True Love Tuesday Joanne & Nathan Ritchie... - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

Game of Love
A boardgame themed wedding was the natural choice for Markethill bride Joanne and her groom Nathan from nearby Richhill.
Back in 2015 Nathan’s sister, who is now married to Joanne’s brother, invited Joanne to her family home for a boardgame night.
“We had a good night of playing board games. I didn’t really see anything in it bar a possible friendship however by the end of the night my sister Gillian had put my number in Nathan’s phone and by the time I got home I had a text from Nathan asking me out on a date to a snooker club in Portadown,” Joanne told us. After a date night watching the movie Titanic the couple made their relationship official.
Two years later the couple Nathan had tickets for the Farmer Bash at the SSE Arena in Belfast, so they decided to book a hotel for the weekend. On their way home after a day of shopping in the city Nathan pulled into the carpark of the Titanic Museum and suggested a walk around the area.
“He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!” said Joanne. After enquiring as to whether he had sought her parents’ permission she gave him her answer! “Of course, I said yes!”
Joanne was delighted with the ring Nathan had chosen from H Samuels. He had already done some detective work in the weeks prior to their engagement, “I had been out shopping with my friends and we looked at engagement rings. Little did I know Nathan had this all set up to get my friends to question me on the ring I liked!” said Joanne.
With a dress style already in mind, Joanne hit the local boutiques, “I always knew I wanted a princess dress and at the third bridal shop, Perfect Day in Lurgan, I found the one I loved which I ordered in snow white.”
Joanne chose red dresses online for her four bridesmaids and asked a local dressmaker to embellish them with silver bows, buttons and a band. The bridesmaids were Joanne’s two sisters Leona and Gillian and her two sisters-in-law, Jordean and Jessica.
The two flower girls, the bride’s nieces Summer and Holly wore mini versions of Joanne’s dress.

Just like the bridal party, the groom’s party was a real family affair. Nathan was joined by his best man and brother-in-law Ashley, his brother-in-law Kyle and his brother Matthew. The couple’s nephew completed the line up as page boy. All the men were stylishly attired by Paynter’s of Armagh.
The run up to the big day was busy but enjoyable. Everyone got involved with the preparation, “Doing all the wee jobs we could do ourselves with the help of friends and family meant we had some long days and late nights but lots of fun and laughs,” said the bride.
Five years after meeting for the first time, Joanne and Nathan were married at Armagh Baptist Church on the 12th December 2020. The bride arrived in style as, unknown to her, her parents had organised a horse and carriage to travel from home to the church. After the ceremony everyone made their way to the Slieve Russell Hotel in County Cavan where a huge wooden Monopoly Man stood in the foyer to welcome the guests to the boardgame themed reception. Continuing with the fun theme, the table plan was in the style of a monopoly board and Gillian the bride’s sister made a gorgeous board game themed cake! The couple danced their first dance as husband and wife to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect. Of course, the night could not have been complete without a table quiz organized by Leona the bride’s other sister.
When asked what advice they would give other couples planning their own big day, the newlyweds suggested that couples do as much of the preparations as they can themselves as it all adds to the memories of the celebration.
After the wedding the couple had a mini moon at Kilronan Castle and hope to get to New York this year.