True Love Tuesday....Michelle and Adrian Pawlowicz - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

Make Up Artist Michelle Castles from Lurgan met Poland born Adrian Pawlowicz on New Years Day 13 years ago in a local pub in Lurgan called The Batcave, where Adrian worked as a bouncer, their eyes met on the stairs and that was it. Love at first sight, Michelle knew straight away he was the one. A voice in Michelle’s head told her to go and speak to him, she introduced herself and they got to know each other over a couple of months before they started dating. Knowing that it was something special Michelle knew she would marry him from early on in the relationship, there was a spark that ignited into a full blown flame of love.

A holiday in Las Vegas for Adrian’s 40^th birthday soon turned into the holiday of a lifetime when Adrian proposed on the Skywalk Bridge at the Grand Canyon. Adrian had been panicking when they waited in line for the bridge because he saw some metal detectors so he managed to sneak of and speak to a security guard, he didn’t want the ring that was hiding in his pocket to beep going through and give the game away. When it was their turn to go across the bridge a photographer called them through, Michelle was stunned to then find Adrian down on one knee with an audience of other holiday makers, Adrian proposed and Michelle happily accepted to the tune of their audience cheering and clapping for them.

It was very romantic and truly spectacular, a trip that Michelle and Adrian will always remember.

Michelle and Adrian planned their wedding with great thought and love for 24^th June 2022, having an intimate ceremony in Michelle’s parents garden which was adorned with flowers, decorated pallets and barrels for guests to set drinks on, all set to their rustic theme. Bridal flowers were boho style and toned down so they would compliment the theme and bridal gowns. Having an intimate wedding in the sunshine in a relaxed environment ensured that the couple and their guests had a beautiful day.

Michelle had spied a dress online from Elody Bridal in Newry, falling in love with the dress she knew she had to try it on so she contacted Sharon at Elody Bridal, she was relieved to find out that Sharon had a sample dress and said that Michelle should come in and try it on. Michelle booked an appointment and off she went with her Mum and Dad, Sharon advised that Michelle should try on a few other dresses just to make sure she was happy. The dress Michelle chose was the one she had chosen from the start, the gown was absolutely beautiful and just perfect for Michelle, saying “a bit of panic set in afterwards worrying that I should have shopped around but Mum assured me that the dress was perfect and that I should delete all of the other websites, the dress I chose was elegant and beautiful, traditional with a modern twist, I was so pleased with it”. Michelle got her Bridesmaids dresses from Hope & Ivory online, wanting something perfect for sister Suzanne, best friend Linda and daughter Rebecca along with niece Maisie as Flowergirl, Michelle chose dresses with tones of orange, lemon and cream which was just perfect for a garden wedding. Suits for Adrian and his groomsmen his brother Marcel and son Bobby along with both his Father Kazimierz and Michelle’s Step Father Barry came from Freddie Hatchett in Belfast.

The wedding day went without a hitch, not only had Michelle put a lot of work into planning the wedding she decided to also learn some Polish so she could say her vows in both English and Polish to surprise the family. Setting up the garden was fun and moving, a friend and her daughter helped with the set-up, Michelle told us “my friends daughter is quite spiritual and while putting put photos of my late grandparents she felt a message come from above, she gave me a reading and told me that they were all with me and welcomed Adrian into the family. My bridesmaids and myself all wore pearls as a way to remember them which was also mentioned to my friends daughter. It felt so amazing and moving so there were lots of tears and emotions”

Michelle told us that the day was spectacular, just perfect and while they didn’t exactly stick to their budget, their 50 guests really enjoyed the day at the intimate garden wedding followed by a beautiful reception at The Thatch at Ballydougan. The couple started their evening party with their first dance to Ryan Darling – For a lifetime. It was definitely a day they will remember for a lifetime.

Michelle and Adrian gave some advice to newly engaged couples planning their own big day “do some research on suppliers and don’t jump on the wagon with deposits until you are sure, shop around, stay local and do your homework”