We're in Northern Ireland for today's real wedding, Emma and Robert's relaxed and rustic celebration at The Mill at Ballydugan. This easy-going pair planned a fun and stress-free day for themselves and their guests, that was littered with DIY touches and personalised keepsakes. Ryan McDonald Photography captured all the details, but make sure you read the words between the pictures too, these two had one storybook-worthy proposal!
Emma tells us how she and Robert got together as teenagers, “I had known Robi for a while but finally got up the courage to ask him out one night at youth club I tried my best to flirt but he didn’t pick up on any of it so I just walked over sat on his knee and kissed him. The rest as they say is history.” We love this bride’s moxie!
Robert planned the most incredibly thoughtful proposal, “He had taken a day off work (the same day I had off that week) and told me he wanted to go down to Tollymore Forest Park for a walk, it was a really lovely winter day,” Emma tells us. “He took me off the trail a bit and he pointed at something hanging from the tree, I was curious so followed him to look. It seemed to be some sort of carved acorn, of course, hanging from an oak tree.”
I'm enjoying where this is going already! “He reached to take it down and I started to tell him off I thought it might have been left there by someone for a treasure hunt of some kind,” explains Emma. “But instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised and excited I didn’t even notice the photographer a little bit away capturing the whole thing. It was the perfect way to propose and I will always treasure the acorn that Robi turned on the wood lathe. He even got a seamstress to put a setting in my favourite colour inside the acorn, to hold the ring.”
The couple describe their wedding day as laid-back, but emotional, “It was really just a relaxed and fun day, we ate, danced and laughed, there was a few happy tears before the makeup got put on but the sun was shining and the day couldn’t have been better.”
Three generations of wedding rings - I love these shots!
Emma had a clear vision of what she wanted from the celebration, “Above all though I just wanted to have a good day with my family and friends that I will always remember and that is exactly what I got, I had an amazing time from start to finish.”
The bride looked stunning in her off-the-shoulder gown, and I just love how she tied in her bridesmaids with a similar sweetheart neckline and pretty upstyles, for a cohesive look.
This pair have some nuggets of wisdom to pass on to others in the throes of planning, “Just relax and take it easy, not everything will go to plan and that’s ok because the chances are, no one will notice anyway. Have a good wedding party and they won’t let you know if something’s not going the way it supposed to and will sort it themselves or get someone to sort it. The most important thing is you and your partner having a good day and getting married to the person you love.”
The Mill At Ballydugan had the atmosphere the couple were looking for, “Relaxed and calm with a country sort of feel the venue is an old mill that has been lovingly restored to host beautiful weddings, The Mill was perfect, with its quaint cottages and the stunning lake, it has everything for the most amazing photos and the staff they where there for very question or concern I had, and sorted out everything, they really were fantastic.”
Two swans swimming by, this pair are magnets for fairytale moments!
Emma tried her hand at making some of the details for the day herself, “Me and my dad made Robert and Emma signs, we cut the wood, scorched it and painted them along with the table plan. As for the invitations, place names and all the other stationery, my mum helped me with them. The whole team helped that night before setting that place up. The best thing though. was seeing the people I care about the most help me make it the best day of my life.”
Emma enjoyed working on all the finishing touches of the day, “I got a few things that we would be able to keep and look back at like the Pop figures on top of the cake and the dessert forks engraved with the date.”
The newlyweds jetted off to Hong Kong and Bali for their honeymoon. “It was amazing from start to finish, Hong Kong was city escape dream, the culture and food were fantastic. Bali was stunning, it had beaches, we climbed mount Batur, and went white water rafting, along with visiting temples and forests. There was something for everyone in Bali and Hong Kong, I would definitely recommend them.
Thanks so much to Emma and Robert for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us - and to Ryan McDonald Photography for capturing it so beautifully. Visit the gallery below to see more.
