True Love Tuesday Laura and Jacob Longstaff... - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

Laura, a Senior Accountant from Carrickfergus and Jacob an Air Traffic Controller from Edinburgh met in halls at University in Sterling and were together for 7 years before Jacob popped the question. “We headed for a night out together in Sterling and the rest is history”. On 17th June 2018, Laura and Jacob got married in Larchfield Estate Lisburn and enjoyed an outside wedding surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery on a beautiful summers day. Laura describes the wedding ceremony as her highlight of the day “The ceremony for me was better than I ever imagined” and walking through the grounds with her new husband having their pictures taken “Take me back now!”.

The wedding proposal involved their friends and Jacob put his own twist on it, Jacob sent Laura on a treasure hunt around Edinburgh, with each one of their friends at a different stop to hand Laura a clue. The final stop was Longinddry beach a place special to both of them where Jacob proposed. Laura’s immediate reaction was “Did you ask my Dad” and then of course she said YES. The ring was a single diamond with a twisted band, which Laura fell in love with. Later that evening Laura and Jacob celebrated back at their flat with friends and were eager to get planning the big day.

Laura bought her wedding dress in Sophia Grace in Hadington (Scotland) where she brought her mum along with her. She fell in love with the first dress she tried on which. She was so grateful to the team in Sophia Grace for being with her through every step of the process and helping her choose the perfect dress, which was off the shoulder with sleeves, lace detail and a gorgeous white veil. “Nadine was the kindest women I have ever met. She made me feel so special and made finding my dress a beautiful experience”. Laura had three of her close friends as bridesmaids on the day, they each wore a floor length lace grey gown from Coast with her flower girl wearing a dress from Monsoon. Jacob had four of his close friends as groomsmen and not surprisingly the groomsmen were kitted out in kilts bought from Haymarket Kilts.

Their wedding reception was also in Larchfield Estate where one hundred and forty guests were welcomed with a Pimms reception. Laura describes her wedding day as “relaxed and fun”, with no particular theme she just wanted people to “kick off their shoes, grab a drink and have fun”. They had open fire pits in the gardens for guests to sit by outside, along with a play area for the kids. Laura didn’t want the occasion to feel formal as such and describes herself and Jacob as people “who sit back and relax rather than have all eyes on us”. Something she really wanted to shine through on the day. The couple took to the floor for their first dance to Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran. Laura and Jacob wanted to add their own personal touches to the wedding. They had a pimp my prosecco cart, a ceilidh tying in with the Scottish and Irish tradition and they created their own playlist of songs for their wedding music. Laura also made a couple of the wedding cakes as part of a cake stand and her family also did a performance before their meal.

The happy couple had a mini moon in Athens, Enniskillen and then Donegal before jet-setting off to Vegas for a week in March for their honeymoon. The couple are looking forward to celebrating their first year anniversary in the Galgorm Resort and Spa describing married life as “Amazing”. Laura’s advice for future brides and grooms is to “Just enjoy it. You only do it once and it isn’t mean to be a stress. Try not to worry about pleasing everyone as you never will, make the decision and stick to it. Be present in the day, put down your phone and just look around you”.