A Touch of Sparkle
From the second their eyes met on Omagh’s Main Street, Tanya Thom and Alwyn Ballantine
knew their love was meant to be…
We just fit together,” gushed bride Tanya. “We spent all of our time together and the more we got to know each other, it just felt right. We are both very different; Alwyn would be more quiet and shy and I would be more bubbly and outspoken, but we both say the same thing at the same time and we both think the same on most things. After two blissful years together, the pair got engaged on their second anniversary and had a ring made specially at D & K The Jewellers outside Cookstown. Their compatibility ensured planning their big day went smoothly and the new bride said: “Planning our wedding and building a house together was simple because we both like the same things!”
Tanya, 27, who works as a hotel manager at the Royal Hotel in Cookstown, has regular dealings with a host of wedding suppliers, so choosing everything from their flowers to their cake was unproblematic. “Planning the wedding was easy as we both knew straight off where the venue was going to be. A phone call to the minister and the date was set!” Tanya said. Choosing her dream dress proved a little more difficult though. “I just couldn’t decide!” Fourteen shops later, a few days off work and overnight stays away, her search was successful and Tanya said she just knew she had found ‘the one’ as soon as she put it on. “We booked a visit to McElhinneys in Ballybofey and I took my mum, sister, auntie, cousin and granny. At this stage I had tried on just about every shape, style and colour possible, but as everyone says, ‘when you put on the dress you just know that’s it’.”
In what was possibly the most stress-free wedding planning experience of all time, choosing her bridesmaids and their gowns was also an easy experience for the laidback bride. “This was very enjoyable,” said Tanya. With three very different bridesmaids, the couple had originally thought they would need to go for three different dress styles. Tanya recalls: “The girls in Creative Ideas were very patient and there was a great variety of sizes, so everyone could try on the same dress.” After the style was decided on, Tanya was torn between three colour shades and in the end opted for all three!
Alwyn, 33, who works as an electronic engineer, and his groomsmen looked dapper in grey tailed suits from Red in Cookstown. Tanya was impressed: “Paul from Red got the ties made to match the bridesmaids and booked fittings for the men.”
The couple decided to forgo a specific theme but couldn’t resist adding a touch of sparkle. “When I went to pick the invitations, I decided everything had to have a little bling. My flowers were the most important part of my day and I absolutely loved them. I just wanted loads of colour, everything else was very neutral grey with a little sparkle.” Still basking in the glow of their fairy-tale wedding, the couple said that if they could do it all over again, they wouldn’t do anything differently. “We loved every second of our day. We would love to do it all over again to take in some of the small things we missed and have more time to spend with our guests. I loved my whole day. I couldn’t pick one part of it that I loved the most!” But for Alwyn, it was simple. “My favourite moment was seeing Tanya for the first time walking up the aisle.” And what advice would the newlyweds give to other couples planning their wedding? “Plan everything well in advance,” says Tanya resolutely.
“Nothing is ever too early!” A week after their wedding, Tanya and Alwyn moved into their new home, but the excitement didn’t end there as they still had the honeymoon of a lifetime to look forward to in January. “For our honeymoon, we went on a Royal Caribbean cruise on the Harmony Of The Seas ship and cruised the Caribbean!”
INSIDE INFORMATION
Ceremony: Derryloarn Church
Reception: The Royal Hotel
Wedding Dress: McElhinneys
Bridesmaids Dresses: Creative Ideas
Groomswear: Red Groomsmen
Flowers: Designs by Therese
Room Décor: Sperrin Occasions
Band: Ritchie Remo and Daddy Remo
DJ: My Wedding DJ NI
Chocolate Fountain: Chocolate Fountains Weddings Parties and More
Champagne Fountain: Champagne Memories
Cake: Jill’s Cakes
Stationery: Glam Occasions
Transport: NI Wedding Cars
Photography: Say Cheese Photography
