In today's world, where we're all grown up and independent by the time we get married, one of the most common misconceptions about a wedding is that it's all about the couple. It isn't. Well, it is, obviously, but... it is also a fantastic opportunity for family and friends to show how much they love and care about these two people, and how important it is to them too, to help in the celebrations. Today we are featuring a wedding - that of Martin and Ciara - where the help of family and friends was invaluable, and made the celebration what it was. It's a beautifully crafted celebration, full of little touches created and contributed by a wide circle of loved ones. It's our pleasure to be able to showcase the work of Clare Greenaway for the first time also...
This is a long-term romance, if ever there was one... "We have been together since we were 16 and are together over 11 years now. We met at a local teenage disco and have never looked back! The proposal happened in New York in February 2011. Martin designed the ring himself and had it made in Manhattan without me knowing. Martin proposed at night in front of the Manhattan skyline. I was very shocked but delighted."
The ceremony took place a few minutes from Martin and Ciara's homes in St. John’s Chapel Lylo, Craigavon, an easy trip back and forth, as the reception was right opposite Ciara's parent's home - how handy is that?
While the lads looked dapper in their charcoal three piece suits...
... the ladies looked equally adorable in their Summery bridesmaid dresses, a perfect match for Ciara's bouquet.
Ciara explained the how she and Martin came up with their vision for the wedding reception and how it came to fruition..."We both wanted our wedding to be relaxed and informal. We wanted a venue to reflect this and that was how we settled on Riverdale Mill or as locals call it ‘The dam’. It was right on our door step and this was great as we didn’t want our guests going to any great expense for travel and also with the expense of having to stay over at the venue, most of our guests were locals so they could get home easily that night. Ciara had passed the Dam for years and always loved it and decided to find out if we could hold our reception there.
Our aim for the wedding was to create a relaxed country garden party. This included our brown card invites, floral bridesmaid dresses, apple boxes, bunting, old fashioned luggage labels, jars and bottles, chintzy china teasets, birdcages and small lanterns. I have a love for all things vintage-inspired and this suited our venue.
Martin’s mum is originally from Ballyhegan outside of Portadown in the ‘Orchid County’ and she managed to help us get apple boxes which we used throughout the venue, some had plants and flowers in them (grown by both Mums), some were used upside down as tables beside sofas that we hired. Ciara has a love for crisps so we had large bags of crisps for people to help themselves at night amd jars of mints too. Ciara is a teacher and blackboards were used for table numbers and signs throughout the venue to reflect this. Martin has beautiful handwriting and he wrote the menu on a large blackboard and he also wrote funny hashtags throughout the venue as he has an obsession with twitter (see photos).
We had two bikes that our florist Raining Roses decorated with the brides favourite flowers. Everyone we know was collecting jam jars for us for months before the wedding, these were used as vases and tea light holders. Lisa the bridesmaid was a super help with decorating the jars and with the seating plan. A big crowd of us stamped old fashioned luggage labels with vintage stampers and attached them to bottles and jars for the tables." So it really was a labour of love by all concerned and a lesson that family and friends are delighted to help, just ask them!
What advice would you give to brides and grooms planning their day? "Don’t stress out too much on the lead up to it, in the big scheme of things it’s one day and the more relaxed you are the more you will enjoy it. We were very relaxed and took it all in our stride. The day goes so quickly but try and take in as much of it as you can, we made a real effort to speak to all of our guests and we really enjoyed that. We both share a love for music, on the run up to the wedding we kept a note of songs we wanted the DJ to play — this went down brilliantly with our guests! Try and include your own unique details that reflect you as a couple we felt this made our day extra special."
So there you have it - a crafty and creative wedding full of personal details created by a loving circle of friends and family. I'd imagine they were all immensely proud to be part of such a special celebration. Congratulations Martin and Ciara, long life and happiness!
And of course a big Thank You to Clare Greenaway for sharing her images of this lovely celebration. You can see more of Clare's work over on www.claregreenawayphotography.co.uk
All the Wedding Details
- Ceremony: St. John’s Chapel Lylo, Craigavon
- Reception: Riverdale Mill, Aghagallon
- Photographer: Clare Greenaway
- Dress: Isobel Love
- Bridesmaids dresses: Laura Ashley
- Shoes: Petticoat Lane
- Flowers: Raining Roses
- Groomsmen suits: Hire Class
- Accessories: Petticoat Lane and Karine & Co
- Cake/Cupcakes: Jbird Bakery
- Cars: Sean Campbell Wedding Services
- Make Up: Jacqueline Keeley
- Hair: Orlaith Brady
- Ceremony: Singer Bronagh Lennon, Organ Colum McGarry, Flute Cathal Murphy and Harp Richard Allen
- Wedding Bands: Bespoke DJ Solutions Band
- Caterer : Jane's Kitchen
- Evening Buffet BBQ: Riverdale Mill
