Today, we're bringing you the glamorous and gorgeous real wedding of Grainne and Nigel. This Belle Isle Castle wedding captivated us with its deep hues of red, robin egg blues, Grainne's stunning, pearl-embellished bridal style, and of course, Nigel's hand-picked whiskey and cigar bar. The gorgeous images were captured by the marvellous Photography by Ciara and we can't wait to share them with you.
So firstly, we made sure to ask the all-important question of how this couple met. "It was a very random night out in Mary’s bar in Magherafelt and you could say it was a chance encounter… Grainne was living in Belfast at the time and just happened to be back home that weekend, on a girls night out." Nigel tells us that Grainne walked right up to him and introduced herself, but that, after that, the details are fuzzy!
Love these getting ready shots. Such special moments.
We are just enthralled by this Maggie Sottero dress! From the flowing train to the bedazzled bodice, and need we mention the pockets?!
Grainne tells us that the couple got engaged at a 1920s-themed New Years Eve party, which was hosted by her best friend Aileen. "We were both dressed to the nines and enjoying being in character for the night and just after midnight, Nigel got down on one knee and popped the question. There was no ring at the time, it was very spur of the moment, but of course I said yes! We really enjoyed picking the engagement ring together and it was very special."
The couple tells that Belle Isle Castle was the first place they visited and it was "love at first sight." We can see why. It's magical!
Nigel and Grainne wanted their day to be romantic, intimate and relaxed. We think they did an amazing job!.The deep red peonies are so timeless and the colour palette is so glamorous. Grainne tells us, "Belle Isle Castle really made our wedding so special. We originally wanted a three-day wedding over the bank holiday weekend but, due to Covid, we had to reschedule four times. On our final wedding date, we were able to have a two-day affair with a BBQ party the night before."
We love an outdoor first dance!
Grainne tells us, "All our guests felt so at home in Belle Isle, it was difficult to leave! One of the personal touches we included was a Whiskey and Cigar bar, Nigel is a whiskey blogger and personally selected the whiskey and cigars for our guests to enjoy. It went down a treat!"
After planning their wedding four times, their advice for engaged couples is to book the big things right away. "Venue, photographer, florist. When you’ve decided on your wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses and colours, everything else falls into place." The couple were really glad they had a two-day wedding, because, as everyone always says, the day goes so fast, and this allowed them to really savour the moment.
A huge thank you to Grainne and Nigel for sharing their Belle Isle Castle wedding with us, it's an absolute dream! A massive thanks also goes out to Photography by Ciara for these wonderful moments she captured so flawlessly. There are more swoon-worthy photos in the gallery below.
