True Love Tuesday Verona and Tom Harris

A New York Proposal
A TIMELY ARRIVAL AT THE CHURCH WAS THE PERFECT START FOR A PERFECT DAY.

Tom Harris went to great heights to propose to Verona Treanor in April 2017 – to the top of Rockefeller Centre, New York City, no less!
Tom, a business intelligence developer from Oxfordshire, waited until 11pm to pop the question to Verona, an executive assistant from Clones, Co. Monaghan. Top of the Rock, NYC! So romantic, and Verona, 34, was clearly not expecting it! ‘After walking 13 miles around New York and cycling another six miles, Tom insisted we got up the Rockefeller Centre at 11pm,’ Verona recalls. ‘I was tired and somewhat grumpy. After he didn’t seem interested in my lesson on which building was which, I declared we were going home! He then dropped to his knee!’ Tom, 33, had picked the ring some months earlier in a jewellery shop in Reading, Berkshire. ‘He took a risk choosing it, but it paid off as it is beautiful,’ Verona said. ‘We got my wedding ring closer to home in Magill Jewellers, Monaghan, I loved this part!’
The couple met five years ago through a mutual friend. After exchanging messages, Tom took Verona out for dinner. ‘After that we were hooked on each other,’ Verona said.

Verona bought her dress from The Bridal Box in Oxford. ‘I chose my dress on the off chance. I was actually going into the shop to order a different dress, when I thought I would try some more on!
‘No one but me saw it before the wedding, which was just the way it happened. This made me nervous, but I knew I loved it, so that was all that mattered really.’ Verona said she had enjoyed shopping for her dress. ‘It was amazing, the ladies in there know their stuff, although the day before we were due to leave, I tried it one last time and it was too big! After a last minute dash to correct it, it was packed and ready for the trip home.’ The four bridesmaids were Verona’s sister Orla, sister-in-law Christina, and her best friends, Cliona and Emer. Their dresses came from TNFC online, and the flower girls’ dresses were John Rocha from Debenhams. The gents in the bridal party were kitted out from TM Lewin for the groom and Dobell (online) for Tom’s dad Barry who was best man, groomsmen Rich, Jase and Darren, as well as the pageboy.

The couple planned their wedding from England. Verona said the part she enjoyed planning most was the evening. ‘For me, it’s all about the after dinner shenanigans, knowing that you get to party with all your family and friends.’
There were some stresses too. ‘Planning from another country can be difficult, we took a week off beforehand to cover everything we could not sort on the phone or by email. Last minute changes will happen, but you just have to go with the flow,’ the couple said.
Verona and Tom married in Sacred Heart Church in Clones, on October 20, and their 160 guests enjoyed a reception at the Farnham Estate, Cavan. They kept things simple. ‘For the church, I didn’t want any overpowering displays, so it was mostly candles and wild flower displays,’ Verona said.

‘We kept everything simple, from the invitations, to the church flowers and candles, and focused on the colours of the season.
‘The morning was super chilled with the makeup artist and hairdresser arriving early, music playing in the background, lots of chatting and laughs. It was the perfect morning,’ said Verona.
‘Once it came to church time, things felt a little hectic, I am not a great timekeeper so getting out the door was priority for me, plus I had promised the priest I wouldn’t be late!
‘I loved seeing everyone in the church; it was nice to sit back and listen to the music and take a moment.’

The couple had a string quartet for the reception, Verona’s only real ‘want’ for the wedding. They also hired a photo booth because, as the couple say, the pictures are priceless.
Their first dance was to Mumford & Sons, ‘There Will be Time.’ Verona said the post-dinner celebration was her favourite time, when everyone hit the floor to dance to the band, and a 3.30am sing-song was one of the highlights of a fantastic day.
There were a few hitches – someone jumped on the back on Verona’s dress while dancing, ripping the button that held the train up, but there were no major hiccups. Looking back, the couple said that while there were many things they might have done differently, everything had worked out on the day. ‘We had all the family and friends we wanted there under the one roof, that is the real essence of the day!’
Their advice to other couples planning their wedding – ‘Take a step back, remember the real meaning of the day. Everything will work out, don’t stress and go with the flow.’ Tom and Verona travelled to Venice and Verona for their minimoon.

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