Today's real wedding is just so gorgeous it could rival Meghan & Harry's for divine florals and beautiful style. Jenny and Andrew are a Belfast couple who currently live in New Zealand. The pair were torn between finding a wedding venue that was new and unique for their guests, or a location that was a family favourite. They got the best of both with their spectacular marquee wedding at Royal North Of Ireland Yacht Club. When it comes to decor, this one needs to be seen to be believed, Jenny and Andrew truly brought the outside in with their reception, so we're pretty elated that Fraser Stewart Photography was on hand to capture every last detail.
Jenny & Andrew first met when he joined the company she works for. But it was actually his wheels that first caught the bride’s eye, “Before I had spoken to Andrew for the first time, I had noticed a new car in the carpark near our office. It was particularly distinctive because it was a Land Rover Defender, which isn’t something you see a lot in the city.”
It wasn’t long before she met the driver, “One morning, after a few weeks of admiring the car and wondering who it belonged to, I saw Andrew drive it into the carpark as I was getting out of my own car. I recognised him as the new guy who had joined a team that worked on the same floor as mine in the office. I walked on, and by the time I had reached the office, Andrew had caught up with me and we got in the lift together (he later told me he rushed to catch up with me). I decided to tell him that I had been admiring his car and we chatted briefly until the lift doors opened. A few weeks after that conversation, we bumped into each other on a night out, each with respective friends, and the rest is history.”
Andrew proposed to Jenny in New Zealand, on Awaroa, which Jenny tells us is a is a beautiful beach in Abel Tasman National Park. “I have always wanted to live and work abroad, but Andrew was never really that keen. After discussing it, we agreed that I would take a seven month career break to travel New Zealand, and Andrew would come out to visit for a month over Christmas.”
While Jenny was away, Andrew bought a ring and brought it out to New Zealand with him. “We spent most of the month staying in budget backpackers (with Andrew hiding the ring in his sunglasses case!), but spoilt ourselves with a five day walk and kayak through the Abel Tasman National Park, which, we knew from a previous one day stay, really was a slice of paradise,” Jenny explains, “Andrew picked the perfect location, and made the most beautiful place both of us have ever seen, even more special. We actually used Awaroa as our table name at the wedding, and the rest of the tables were named after other places in New Zealand that are special to us.”
The couple decided to take their wedding photos ahead of their ceremony, “One thing that made the day really special to us was the ability to spend some time with each other and our closest friends before the craziness of the day took over. We did that by having a “first look” and the group photographs with the bridesmaids and groomsmen before the ceremony itself.”
The couple tell us, it was particularly important to get some quality time in with their pals because their currently living in New Zealand, “After coming to visit during my career break, Andrew realised what he was missing and we both got a two year secondment through our work to live and work here. We only arrived back in Ireland about two weeks before the wedding, and therefore had limited time to spend with our friends in the run up to the day as there was still so much to organise.”
The couple chose a scenic spot for their photographs, “We also knew that as soon as the wedding “started” as such, neither of us would have a second to ourselves as we had a reasonably large guest list at just under 190. For the first look location, we chose a National Trust property near to the church, where we knew there was a little coffee van so that we could all get something to eat and drink before heading to the ceremony. Spending time with Andrew and our friends there turned out to be one of our favourite parts of the whole day and made me so much more relaxed walking down the aisle.”
The couple tell us the vibe they struck with their wedding was, “A fun, relaxed garden party… in a marquee.”
Ever the thoughtful hosts, Jenny & Andrew say they made all their decisions with their guests in mind, “It was incredibly important to both of us that our wedding guests had a great time; from having a 3pm ceremony so guests could have time to themselves and relax in the morning, to making sure that we picked a venue that was local enough so that the majority of guests didn’t have to travel too far.”
Jenny and her girls look so beautiful, and I know so many brides and bridesmaids are going to be inspired by these mix and match dresses too!
The couple were also eager to make their day as personal as possible, “We did everything our way, rather than just how “tradition” dictates. For example, we broke a little with tradition by having a “first look”, having a gin reception using a local Northern Irish gin, and a BBQ style sharing meal to add to the relaxed, party atmosphere.”
Jenny explains how she and Andrew had a difficult time deciding on a wedding venue, “It had always been my dream to have a wedding venue that was unique, that none of my guests had been to before and that would really blow people away. However, Andrew really wanted to use the yacht club that he, his family (and most of his guests) had been members of for years. We were so torn between the special sentimentality of using his chosen venue, versus our desire to ensure the day felt special.”
But the couple found the perfect way to strike a compromise, “Thankfully we found Grace (from Grace & Saviour) and Tim (from Floral Earth). From the first time speaking to Grace, we knew that she just "got it". Talking to her, we explained two things - that it had been my dream to have a garden wedding (if the NI weather could be trusted), and that I was scared that the yacht club would just "look like it always did" on our wedding day. She promised that if we chose the yacht club she wouldn't let that happen - so we trusted her and went with it.”
Jenny says she was blown away by the venue on the day, “Seeing the marquee at the yacht club on the wedding day was one of the things I was looking forward to most, and one of the things that I was most nervous about, just because it meant so much to me. When it came to it, it surpassed our highest expectations. Grace and Tim had managed to turn the marquee into a garden indoors, and it was as if they had taken my wildest dream about how it could look and turned it into a reality. I was completely overwhelmed by how beautiful it looked and so were all of our guests.”
Now didn't I tell you the decor was pretty phenomenal! The overhead greenery with the lightbulbs is amazing!
In the end, the familiar location made the wedding day all the more personal, “Having the wedding reception in the yacht club was itself so special due to the link with Andrew’s family and friends. In addition, a lot of our friends pitched in to offer their help and talents. My sister, who is herself a wedding videographer, designed our stationary, a really good friend of ours (Cakes by Nicole Crowe) made our wedding cake and relatives and friends of ours lent us beautiful classic cars and Land Rover Defenders to use as wedding cars. (It was important to me to have the Defenders play a part since it was the first thing we ever talked about!)”.
Jenny loved all the florals used throughout the wedding, “One final really special touch which was completely unplanned by us, was dreamt up by Tim from Floral Earth. I liked the idea of having plants and herbs on the tables, rather than floral centrepieces. Grace and Tim were both completely onboard with that idea, and Tim picked heather and rosemary which looked incredible on the day. It was only afterwards that I found out the symbolism behind the plants he had chosen – heather for good luck and rosemary for commitment, fidelity and remembrance."
The herbs also doubled up as favours, "We were able to give the plants away to friends and family who have planted them in their gardens and I love that they have that meaning behind them and that they are going to be a living and lasting symbol of the day for (hopefully) years to come.”
Jenny and Andrew advise other couples to really consider how they want their wedding to feel, “Think about what vibe you want for your day first, and make sure everything works towards that. Once you’ve settled on the vibe, it will impact your choice of venue, dress, food, music, flowers etc and make decision making that bit easier.”
Jenny’s other nugget of wisdom is to choose your vendors carefully, “Make sure that you do your research and hire suppliers that “get” what it is you want to do, and have the talent and skill to pull it off. I cannot explain how blown away I was by the marquee on the day and that is all down to Grace, Tim and their teams.”
The couple chose a spot for their honeymoon that’s been on our Ireland bucket list for a while now! “We spent two nights immediately after the wedding at Finn Lough Resort in Fermanagh, and stayed in one of their Bubble Domes. It was out of this world, and we can’t wait for an excuse to go back. We didn’t plan a longer honeymoon as we had to travel back to New Zealand, and to be honest, we’re so lucky being able to explore this beautiful country while we are here that it almost feels like we are permanently on honeymoon at the minute!” Now that is the life!
Thanks so much to Jenny and Andrew for sharing their wedding day with us, and to Fraser Stewart Photography for documenting all the beautiful details!
