The English countryside comes to Northern Ireland

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This real wedding at Lissanoure Castle is all kinds of pretty. English bride Bethany and Carrickfergus, groom, Stephen wanted a wedding that brought a piece of the English countryside to Northern Ireland, and that's just what they created with their relaxed and romantic wedding celebration. From the beautiful style (you'll love Bethany's dress!) to the gorgeous flowers (all created by the mother of the bride), there's a whole lot to swoon over. Thankfully Hello Sugar Photography documented all the details!

Originally from England, Bethany moved to Northern Ireland to pursue a college course connected to Green Pastures church in Ballymena, “I noticed Stephen (who was part of the host team at the church) on Sunday morning because he has such striking eyes and gorgeous grey hair. I used to run the water stand and he would buy two bottles of water from it every Sunday. He said I would barely speak to him!”

The couple finally got chatting and arranged to hang out. “He took me to Portglenone Forest for a walk and Costa afterwards,” recalls Bethany. “It was after that he asked me on our first proper date for dinner at Fratelli’s at Galgorm because he knew Italian was my favourite food and then we started dating. I knew on our fourth date he was the one for me. He just made me feel so safe and like I was the most beautiful girl in the world. I never went back to England and have been here ever since.”

Can you believe Bethany's mum designed this bouquet? It's so beautiful!

The bridesmaids wore pretty pleated blush dresses in mix and match styles.

Stephen popped the question while visiting Bethany’s family in England over Christmas. “On 28th December my mum had said as a Christmas gift for us she had booked us a table at the restaurant in Saville Gardens which is part of the Royal Windsor Estate,” explains Bethany, "I used to visit a lot and loved walking around the gardens there. So Stephen suggested we go for a walk there before lunch. We were walking through the stunning gardens and they have a gorgeous little summer house overlooking a large part of the garden, we sat down here for a rest and Stephen pulled out a ring and got down on one knee.”

And that wasn’t the last surprise of the day for Bethany, "We had an hour together to celebrate and admire the ring then when we went to the restaurant for lunch and my whole family were there waiting with prosecco and balloons. They had known the whole plan. That night we had a party at my parents with all my best friends from home. It was perfect. Stephen knew me well enough to know that I would have wanted to be surrounded by family and friends when I got engaged and spent months planning it perfectly.”

The couple describe their wedding day as super relaxed and informal, “The theme I wanted to go for was English country wedding in Northern Ireland!” says Bethany. “Half the guests had travelled over from England so we wanted it all in one place and for it to reflect both of our homelands.”

The bride and groom loved working with Hello Sugar Photography on the day, “Our photographer knew from the off we didn’t want to spend hours on posed images but would rather spend time with our guests so we only had 20-30 minutes with her before getting to go back and enjoy our wedding. Meaning we have some stunning couples shots but most importantly some lovely candid shots of our guests having a good time!”

I love Bethany's effortlessly elegant updo, her delicate hair vine really polished off the look. A wedding dress with long lace sleeves is always a winner with us, but this one, with illusion sleeves is particularly gorgeous.

For Bethany, finding the right venue was a top priority, “I wanted something that was very Irish whilst also having elements of England in it. I felt Lissanoure captured this perfectly. The castle is so Irish, and the grounds were stunning and reflected an English countryside element to me too. I also wanted a barn reception and somewhere we could put our stamp on and make our own. My favourite room was the McCartney room which reminded me of an old English pub with its antiques and comfy sofas. This is where we hosted our drinks reception after the ceremony.”

The team at Lissanoure Castle cinched the deal for the couple. “The staff were so helpful and personable from the very beginning. We feel like they are all our friends now! We couldn’t recommend Lissanoure Castle enough. It was so perfect to have a venue where you were the only ones there and the staff were on hand to do anything for you or your guests to make the day just perfect.”

Bethany tells us that having her mum do the flowers was really important to her, “She is a stunning florist who is completely self-taught and has always done wedding flowers for friends and relatives. We love that she got to do our flowers and knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it look just perfect. She also had my dad create some stunning wooden archways which she adorned with flowers in the reception room and as Stephen is a keen cyclist she decorated old bike wheels with flowers and hung them behind the top table. “

The couple included lots of photos from throughout their relationship as their table numbers - such a clever idea!

These grazing boards look beautiful, the couple had Posh Nosh cater their wedding, "They created the perfect meal for us and our guests which was entirely selected and created by us!"

The newlyweds advice other couples to do what they want on their wedding day, “Don’t follow the norm and what you think is expected. Everyone will have and give you their opinion on what they think you should do. But ultimately its YOUR day so do what you want and make it personal to you.”

The couple jetted off to the sun for their honeymoon, “We went to Port de Pollensa in Mallorca for a week. It was perfect. We were both exhausted after the wedding so just spent a week relaxing and eating the BEST seafood!”