We've got such a beautiful real wedding for you today from the very talented Adam & Grace Photography. Lesley-Anne and Chris's tied the knot with a church ceremony in Armagh and sunny barbecue at The Millhouse in Slane. Their day was full of pretty touches, thoughtful ideas and gorgeous style, but this sweet couple didn't let all that overshadow the true meaning of the occasion, creating a fun, relaxing, and personal celebration of their relationship.
Lesley-Anne & Chris first met at church, but it wasn't until nearly a year later that they got to hang out properly, “Chris and I met when I was home at Easter from my year abroad in Spain. We met at church and got chatting, but living in another country didn’t really seem the right time to get to know each other, so it was really just small talk. Thankfully at Christmas time (when I was back to Northern Ireland permanently) I got invited to a random get-together at Chris’ house. His housemate invited me, and I sheepishly said I would make an appearance.”
Lesley-Anne says she ended up staying for most of the day, "I distinctly remember Chris being willing to play along with a silly game I had made up - that was a great first impression for me! We spent the next few weeks spending lots of time together and talking for hours at a time, all the while with me saying it would have to be at least six months before we could get together. I think we lasted about six weeks.”
But perhaps the relationship was written in the stars all along, “Looking back, the funniest thing about that party at his house is that before I left home I was lamenting to my mum about how I was always going to be single and she made a throw-away comment about how ‘You never know, you could end up with Chris’. Mothers really do know best!” That, they do!
Twelve months later, Chris had a festive surprise for Lesley-Anne, "A year from the day we officially met at Christmas - our Meetiversary - Chris turned up to my house in a shirt on a Monday night, so I knew something was up. He wanted to go into Armagh for a walk around the cathedral and older part of town, as we had done many times before. As we walked around the cobbled streets with him much more nervous than usual, his face dropped as we rounded the front of the cathedral and people were sitting on the bench."
With his plan scuppered, Chris went with Plan B, "He suggested we walked around town a bit more, and when we ended up next to some rubbish bins, conceded that we should in fact go back to his house. At this stage, I knew what was happening and agreed, all the while feeling my heart beating in my chest. We got back to his house, he put on the Christmas tree lights and brought our dog, Heidi, into the living room before getting down on one knee. In the end, it was perfect.” That sounds pretty perfect to us!
How cute is this rustic display of vintage fruit crates and wildflowers at the church?
The couple wanted their wedding day to give all their friends and family a genuinely great day out and prioritise what was important. "We wanted people to enjoy the day, and feel like it was a relaxing way to use a holiday from work. We were also really keen to include lots of personal touches, and to ask people close to us to be involved both directly and indirectly. As Christians, we wanted the day to be a true celebration of love and marriage, with lots of laughter along the way.”
Because the couple wanted a informal feel to their day, they opted against hire cars, “My uncle kindly drove my mum and the bridesmaids down to the church which meant that Dad and I got to go down together in his convertible MG. It was a beautiful day, so we even rolled in with the roof down! It was a really special way to start the day with the original main man in my life."
The embellishment on the bridesmaids' dresses adds a touch of glamour, and Lesley-Anne's baby's breath crown is the perfect finishing touch to her relaxed yet romantic wedding day look.
Lesley-Anne & Chris' ceremony was laden with personal touches, “The church music was brilliantly provided by guys that I normally sing with, so it was really special to have them lead the worship. Jon, Ian, Simon and my brother Stuart did a great job at creating beautiful arrangements and making the service feel very much to our style.” says Chris.
The couple got married in the church where they first met, “We got married in our home church, and made use of the stage area for the vows, pledging to love each other in front of painted doors beautifully draped in flowers as a backdrop for the occasion.”
Though the ceremony and true meaning of the day was important... the couple did also have one crucial add-on, “As avid tea-drinkers, we had a ‘Tea Bar’ after the service with various types of tea for every taste, and yummy cookies. We purposely served them in to-go cups to help with the ‘hang about and mingle’ feel following the ceremony before hitting the road.”
This is exactly what we love to hear from wedded couples!
“So often we have an idea of how we want things to go, and more often than not, I set my expectations too high and end up disappointed. But that was certainly not the case on our wedding day. Every single detail worked out just as we would have planned, if not better!”
We asked Lesley-Anne what her advice was to other couples planning their day was. What she said was simple, but solid.
“I know it’s so easy to get carried away with planning the big day and having everything be perfect, but I would really encourage anyone planning a wedding to keep things in perspective and see the rest of your lives together too. Include things that are personal to you as a couple, don’t be afraid to try something different, and definitely make sure you have fun throughout the planning process!”
We can't deny we felt pretty proud of ourselves for introducing Lesley-Anne and Chris to their dream venue! “After seeing The Millhouse on the One Fab Day list (of course), we knew it was worth checking out. But right from the moment we arrived we felt so welcomed and relaxed and knew it was the right place. The staff were fantastic, and were so willing to make sure the day was tailored to us. There was lots of freedom to add our own touches to every part of the day which was really important to me. The setting itself is stunning, and it all tied so perfectly into our rustic, chilled out day.”
The couple wanted to set the tone for their laid back celebration, “We are pretty chill people, so we wanted the day to reflect that. I feel the relaxed service, venue, décor and dress suited that. Fortunately, we ended up with a beautiful day, so we were able to make use of the gorgeous courtyard at the Millhouse with everyone sitting in the sun sipping on drinks and playing lawn games next to the river. We even had the speeches outside on the steps before the BBQ, all working perfectly for our relaxed day.”
Love this unique table plan!
The couple decorated their ceremony and reception with los of flowers, candles and beautiful hand painted signs. "We decorated the tables with lots of candles, wildflowers and gold spray-painted jars and bottles. Each name place card was written on a hand painted label and set alongside a piece of dried lavender.” explains Lesley-Anne.
Lesley-Anne would make your mouth water talking about the delicious wedding cakes, “My wonderful friend Rachel of Rachie Bakes NI created the two masterpieces! One was raspberry and white chocolate sponge with luscious buttercream icing (yum!) and the other was a yummy sponge with a ‘nearly naked’ effect. Both cakes were part of our dessert table which was filled with lots of yummy homemade goods from family and friends.”
Lesley-Anne says she and Chris were overwhelmed by all the love and support they received from their friends and family, “It was really special for us the amount of close family and friends that were involved in the day both directly and indirectly, and we ended up feeling very loved indeed.”
Lesley-Anne says taking on DIY projects made it easier for her and Chris to personalise their day, “I worked hard to include as many personal touches as possible, and I think that was made possible from doing so much ourselves. Even the wording of the invitations very much reflected our personalities and set the tone for the day. As with most brides, Pinterest was my go-to for ideas, and I was really chuffed they actually worked!”
The couple planned their day around making things as social as possible, “The lawn games and outdoor mingling before the BBQ worked really well in reinforcing the relaxed, social theme of the whole day. The dessert table also worked well for this, and I think people felt comfortable to catch up with old friends and make some new ones too.”
The couple jetted off the day after their wedding for a fabulous Italian honeymoon, "We headed to Florence, where we stayed in the sweetest AirBnB overlooking a classic Italian square with all the hustle and bustle. We then went on to the coast at Viareggio and relaxed at the beach for a couple of days. It was such a perfect end to a mad few months, and the beginning of the rest of our lives.” Now that sounds pretty fabulous!
Huge thanks to the lovely Adam & Grace Photography for sending this one our way. We wish the happy couple, Lesley-Anne & Chirs all the best in the future!
