A Twist of Fate
Planning assistant Leanne from Dungannon and joiner David of Donaghcloney first met on a blind date in 2013 but parted ways soon after. Five years later, fate brought them together and they never looked back.
“I got a text message from a friend who asked me to go to a Christian young peoples’ gathering called Huddle,” Leanne told us, “I didn’t really want to go and toyed with the idea however I ended up saying yes.”
Unbeknownst to Leanne, David had also been asked to attend and was himself in two minds about going.
Thankfully he decided to go and the two sat with each to catch up, “ David asked me out again and that was the start of our wonderful journey.”
A few months later, David introduced his two children to Leanne.
“We knew that God had brought us into each other’s lives for marriage and the relationship with the children soon began to blossom into a real loving relationship.”
When the couple had been together for six months, David decided to pop the question to Leanne at a special Sunday lunch after church with the two children and Leanne’s mother. The children were in on the surprise and were very excited!
“David asked if he could speak to us all before we served dinner. He then got us all out together at the table, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!” said Leanne.
Leanne loved her dress shopping experience at Perfect Day in Lurgan. She enlisted the help of her mum, three sisters, best friend, niece and stepdaughter to make it a memorable shopping trip. Leanne, being an avid organiser, had already curated a whole Pinterest page dedicated to finding her dream dress, “ However, to my horror as we arrived at Perfect Day I realised I had forgotten my phone!”
Thankfully bridesmaid Jackie was on hand to calm the situation, “She looked up the website and found one dress and screenshot it as she thought it was beautiful.”
After trying on a few different dresses, Leanne asked for the dress that Jackie had seen.
“I walked out to the mirror and that’s when the tears flowed, I just KNEW the was my dress! It was stunning and everything I didn’t even realise I wanted.”
Whilst in Perfect Day Leanne checked out their bridesmaid section and chose beautiful petrol blue dresses for her three bridesmaids, her best friend Jackie, niece, Beth and stepdaughter, Nicole.
Expert advice for the groom and groomsmen came courtesy of Leanne’s sister Estelle who works at Tux and Tails in Dungannon, “She is so so good at making men look very smart!” said Leanne.
David’s best friend Stuart and his son Jayden shared best man duties and were joined by groomsman James, David’s brother in law.
The big day soon came around and the couple married on 17th September 2019 in Richhill Presbyterian Church in front of 100 guests. The couple opted for a country rustic themed wedding with beautiful burgundy and petrol blue tones throughout.
“At the altar, we had two large apple crates decorated with autumn colours and lanterns in front of them. We also had shabby chic jam jars at the register table with blue thistles and burgundy foliage,” Leanne told us.
The theme continued into the reception at Leighinmohr House in Ballymena. David made wooden slabs for centrepieces which were decorated with ivy and framed bible verses about love and marriage.
The wedding cake from Baked Blessings complemented the theme perfectly, “We had a naked cake sitting on a wooden slab with fresh fruit and more flowers to decorate on the table.
The speeches in particular were a highlight for the bride and groom, Leanne’s father sang ‘Your Wedding Day’ by Jimmy Buckley. “It was so emotional,” said Leanne. “To top it all off our two wee ones both give a very sweet speech which hadn’t a dry eye in the place! I am so grateful and thankful to be called mum by them.”
The couple danced for the first time as husband and wife to ‘God Blessed the Broken Road,’ which had significance for the newly weds, “We both had broken hearts in our lives but God brought us together and blessed that hard road,” they said.
Looking back over the whole experience Leanne would not change a thing, “It was just such a momentous day and so much fun!”
The couple would advise other couples planning their wedding to research what you want and check out deals online, “You can have the most beautiful wedding and not blow the bank up!”
With David’s Italian heritage, it was only fitting that the couple wrap up their wedding celebrations with a honeymoon in Sorrento exploring the Amalfi Coast and the Island of Capri.
The newlyweds are enjoying their new life together as a family unit. Leanne said, ”Married life is just brilliant, we have had to do a lot of adapting and working through changes for us all as a family, but we are all very content living as a family.”
WEDDING SUPPLIERS INFO
Reception location: Leighinmohr House Hotel
Wedding Dress from: Perfect Day Bridal
Bridesmaids dresses from: Perfect Day Bridal
Groomswear from: Tux and Tails
Make-up by: SAK Designs
Flowers by: Yana Flowers
Wedding Rings from: Ewarts Jewellers
Cake by: Baked Blessings
Transport from: Ideal Wedding Cars NI
Photography by: The Dixie Mix Photography
Videography by: Honour wedding Films
Entertainment by; Neil Hobson Official
