A Belfast couple have shared a look inside their beautiful wedding at The Loft, Templepatrick.
Brooke, 29, and Ross Hanna, 28, had their big day on June 4, 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: Inside Co Down couple's 'clean and crisp' wedding day at Orange Tree House
Brooke said: "We met in 2014 when Ross spotted me in Box Nightclub (he still remembers the blue dress I wore!) and then he messaged me on social media.
"We then had our first proper chat in El Divino and the rest was history! He asked me to be his girlfriend in August 2014, we moved into our first house in December 2017 and Ross got down on one knee while we were watching the sunset in Ibiza in July 2019."
The Belfast woman has told us all about their big day..
Tell us all about your wedding day!
Our wedding day was June 4, 2022 and it was the most perfect day. When we got engaged, we knew we didn’t want to get married straightaway. We wanted time to enjoy being engaged and more importantly, to start saving for the wedding. We booked our wedding in September 2020, just over a year after we got engaged. We thought it was going to take ages to come around, but it really did fly in! I was praying for no rain from the moment we set the date and luckily the weather was incredible.
How did you begin planning your wedding?
To begin with we thought we wanted to get married abroad in Ibiza as it always had a special place in our hearts - with having so many memories there together.
We even hired a wedding planner in Ibiza who started to send us over venues and ideas. Soon after a lot of thought, we decided it was a lot to ask of family and friends to travel abroad for our wedding, so we decided to have it at home depending on if we found a venue we loved.
We spent ages online looking at loads of different type of venues. We knew we didn’t want a traditional hotel kind of wedding and knew it was going to take something special for us to feel like it was the right one.
How did you decide on your venue?
We looked around a few but nothing felt very ‘us’. We then made an appointment at The Loft at The Rabbit Hotel in Templepatrick. I was a bit dubious as Templepatrick is ten minutes from our house and I felt it was maybe too close to home. But when we arrived at The Loft, we met the wedding coordinator Abbey who we clicked with straight away.
She explained that the venue was still a building site, but she could show us the plans of what was to come. We looked at the plans and fell in love straight away. We were shown around the building site and had to use our imagination to envision what the venue would be like when finished. We got so excited and just knew it was the one!
It turned out such a blessing being so close to home as it meant everyone could get there easily and we loved the idea that no one was out a fortune having to book hotels to stay over if they didn’t want to. We set our date that day.
Tell us about your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses & suits!
I went wedding dress shopping about two-three weeks after we put the deposit down for our venue. I thought wedding dress shopping was going to be such a long and hard process, so I got started straight away. I always knew I wanted something simple with a low back, but I kept in mind that everyone says you always end up picking the opposite to what you imagined. I went to four dress shops in total. In the first two I went to, I hated every single dress as they were all just a bit too much for me.
I am really petite so many of the dresses wore me instead of me wearing them. In the second shop I didn’t even try any on as I just knew by looking that none of them were for me. Finally in the fourth shop, I found the one. This was in Pippa Bridal in Coleraine.
I put it on and instantly just knew it was the one for me and so did my mum and nanny. For my bridesmaids dresses, I wanted the same - just simple and timeless. I went for a neutral colour and a simple shape and tried to find something that would complement all of my bridesmaids so they all felt comfortable. Ross had full control over the suits and didn’t let me see them until the day. I trusted him and he picked just what I would have chosen for the boys myself.
What was the best part in the build up to your day?
I am such an organised person and love planning things so the whole wedding planning was really enjoyable for me. Spreadsheets were my best friend during the planning. I was expecting to be really stressed out after hearing about other people's experiences but I don’t think I got too stressed until maybe around one month before.
This was just with the worry that everything was going to come together in the end. I really enjoyed my hen party that my bridesmaids put on for me – it was something I'll never forget, just having all my friends and family together for a lovely night out. The girls also took me to Galgorm for a little surprise spa break before the wedding. That was a lovely, relaxing time and was just perfect to do two weeks before the big day.
What was the best moment of your day and your other favourite parts?
I loved every second of our day! But my favourite part was probably walking down the aisle and seeing Ross at the end. I was so nervous for this part as I didn’t want everyone to look at me, but honestly as soon as I got to the bottom of the aisle and seen Ross at the top, all my nerves disappeared.
Our ceremony was very personal with some little mistakes which made everyone laugh and just made it not so serious and showed our personalities. I loved the speeches. They meant so much to us and were so special. Also our first dance was really fun!
What would you tell other couples to plan first & what are your top tips?
Just have fun throughout the whole process and relax! Plan your day how you want it and do not worry too much about traditions or what you think is the proper thing to do. My biggest worry was that I just wanted everyone to have the best day – which they did. You have to remember everyone is there to celebrate you and everyone is so happy for you, so naturally everyone will be in the best mood and be excited to celebrate.
What were the hardest parts to plan and did you come across any difficulties?
We didn’t really have any difficulties but I’d say the hardest part was probably doing the seating plan. Picking vendors was a little difficult at the start as there are so many in Northern Ireland to choose from, but I was over the moon with everyone we picked.
Did you have a theme?
We didn’t have a theme, just simple and nothing over the top or unnecessary. The vibe for our wedding was for everyone to relax, have the best fun and enjoy themselves.
Would you do anything different or wish there was anything you didn't worry about?
I wouldn’t change a thing apart from maybe worry less in the weeks running up to the wedding about everything going okay, as on the day everything comes together and it was more than I could have hoped for.
Vendors:
Venue: The Loft, Templepatrick
Photographer: Mark Barnes Photography
Videographer: D3rk Matter
Ceremony & reception singer: Rachel Toman
DJ: Ryan Annett
Flowers: Origin Flowers
Cake: NI Cake Design
Invites, stationary & signs: Grace Notes Design
Makeup: Lauren Montgomery
Hair: Rose Alexis
Dress: Pippa Bridal
Bridesmaid dresses: Forever Bridal
Dress Alterations: Kelly Black Design
Suits: Red Groomswear
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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.
