Spa after Covid postponements

NI (Location) Covid-19 Be Newry

A Newry couple has shared an insight into their beautiful wedding at the Carrickdale Hotel and Spa.

27-year-old Kerrie Fox and husband Caolán Fox (31) had their big day on August 18, 2022 after postponing a few times due to the pandemic.

In our weekly feature Inside My Wedding, couples are delving into their special day to give bride and grooms-to-be some top tips.

The pair had their ceremony at St Catherine’s Dominican Church in Newry.

Kerrie told Be: "Caolán and I first seen each other on Boxing Night 2012. He was a bit shy so he got his sister to reach out to my sister for my number! They were good friends at the time. He plucked up the courage to ask me out and I suppose the rest is history.

"We got engaged Christmas Day 2018 after spending a few months abroad in New York. Time has honestly gone so quick! We will be together 10 years soon and we’re blessed to have our little boy Luán."

Kerrie has told us all about their big day!

Tell us all about your wedding day!

Other than the birth of my little boy it was the best day of my life! I couldn’t believe how fast the day went. It was raining on and off all morning and I had always dreaded the thought of getting out at the chapel in my wedding dress but surprisingly it never annoyed me! I was just so caught up in the moment. It was such a rush trying to get everyone out of the house, the rain was the last thing on my mind.

Amazingly, on the way to our reception the sun came from nowhere and it turned out to be the most beautiful day. We definitely had someone watching over us. We waited what felt like forever for our big day. We were originally meant to marry in September 2020 and like many others, we had to postpone a few times but we got our day nearly two years later! Caolán and I were just so happy to be husband and wife.

Kerrie and her bridesmaids (4Ever Photos)

I would just like to add that all my suppliers were amazing and I didn’t need to worry about anything. But I would like to give a special shout out to The Flower Barrow in Newry. I may be biased, but I thought my flowers were absolutely out of this world! I loved everything about them and still to this day I get so many compliments on them.

How did you begin planning your wedding?

As soon as that ring went on my finger, I went into planning mode! It didn’t take long to realise that wedding suppliers book up fast! We knew we wanted to marry in St Catherine’s Dominican in Newry so the next thing was to find our venue and band. We fell in love with the Carrickdale Hotel & Spa. It wasn’t too far to travel, the service and food is top class and the gardens are absolutely beautiful for photos. Our wedding co-ordinator Rachel was amazing! She went above and beyond for us on the day and in the lead up. Our band was The Professionals ft Joe McClean, they were unbelievable! The dance floor was full all night and all of our guests couldn’t stop talking about them!

Tell us all about your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses & suits!

Personally, I felt a lot of pressure to pick the perfect dress for myself. You can get caught up on what other people think and it’s a big commitment choosing the dress you’ll be married in - those photos are there for the rest of your life! I got my gown in White Gold Bridal in Ballymena and honestly it was the best experience! Dorothy had so much time for us, she would have let me try on every dress in the shop if I wanted. I was torn between two styles and Dorothy really helped me make my decision. I’m a very indecisive person.

My bridesmaid dresses were from Creative Ideas in Armagh and again the staff in there really know their stuff! I thought it was going to be difficult to suit all four girls, but it was so easy picking their dresses. I seen the colour and fell in love instantly. Like most men, Caolán hates shopping and having to try on clothes! We went to Robert Paynter in Armagh after hearing about them from a friend and honestly it was a great experience. Fast and efficient! Julie had such an eye for detail and really listened to what we wanted for the boys.

What was the best part in the build-up to your day?

The best part in the build up to our day was seeing how excited our families and friends were about us finally being able to get married without any Covid restrictions. Caolán and I were the first to be married in both our houses, so there was a lot of excitement from everyone. It was also nice to have wee days out here and there, meeting suppliers and making the most out of our weekends in the lead up to the wedding.

What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?

The best moment was definitely meeting each other at the end of the aisle! It’s such an overwhelming feeling of happiness and excitement. The car journey to our reception was really nice too because it was probably the only time we had alone to soak in that we just got married. We loved everything about our day, everything went so well and there was nothing we had to worry about. Our band also put on such a good show, it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves.

What would you tell other bride and grooms to plan first & what are your top tips?

I would definitely advise to book your venue and band first. In my opinion, people love a good feed and great music to get them up on the dancefloor all night. All of our guests partied into the next morning. A good photographer won't only give you nice photos, but they are great for keeping your timings right throughout the day. I found this really important because then you had more time to relax with your other half when all the official things were done.

What were the hardest parts to plan?

At first nothing was really hard to plan, sometimes it's difficult to get all the suppliers you want but you have to compromise somewhere. I suppose when Covid happened that’s when I found things difficult. Having to rearrange the wedding twice was very disheartening and stressful. I had already bought a lot of personalised items which didn’t match our new date. Minor things that felt like the end of the world at the time.

We lost suppliers that I wanted which was upsetting but everyone was great at giving recommendations and our day turned out perfect! Looking back, I honestly believe things happen for a reason because from cancelling our wedding we bought our first home together and were blessed with our little boy Luán.

What was your theme?

We didn’t have a theme and I never really wanted one, I’m a 'less is more' kind of girl. We changed our date that many times I’m glad I didn’t do a seasonal theme. I just chose what I liked.

Would you do anything different?

I definitely wouldn’t rush into booking things. Take some time to think about what you really want. Weddings are expensive and when you get engaged you can get caught up in the moment and impulsively book things you don’t need. Make your day unique to you and don’t worry about what others will think.