With a traditional Chinese tea ceremony

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Today's real wedding features two ceremonies, two venues, and two gorgeous dresses - it's Annie & Ray's beautiful wedding in Belfast. Starting their day with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, the couple then went to The Ulster Museum to say their vows, before treating their guests to dinner at Deanes at Queens for their reception. With gorgeous florals, pretty rustic decor and bridal party style all sourced from Hong Kong, (Annie's pal, YouTube star Bubzbeauty was on make-up duty) the wedding was laced around a chic, botanical theme. So it was pretty fitting that this special couple stopped off with The Lou's at Belfast's Botanical Gardens for some fun shots along the way.

Ulster Museum and Deanes at Queens by the Lous | onefabday.com

Annie & Ray met way back in December 2011, the couple exchanged numbers but it took a while before they had their first date, “After a few months of messaging and phone calls Ray plucked up the courage to ask me on a date in March. From then on, we were inseparable. We took coastal drives to beaches, hiked in country parks, star gazed in the night sky in the middle of nowhere. We would be planning and looking forward for the next date before one finished! It just felt so right to be around each other. We were both at a stage knowing what we both wanted and we feelings just grew stronger.” This pair are so cute!

Annie tells us that she and Ray immediately bonded over common interests; “We have a passion to travel and explore, we thrive to learn about different cultures.”

The proposal came in 2014 in Paris, at the iconic Pont des Arts - the Love Lock Bridge, "Ray had planned a trip during Halloween break, after spending a few days doing all the tourist visits, the evening was starting to get late. Ray decided a romantic walk along the river at night near The Louvre Museum."

Annie continues, "Just ‘conveniently’, Ray had a padlock in his pocket and reached down to lock it onto the bridge to resemble our commitment to each other. As he was on one knee, he also took the opportunity to propose. Did I know? Of course, I had my nails painted and ready. I just didn’t know when he was going to do it. Paris has always been very close to my heart as my parents got married there. So it was very sentimental of Ray to organise our engagement in the City of Love.” The boy did good.

Annie & Ray's wedding day started with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, Annie tells us a little bit about it, "From the start of the day it was very special because we had to carry out the traditional Chinese wedding of the groom collecting his bride and carrying out the tea ceremony. During the tea ceremony, our emotions were very high as it would have been the first time we call eachother's parents ‘mother and father’.”

Annie also explains how the custom of 'something borrowed' applies in Chinese tradition too, “My red traditional Chinese wedding two-piece called a kwa qun is actually borrowed from my best friend, Lindy. In Chinese tradition, it is good luck to borrow the kwa qun when the previous bride has been blessed with children and a happy marriage.” What a lovely sentiment!

Both Ray and Annie were grateful that the venue was able to accommodate their two ceremonies, “We felt blessed to be able to carry out both types of ceremonies on the same day. It was important to respect our culture and beliefs and carry out a civil ceremony to say our personal vows.”

Annie describes her and Ray's wedding day as botanical, airy, and a little bit rustic, “I love plants and being surrounded by nature. I felt the vibe was chilled, as the ceremony and reception were only across the road from each other, so guests were able to explore the museum, Botanic Gardens or make their way to Deanes at Queens for beverages.”

The couple really loved their choice of venues in the Queens area of Belfast, “The setting of the two venues came perfectly as a pair, it was unique to get registered in a museum, our first date was at a park, and food was important to our family so Deanes at Queens was ideal. The Ulster Museum provided a beautiful canvas to work on in the Belfast Room for our ceremony. I already knew a few spots for the wedding photos in the Botanic Gardens as it was blooming with flowers and towering trees, this fitted right in the botanical’ theme.

Annie purchased her gorgeous ivory gown in Hong Kong, and had it altered by Andrea Rachael, "I fell in love with how the dress draped down from the waist but I knew something was missing and Andrea just knew what to do to make it ‘The Dress’.”

After the wedding, Annie created a keepsake from her gorgeous bouquet, “I have managed to dry my bouquet so it is now displayed in my living room.”

Another precious moment for the couple was made all the more meaningful with the help of the perfect song, “I walked down the aisle to and acoustic cover of ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’. We knew this was ‘the song’ as it was very intimate and the lyrics could be clearly heard in The Belfast Room.”

Fist pump!

Annie also found the bridesmaids' dresses in Hong Kong, “Asia is great for dress shopping; it’s so efficient and accessible for things that you want personalised. All they required was a choice of colour, a design and measurements of the brides. I decided on long, dusty grey chiffon dresses, I loved how soft the colour was and I knew the flowers would complement them well.”

Annie tells us about the very talented ladies who helped her get ready for the big day, “I am very blessed to have a best friend who is a make-up guru on YouTube, Bubzbeauty, and she knew I wanted something that made my eyes pop a little but also keeping it natural. My hair was done by Rebecca Bryson, she had the challenge of providing me with up-do in the morning that I could unpin and take out to change the look for the ceremony.”

The couple say they were really eager to find the ideal team to capture their day, "Our photographers were The Lou’s and videographer was Cinematic Tide. We had confidence in The Lou’s to capture all our emotions, and their love of taking shots with amazing backdrops got us really excited. Cinematic Tide tells a story, from using our vows as a voice over the video makes it that bit more personal and brings all the emotions back.” explain the couple.

The couple decorated their reception venue beautifully, “Deanes at Queens had beautiful stunning floor to ceiling windows that provided great lighting. Their ceiling had wooden beams where House of Elliot Flowers, hung white blossoms and candles, which gave a hint of whimsical.” Annie tells us.

The couple included pretty, rustic details throughout the reception hall.

Annie says the wedding food was really important to them, "From the beginning, we wanted something unique with a bit of charm and exquisite food to be delivered. Having a catering background in the family, food was a top priority and what better way than to book out Deanes at Queens.”

When asked what advice Annie and Ray would give to other couples, here's what they had to say, “The advice I would give to brides and grooms planning their day is to really make it about the two of you. And for wedding favours, I was always recommended to choose something edible as most people would snack on something while waiting. Try not to stress over the small things, have an efficient bridal party that you can rely on and enjoy every second as the day just flies. No doubt, invest a little in the team that capture your day, there is nothing like reliving your wedding day through photos and videos.”

Edible favours are always a big winner with guests!

That cake looks incredible!

The couple headed to Asia for their honeymoon, taking in some amazing destinations, “We travelled to Hong Kong to have a banquet with family and friends who were unable to attend our ceremony in Belfast. Our next stop was Singapore, we stayed in a place with the most Instagram-able infinity pool, Marina Bay Sands. Then hopped over to Bali to chase the picturesque sunsets on the famous beaches and finished off in South Korea for a bit of culture and kimchii.” Sounds like the perfect vay-cay to us!

Nothing gets us excited quite like a sparkler send-off!

Huge thanks to The Lou's for sharing such a beautiful wedding with us! And thank you to Annie & Ray for sharing the story behind their day, we loved seeing the two types of ceremony - each so beautifully orchestrated.

The Wedding Details