True Love Tuesday Shaneen and Andy Park... - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

Celebration at the Castle

Romance was the order of the day when Shaneen and Andrew celebrated their wedding at the majestic Cabra Castle.

The couple, who met ten years ago through mutual friends, got engaged at home on Christmas day.

“Andrew and our daughter Sophia got down on one knee to ask me,” Shaneen told us. Sophia had helped Andrew choose a beautiful princess cut diamond ring from Lunn’s for her mummy.

From the beginning of the planning process, Shaneen had a very precise idea of what she wanted for her wedding day, “I knew exactly what I was going for in every aspect of my wedding. Everyone has said I should become a wedding planner,” she laughed.

In preparation for the big day Shaneen visited Marie Therese Bridal in Coleraine.

The bride-to-be chose a stunning Julie Vino dress, “ I just fell in love with it as it had a romantic feel to the dress and so did my family,” she said.

Shaneen’s bridal party was made up by her sister-in-law Christine and best friend Tina, her maid of honour was her sister Michaela. All three wore pink satin dresses with sequined epaulettes purchased from Rosie’s Closet in Newry.

The stylish bride enlisted the Deborah K Bridal design to create a beautiful bespoke headpiece and earrings as well as a flower girl bracelet for Sophia.

Andrew’s brothers Richard and Paul, Shaneen’s brother Conor and Andrew’s best man Bradley made up the groom’s party. They were suitably attired by Groom Hire Banbridge.

“Stuart was a pleasure to deal with. The suits were beautiful,” said Shaneen.

On Thursday 11th July 2019 the couple married at their local church, St Patrick’s in Loughbrickland, the church their daughter had been christened in.

After the ceremony, the couple, along with their 120 guests, travelled to the majestic Cabra Castle for a magnificent two day celebration.

“It truly was a princess’s dream. We decided to hold two days at the castle so everyone could have the weekend to party and celebrate,” said Shaneen.

The opulent surroundings of the castle were the perfect location for the bridal photo shoot whilst the grand interiors needed little in the way of room dressing.

“We had no theme as I loved the medieval castle feel. You don’t need to touch the castle, the castle speaks for itself!” the couple told us.

The guests were treated to afternoon tea on arrival, complete with gin, prosecco and beer and the folk group Parcel of Rogues provided some entertainment.

“Everyone was out dancing and singing and that was even before the call for dinner,” said Shaneen.

The couple danced together for the first time as husband and wife that evening to Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love Me Like You Do’ before the guests danced the night away.

The celebrations did not stop there for the wedding party as the couple organised another get together the very next day for those who had stayed in the castle. The guests enjoyed a barbecue outside in the sunshine and the couple had booked a dining room with an ornate oak bar for the exclusive use of their guests.

“It was like a smaller intimate wedding the next day. It was just as great as the wedding day but more relaxing and everyone just loved the food, craic and drinks,” said Shaneen.

Looking back on their celebrations Shaneen and Andrew would not have changed a single detail. They were so impressed by Cabra Castle, both the surroundings and the team involved in making their day perfect.

“They treated each one of our guests like royalty. They are just superb!”

They would recommend that other couples interested in the venue should visit for afternoon tea or a short stay, “You will just fall in love. It’s very hard to walk away and not book your wedding!”

Of course a wedding fit for a princess could only be followed up with a honeymoon that was equally magical.

“We took our daughter Sophia to Disneyland Paris. She found it mesmerising and magical. It was wonderful to see her face and make lovely memories.”

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