A US couple have shared an insight into their "fairytale" wedding day at Dunluce Castle in Co Antrim.
Corey Barrows, 33, and Jamie Barrows, 29, from West Virginia, have been together since December 2018 and got engaged in September 2021.
The pair decided they wanted a destination wedding, and were blown away when they saw photos of the scenery and castles adorning the North Coast, reports the Irish Star.
Read more: Inside my wedding: NI couple's big day at Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa
In September 2022, they headed to Dunluce Castle where they, alongside a small group of friends and family, enjoyed the ceremony followed by a charcuterie-styled picnic, before heading to a number of other locations such as Dunseverick Castle, The Giant's Causeway and The Quays Bar in Portrush.
Jamie said: "Working with Rob and my other vendors was such a pleasant experience. It was so easy to plan the event. This helped me to be stress-free on the big day. My wedding day was everything I dreamed of and more."
She has told all about their "magical" wedding day here in NI.
How did you first meet and how long have you been together?
Corey worked with my dad for years before we met. Corey reached out to me and asked me out on a date to go see The Nutcracker in December 2018. We’ve been together ever since.
Tell us about your engagement.
Corey and I went to The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for a weekend trip in September 2021. He told me I needed to get dressed up for dinner early because he had something special planned for us.
He ended up surprising me with a horse and carriage ride. Shortly into the ride, he asked if we could stop for a picture at the spring house, which is a gazebo area at the resort. We walked down and started to pose for a picture and that’s when he got down on one knee and popped the question.
What made you want to have your wedding in Northern Ireland? Had you visited before the wedding?
I never wanted a big wedding. When I was in college, I started thinking about a destination wedding and always wanted to go to Ireland because of the scenery and amazing castles.
I came across Rob Dight’s Instagram account 'Epic Love Photography' and instantly knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do and I wanted him to capture our day. As soon as Corey proposed, it wasn’t even two weeks and I reached out to Rob to check his availability and started planning. I had never been to Ireland prior to our wedding.
How did you begin planning?
After confirming Rob had availability for September 2022, I started reaching out to other vendors he worked with before. It was all super simple and stress-free. All I did was reach out to the vendors on Instagram and check to see if they were available for our wedding day.
I had the fabulous Olivia Muldoon as my makeup artist, the queen of braids, Kim Annesley, Victoriana Floral created my beautiful bouquet, Toni Furtado was the mastermind behind the charcuterie-styled picnic, Sam, Dani and Calvin from Cinematic Tide created an epic video for Corey and I to relive our special day.
The celebrant for our ceremony was Owen Crane who beautifully prepared a ceremony that included a hand-fasting. His wife Annie Crane custom created the hand-fasting rope. The site at Dunluce Castle is owned by Sean McKinley, who was the most gracious host.
How did you decide on your venue?
About two months prior to our big day, I had a zoom call with Rob to look at venue locations and go over our timeline. Rob showed me pictures of all the locations we could go to, and I decided on Dunluce Castle, the scenery spoke for itself.
What was the best part of the build-up to your wedding day?
I think the best part was getting ready with everyone at our Airbnb, 'The Old Bushmills Barn'. I love that I got to chat with my hair and makeup artist, Kim and Olivia, in preparation for the day. I was surrounded by my family, and we all went to Dunluce Castle together. It really felt like a stress-free day.
What was the best moment of your day and other favourite parts?
Of course, the best part of my day was marrying Corey. Having Dunluce Castle as the backdrop for our ceremony was magical. We all enjoyed a charcuterie picnic that was styled by Toni Furtado. We got to have photographs taken in several different locations such as Dunseverick Castle, The Giant's Causeway and The Quays Bar in Portrush. It was like we were living in a fairytale.
Would you do anything differently or wish there was anything you didn't worry about?
I wouldn’t do anything differently. It was honestly the most amazing experience of my life so far. Truly magical!
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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.
