True Love Tuesday Jennifer and René de Kat..... - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

What A Hiking Love Story

And then suddenly, you meet that one person that makes you forget about yesterday, and dream about tomorrow.

Jennifer Dunn a Communications Manager from Larne met René de Kat a Software Engineer from The Netherlands on a night out in Belfast, a mutual friend introduced them, they clicked and arranged their first date, a visit to a Game of Thrones exhibition in Belfast.

A proposal took place a few years later at the top of Slemish Mountain, the couple had been talking about climbing Slemish for a while, so on 10^th September 2022 they decided to go for it, although on this particular day René seemed a bit preoccupied, Jennifer soon found out why! At the top of Slemish René got down on one knee and proposed with a perfect pear cut halo ring from Lunns in Belfast. Jennifer said “it was very special to have views for miles around and no one near”

A wedding date was set for 22 April 2023 for a beautiful wedding at Belle Isle Castle in Fermanagh, with it being an intimate setting the couple couldn’t have everyone they wanted but they did manage to have 55 guests with some travelling from The Netherlands.

Jennifer went dress shopping with her sister and best friend, visiting three shops in total. Jennifer told us “I got my dress from Lauren Elizabeth on the Lisburn Road. They have a spectacular range, and the dress I chose just seemed to tick all the boxes. I wanted something to cover my arms a bit, that wouldn’t be too close fitting, and have a bit of a wow factor. I never in 100 years thought I’d go strapless but the Bardot cut just worked!” Finding the experience amazing, Jennifer said “I loved dress shopping, it was exactly what I’d always hoped for, and a special experience to share with my sister and best friend. They were an enormous help, and I wouldn’t have found it just so easy without them because I liked all the dresses”

Bridesmaid dresses for sister Judith and best friend Liz came from TH&TH, a brand that Jennifer found online.

René got his suit from Suitor Brothers while his groomsmen; his brother and 2 best friends came from M&S.

The best part of planning their day was “Everything! We enjoyed working together on a big project, thinking about how we can have the best day for everyone involved. It was really enjoyable the closer we got to the big day and we could see the pieces come together. I loved the small details, planning the stationery and table decor, René got really stuck in to the catering and planning with Norman, our caterer from Saddlers Enniskillen” Jennifer and René told us. The most stressful part was booking the big stuff such as the venue, band and deciding on the catering. Once they had those plans in place it made things easier. With support from the vendors, they booked if certainly helped the couple feel good about the decisions they made.

The couple wanted to keep their day simple so they let their flowers make the big impact, with René being Dutch they wanted to incorporate a few little Dutch trinkets such as delft style décor beside the cake and collect cards along with mini windmills on the dinner tables. They also translated their order of service into Dutch so everyone could understand the readings, with a lot of people travelling from The Netherlands Jennifer thought it was a fun way to make sure they felt welcomed and involved; it was also a nod to their new lives together.

The day went perfectly, with guests staying the night before at Belle Isle Castle it gave them all a chance to relax and get to know each other, dinner for the Friday night was pizza which came from Garlic & Thyme, Jennifer said “We organised a pizza truck for the dinner option on Friday night. It was a brilliant way for guests to get to know each other, was a bit of a talking point and the pizza was so delicious. We still think about it a lot. The company was Garlic & Thyme, and we can’t recommend them enough”

Hoping to get married outside so they could have a confetti moment, the couple had planned for the ceremony to be held in the sunken garden at Belle Isle, however the weather stopped that, they had to make a very last minute change, which thankfully the staff were amazing about, leaving it to the last moment just in case the weather changed. The ceremony was moved inside but René ensured that that they could still have a confetti moment, just inside instead, Jennifer said “It was so special and unexpected, it really made my day!”

When asked what their highlight was the bride and groom told us; Groom: “When Jenny walked up the aisle and we first saw each other. And dancing all night long!”

Bride: “Walking down the aisle and seeing René all dressed up! That’s the moment it all comes together, the flowers, the music, all your guests, it was very special. I loved popping the champagne as part of our photography, it was a really fun moment. And getting ready with Judith and Liz was great, our hair and make-up team kept us in great spirits and we had a banging playlist so that’s something I’ll remember”!

Jennifer and René agreed that their day was absolutely perfect. Before jetting off to South Africa and Mauritius they gave this advice to newly engaged couples “Do it together, it’s a great time to learn about each other and have some fun! It’s already nerve wracking so just relax and trust the vendors have it all in hand! And no travel on the day, we were lucky to stay over in our venue the night before and it gave us time to settle in and co-ordinate. Small changes can be happy surprises, and it’s nice to be surprised yourself on the day and to just let proceedings take over”.

They are finding married great saying not much has changed and they are very excited to be sharing a new life together as Mr & Mrs De Kat.