Apr 06 2018
We adore our couples who hold their wedding celebrations at Larchfield Estate. Each wedding is so unique and special. So, we wanted to share some of our couple's experiences with you. Share with you what inspired them, and you may be inspired in return. Lizzie and Conal got married here on the 2nd November 2017, and what a wedding it was! Autumnal tones, a fantastic Harry Potter theme and so much more - we have totally fallen for this wedding!
We met online - Plenty of Fish.
After speaking for a few weeks he took me out for dinner and drinks. Our first date was at a Mexican restaurant because I said it was my favourite food. I was so nervous I hardly ate anything as I was worried I would get salsa all over myself lol. A few days later he asked me to be his girlfriend. We moved in after 6 months.
On our 4 year anniversary Conal took me to London. We went to Langan's Brasserie for an amazing 3 course meal and then he took me for a walk to find the bridge from Harry potter (as we are big harry potter fans- he was originally going to propose at harry potter studios in London but the people said they couldn't doanything special unfortunately). Sadly the bridge was closed to foot passengers and as we had walked for about an hour (i was wearing heels) I went to take my shoes off at a bench on the Victoria embankment beside the twinkly lights. He told me he had an anniversary gift for me so asked me to close my eyes, when I opened them he proposed. I cried a lot :).
We wanted it to be fun, relaxed, personal with a bit of magic. We both love Harry Potter so that was our theme. We sent Harry Potter train tickets as our save the date and marauder maps as our invites. I made the bridal party Harry Potter wands and we had lots of Harry Potter touches all around. We had so many people help us and we created a lot of things our self so as to make it personal. Our wedding day was even better than what we had envisioned.
The grounds of Larchfield are so beautiful and we loved that you can create exactly the perfect day to suit your taste. The staff (especially Sara) were amazingly helpful also and always tried to accommodate every idea we had allowing us to create our perfect day.
We got together in Autumn and engaged in Autumn so wanted it to be around this time of year. We also thought our Harry Potter theme would suit the warm golden tones of Autumn. We were worried about the weather but we were fortunate to have the perfect day.
I personally loved the wedding dress shopping. It felt so nice to dress up and when I put the dresses on it felt real. It was also really special to have bridesmaids, my mum, Conal's mum and my dad to join in on this.
As a lot of our planning was done online or over the phone it was nice when we got to go to wedding fayres, visit Larchfield meet with the minister etc.
I also had a beautiful wedding planner book. I also made a spreadsheet (which was a running joke) to allow everyone to know what was what and ensure everything went smoothly. I enjoyed making this as I like to think of myself as a planner.
All our suppliers were amazing!
Our florist - Gill Mee- Flowers by mee - was amazing, her ideas were so creative and her creations were stunning.
Our hair stylist - Jenna Goldblatt- did such a good job on all our hair.
Our make up artist - Emma Hannah MUA- made us look absolutely flawless and the products she used were gorgeous.
Our caterer - Old barn Catering - we couldn't recommend Peter highly enough, the food was amazing, the communication was great and everything went perfectly.
Our first band - East Atlantic Ensemble - were amazing, they brought so much atmosphere to the day and were great craic.
Our night time band - Men on the Hill - were fab, they took a long list of requests and got the party going.
Photographer - Lynn Stanfield- amazing, really knew the venue and took amazing pictures for a really reasonable price.
Videographer - Shutter and Light - The boys were great, they captured the day perfectly and its such a lovely thing to keep forever.
Night time food - Flipping Crepes - the crepes were great and there was a wide variety of options- so nice to have something different.
Photo booth - Mr and Mrs Selfie - The boys were great and the photos we got are a great keepsake.
Transport - Belfast Sight Seeing - the vintage bus was great and fitted in perfectly with the style of our wedding.
Cake - Jenny Whittington - The cake was perfect and was great to have the top layer made gluten free for me and our other coeliac guests.
Reception food - The Brae - the cakes were delicious and everyone enjoyed.
The Bar - NJB - The bar staff were great and the cocktails delicious. Very accommodating to our requests also.
Don't sweat the small stuff as in the long run those small things won't matter. One of the bridesmaids lost their heels the day before the wedding so we had to get her a new pair - THE DAY BEFORE - I was a lot stressed lol but in the end we were able to find a pair that looked really similar and no one would have even known.
Also enjoy every moment as the day goes in so fast, so soak it all up and have fun.
