Winter Wonderland Nuptials: A Christmas Wedding Story
Love is not about how many days, months, or years you have been together. Love is about how deeply you both understand each other’s hearts.
Oh the weather outside is frightful! …… Actually it was a beautiful clear, crisp December day when Becky and Steven said “I do” in front of 100 guests at their Lough Eske Castle wedding and with Christmas just around the corner they had plenty to celebrate at their Gin Bar.
Becky Leathem a Primary School Teacher met Steven Garvey an Accountant also from Carrickfergus on a night out in Ownies Bar in Carrickfergus. Becky was out for the night for with her cousin Ashley and Steven was with his friends when some dodgy dance moves caught Becky’s eye, she was not only impressed with the dancing skills but she had also found her person. Over 7 years and 3 children later they tied the knot after a surprising and romantic proposal.
Steven and Becky went out for the day and ended up at Whiterocks beach; unfortunately, it is Northern Ireland and the rain was pouring down, but nonetheless Steven surprised Becky by proposing with a beautiful solitaire diamond set on an infinity band, of course Becky said yes.
Plans were made for a stunning Christmas wedding on 17th December 2022 at Lough Eske Castle in Donegal, with 100 guests invited and a Gin Bar ordered along with childrens entertainment for the day, I mean what more could you ask for? Apart from the perfect dress which Becky was lucky enough to find pretty quickly. Becky told us “I saw my dress by the designer on Instagram and knew it was ‘the one’. Booked an appointment for White Gold Bridal Trunk Show for Eliza Jane Howell. Tried it on first and loved everything about it!” Becky loved the experience and said “I guess it was easy as I knew it was the one. I tried a couple on after but nothing compared to the first.”
Becky was able to find gorgeous dresses by Th&Th in Jade Alexandra Bridal in Coleraine for bridesmaids Ashley (cousin) Tori (sister) Cara (sister) along with flowergirl and daughter Isabella.
Suits came from Hire Class in Belfast for Steven and his groomsmen Duncan (best man and friend) along with friends Kyle, Glenn and Kris and of course the main men Brody and Josh (sons) as pageboys.
Becky and Steven enjoyed planning their wedding, the process of choosing suppliers, most of which they were able to find online on Instagram by following bridal pages. The bit they found stressful was the ‘unknown’ how everything was going to come together and look on the day, they needn’t have worried, it was stunning and thoroughly enjoyed by their guests. I am not saying it was down to the gin bar but it certainly didn’t hurt, until maybe the next morning.
The couple loved the idea of having a wedding at Christmas with the colours and the twinkling lights; the hotel was beautifully decorated and outside was equally beautiful, a cold and frosty day but with clear blue skies and the sun shining, they both said they were very lucky.
The day went without a hiccup apart from Becky forgetting to paint her toe nails, Becky told us “I forgot to paint my toe nails haha!! The photographer who is a family friend kindly brought me her gel kit the morning of. Thankfully we had time!! I mean when your packing for a long weekend away with 3 kids and throwing a wedding in there.. some things just get forgotten about!!”
A highlight of the day for both the bride and groom was “Having everybody we know and love celebrating with us, all in the same location!! We really appreciated everybody making the effort especially because it was the week before Christmas” they told us. Becky and Steven were so pleased with how the day turned out that they wouldn’t have changed a thing, especially the supervised playroom for the children, having 3 children themselves plus other children as guests it meant they had somewhere safe to play and have fun themselves.
The couple jetted of to Dubai for their honeymoon but before going they gave this advice to other couples planning their own weddings “Enjoy the process, it goes by in a flash and we wish we could do it all over again!”
Becky and Steven are enjoying married life saying “We’ve lived together for 6 years and have 3 children so honestly not a whole lot different. Just lovely knowing we are married and had thee best day celebrating!”
WEDDING SUPPLIERS INFO:
Reception location: Lough Eske Castle
Wedding Dress from: White Gold Bridal
Bridesmaids dresses from: Jade Alexandra Bridal
Make-up by: Maid by Sinead Bridal Makeup
Hair by: Aoife Ferguson Bridal Hair
Flowers by: Ditsy Floral Design
Room Décor by: Simply Divine Weddings
Rings from: Murray & Co.
Cake by: NI Cake Design
Photography by: Jayne Harkness Photography
Videography by: Shutter & Light
Entertainment by: Starling Entertainments
Supervised Play Room: Fun n Frills
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