Just recently, we indulged in the magnificent wedding day of Niamh and Dane that took place the gorgeous Castle Leslie Estate. The thing is that this couple had not one, not two, but three wedding days, meaning that we have a whole lot more of their creativity and flair to share. So here we are, back with photos from the amazing Paul Quinn, featuring Niamh and Dane's colourful and intimate Belfast city wedding day, which took place before the main event with all their friends and family at Castle Leslie. Perfect inspiration if you are thinking of a two-part wedding celebration yourself!
Niamh and Dane's love story, featured here, is incredibly beautiful and special. Their Castle Leslie Estate wedding featured an abundance of personal elements such as chillis in her bouquet, Led Zeppelin music and a special nod to Malaysia. We absolutely urge ye to check it out! Anyhow, before we go any further, we must ask about the idea behind the three-part wedding: "There were a few reasons, firstly we wanted to maximise the time we could spend with people as we both live abroad. Secondly, to satisfy the different sides of our personalities, a traditional day would not 100% fulfil who we are. Our Belfast wedding, allowed us to show our more colourful sides. From our attire to our photos taken with the amazing street art in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter," says Niamh "And lastly, from a practical point-of-view, we wanted our legal wedding to be done first so one of our closest friends - Kellie - could marry us in a more meaningful and personal way in front of everyone on the third day."
The couple chose the grandiose city hall to legally unite in becoming husband and wife for their Belfast city wedding. Originally supposed to be an in-and-out event, Niamh's creative imagination got the better of them and as you can see, the photos speak for themselves. Niamh explains: "We thought wouldn't it be nice to make this the fun and quirky day and to get some unique photos in parts of town where we would have run about when we had first got together. It would have been hard to resist taking photos at Belfast City Hall, it's so grand with its Baroque Revival style. It was heaps of fun with lots of laughter, and we got to be more flamboyant in our poses against the vibrant street art backdrops."
After they were pronounce husband and wife, they chose to take some photographs in the Cathedral Quarter. "Our ceremony was at 10am that day, so it was quiet for photos inside and on the lawn outside. There is so much amazing lens fodder in the Cathedral Quarter, but as we had not been home for some time we did not know which spots would be best. Thankfully our photographer Paul Quinn, did a recce for us so we could keep the shoot within an hour to avoid sore feet in high heels!"
Without further ado, let's talk about the outstanding style, bursting with vibrancy and personality. Niamh's breathtaking rainbow A-line strapless dress is from Betsey Johnson, purchased second-hand on Poshmark. "I had wanted a rainbow dress. I had initially thought about getting something like the Christian Siriano dress Billy Porter worn, but thought it might swallow me whole!" she laughs. "I bought it on eBay and the buyer was in the USA and cancelled the order. I then found the same person selling it on another site which only enabled shipping to the USA. So very kindly our friend's sister in California received the package for us and then shipped it on. I didn't want the dress to get away again!"
Made with love and so much thought, is her cute-as-a-button bouquet created by husband Dane. Swoon! "The button bouquet was 100% handmade with love by Dane. He even made a special box to carry it over from Amsterdam safely." Her rainbow Sophia Webster wedding shoes matched her colourful sapphire tennis bracelet, earrings and wedding rings to perfection. We are literally tasting the rainbow with this character-hued attire!
Dapper Dane! The groom's navy tweed suit was purchased on the high street. His quirky shirt completes this entire look and vibe, along with his contrasting pocket square and brown leather shoes. The newlyweds truly embraced their wedding against the backdrop of Belfast city allowing their colourful personalities to shine bright!
Are those bridal gloves we see? Be still our trend-loving hearts!
Their best friends, Rob and Dawn, who acted as witnesses at their ceremony joined in on the fun and celebrations! "It was a lovely moment with Rob and Dawn, as we had also been witnesses at their wedding. My honorary parents Thomas and Caroline, as well as Kellie our celebrant and Vincent our best pal from Malaysia also joined us. We had a lovely lunch at Edo, followed by cocktails long into the evening at the Merchant Hotel," she says.
Concluding this three-part wedding, with this, the first day being their legal wedding and the second being a soiree in Glaslough with friends and family, followed later by the Castle Leslie do. The couple says: "I guess you could say we milked it. We got to have a city vibe that leans into our life living in huge cities - Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam - and then out into the countryside. Our advice is to not sweat the small stuff. People need these three things - good food, plenty of drinks, and great music. The rest of the details can be as complicated or easy as you make it, so don't stress too much. You only do it once, so do what you want to do!"
Thank you so much Niamh and Dane for giving us a look into your Belfast city wedding. Make sure you check out part 2 of Niamh and Dane's wedding at Castle Leslie to see how to do a two-part wedding in style, trust us, it is amazing! Also, thank you to Paul Quinn for capturing more beautiful images. There are more to pore over in the gallery below.
Check out the One Fab Day wedding podcast below, where we spill the tea on making your wedding ceremony special!
