Very much childhood sweethearts, Richard and Leanne met at school. Their professional careers as a vet and a lawyer took them down very different paths, yet their long distance relationship continued to thrive for nearly 8 years. Eventually, they decided to move in together and a mere 9 months later, they were engaged to be married. Today we are lucky to witness the next chapter of this lovely couples love story and share their beautiful wedding day. Your wedding day goes by so fast, so thanks to Mark Barton, he was able to capture all the wonderful moments that the newly weds, (and us too!) can swoon over...

Leanne and Richard were very much childhood sweethearts. They met at school and survived a variety of long distance relationships over 8 years as they both paved their way for professional life as a vet and lawyer respectively – this included travelling from Lyon (France) to Glasgow, Chester to Glasgow, London to Glasgow and London to Suffolk. Eventually after 9 years they decided to move in together - just to check they could live under the same roof! Within 9 months of being fed by Leanne, Richard had popped the question!

Richard and Leanne’s adorable Cockapoo, Guinness, was a very important part of the day, as they consider him their first born child. Leanne tells us…"He enjoyed the whole day running loose and greeting each guest with a lick to the face. From dancing with the bridesmaids, to walking the mother of the bride up the aisle, he was showing off all of his tricks and truly added that relaxed feel to our wedding!" How adorable!

Loving the custom initial shirts that Bride Leanne and her girls got ready in.

Having been together for nearly 10 years, Richard finally decided to pop the question whilst on holiday in Dubai. One night when they went to get some drinks at the tallest tower in the world, Leanne had a feeling he might propose, but to her surprise he didn’t. Leanne tells us about that night…“He didn't do it, and for the first time ever I was a bit crestfallen that we weren't now engaged. However, Richard had already planned (for 6 months) for it to unfold the following night. A beautiful moonlit proposal, on a traditional private abra (small boat), underneath the stunning lights of the Burj al Arab, followed by a private candlelit dinner at the Madinat Jumeirah was beyond the perfect proposal.”

Leanne shares with us a special moment that she had been dreaming about since she was a little girl…“I’ve always wanted to arrive in a horse and carriage with my Dad. As soon as we met Emma James and her stunning friesians, the deal was sealed and my dream arrival came true!”

The couple said their I dos at a quaint little church at the bottom of the Lissanoure Castle Estate. Leanne sang in her church choir for 11 years and it meant the world to her for them to agree to sing at the service - Leanne also couldn’t help joining in during one of the anthems, for old times sake!

Having friends and family from all around the UK, it was important to the bride and groom that no one had to travel far to come celebrate with them. “The most important thing for both of us was that we could bring all of our favourite people together for that one day so that we could have a big party! Having friends from all corners of the UK and with family travelling from Australia and Norway (among others) to celebrate with us, we wanted everyone to arrive at the church and not need to travel further for the rest of the day.”

The church sits perfectly beside the reception venue and guests loved the short picturesque walk up to the castle for the reception.

Richard and Leanne celebrated tying the knot with a reception at Lissanoure Castle. After visiting only two venues Leanne recounts on finding “the one”. “We had attended a wedding at Lissanoure Castle a few years before and we were both totally blown away with the stunning grounds and we loved how close it was to our hometown of Ballymena. We very much wanted a barn reception with a relaxed feel yet still have that wow factor- and that is exactly what Lissanoure Castle gave us, no other venue could compare. When we returned for our viewing- the sun was shining over the lake and within minutes we knew this was very much “the one”.”

The couple wanted a chic rustic, and country wedding - and that’s just what they got! They decorated with lots of wood accent pieces and horseshoes to really capture the feel.

Such stunning portraits by Mark Barton Photography.

Richard and Leanne have some fantastic advice for those planning a wedding. “Try really hard not to lose sight of the main reason you are getting married. It may sound cliché, but planning a wedding for 170 + guests (or any number for that matter) is extremely stressful! We rarely have major fall outs but we found ourselves arguing about mundane things which at the time seemed so important. Minor details can be very important to the bride (not so much the groom), but it's about finding a balance and compromise within your budget that is important.”

Leanne continues..."Do try to keep a running list of how much you are spending – things can add up very quickly! Also keep a list of everyone who has given you gifts (and what gifts they have given) so that you can thank them appropriately after the wedding. Invest in a good videographer - any of our friends who had been married before and didn’t have a video made were gutted to miss out on the memories. The day goes so fast and you are on cloud 9 - the speeches were a blur to me and it was so lovely to sit down and re live my Dad’s speech fully appreciating why it was worthy of the standing ovation it received on the day!"

The reception included one epic dance off. Leanne gives us the story behind it… "Both Richard and I are huge Northern Ireland football fans and with my father having 25 caps for the national team and having played in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, we traveled to Paris to see them play Wales in the European Championships earlier in the summer of 2016. After singing the infamous "Will Grigg’s on Fire" every half hour that whole trip and listening to the official Euro 2016 song by David Guetta, I came up with the idea of a bridal party dance-off which Richard did not require too much persuasion to agree to. The dance was 100% the highlight of the day and really set the tone for the remainder of the night."

Richard surprised Leanne with their honeymoon, and didn’t let her know where they were going until moments before they left! Leanne says, "He planned a trip to Tanzania for a safari and then some beach time on the white sandy beaches of Zanzibar. I didn't know where I was going until I got on the plane...and even then I didn't know where Dar Es Salaam (in Tanzania) was!"

Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your winter wedding with us all. A big thank you also goes to Mark Barton Photography for sharing his work with us. To see more from Mark Barton visit markbartonphotography.com

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Photographer: Mark Barton Photography

The Wedding Details

• Ceremony: All Saints Church at Lissanoure Castle
• Wedding Dress: Kenneth Winston
• Bridesmaids dresses: True Bride
• Shoes: Zalando
• Flowers: Leaf Designs
• Groom(smen)’s suits: Hire Class
• Accessories: Jewellery Made By Me via Not On The High Street
• Cake: Lime Tree Cakes
• Cake topper: - Cake Toppers Ireland
• Wedding Favours: Wooden Treats
• Stationery: The Vow
• Make Up: Beau Beauty
• Hair: Emma Graham Hair
• Wedding Bands: Goldfinger
• Ceremony/Reception Music: Jukebox Unplugged, The Liberals
• Videographer: Blank Canvas Productions
• Catering: Jane’s Kitchen