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Belfast Live

Nadia Breen

Inside My Wedding: NI couple's festive big day at Hillsborough Castle

Hillsborough Castle NI

A NI couple have shared a look into their beautiful, festive wedding.

Saintfield woman Amy Wood (31) and husband Dean Salmon (29) from Dublin had their big day on December 17, 2021 at Hillsborough Castle.

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, who are both doctors, got engaged in March 2020 and originally had a plan of getting married abroad.

Amy has told all on their big day!

Tell us all about your wedding day!

We got married in Hillsborough Castle. We organised the wedding in a short time. We had originally planned to have a bigger wedding abroad but Covid got in the way of plans.

With help from staff in Hillsborough Castle, we were able to plan the perfect day with a smaller guest list of about 70 people.

Bride and groom (Mark Barton Photography)

After getting ready, we had a humanist celebration with celebrant Ann Pinkerton. We heard our story and said vows. We then 'tied the knot' with the help of my three sisters, best friend and mum. We had cake and bubbles and a lot of fun with friends in the Castle.

After the reception, Dean and I were taken by staff of Hillsborough Castle to the amazing Christmas lights trail where we got some incredible pictures

Everyone was so excited for a celebration before Christmas as this was the start of weddings and celebrations again after lockdown. A lot of the guest list were doctor friends who were well in need of it!

My bridesmaids were my three sisters Caitlin, Lucy and Ellie and my best friend Anna. The groomsmen were Dean's brother David and best friends Gareth and Andy.

How did you begin planning?

We love to go to Hillsborough Castle for coffee and lunch. One day we were there with my sister and her partner - also one of Dean's groomsmen. We were discussing how amazing a wedding in the Castle would be and pictures along the festive light trail in the gardens. We just fell in love with the venue.

We contacted the wonderful staff in the Castle who were so helpful in organising our wedding. We had picked our celebrant before this and she was fantastic.

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

I knew exactly what dress I wanted and bought the first one I tried on. I first tried it on in lockdown, it was delivered to the house and we tried it on with my bubble. It was a small affair but I knew immediately it was the right one. With some minor alterations, it was the perfect dress for me.

Dean gets all his suits from the same place that he trusts and wedding suits weren’t an exception - Balmoral Men's Suit Hire.

The bridesmaid dresses were bought in Coast. I loved the dark colour and the simple design. I thought they really suited the time of year. The girls all wore them beautifully, they were a really easy decision, similar to the bridal gown.

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

The build up and planning for the day was so stress-free and fun. We loved talking about the upcoming wedding and excitement was at a high. I always advise friends who are about to get married to enjoy the build up to the wedding and try to keep it stress free. These were some of the best days.

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

We were so emotional throughout our couple's story presented by Ann Pinkerton. We each wrote a secret script to each other which we heard for the first time on the day. That was really special.

We loved the photos at the light trail, it was so fun to go there ourselves and walk around getting photos which nobody else has. We are the only couple so far to have those amazing photos. We even photobombed Santa!