There are so many things to love about today's real wedding. Not only did the couple, Rose and Nathan, choose the loveliest, vintage-inspired florals and décor for their big day (much of it handmade by Rose!), but they put so much effort into making their day fun and relaxed for their guests. They chose a ceremony and reception at The Wool Tower in Raceview Hill, Ballymena, both of which were flooded with personal touches, and lovingly captured by Sharon Kee Photography. The bridal party style in this wedding is pretty spectacular, so we can't wait another moment to get started!
This pair look so unshakably smitten with each other - it's too cute!
Rose and Nathan tell us that they met through Tinder. "We both swiped right, we met up shortly after and the rest is history! Nathan was my first boyfriend and I was his first girlfriend." Ah, bless!
Rose picked bridesmaids dresses from ASOS in icy shades of baby blue and grey, which not only complimented her blush pink wedding dress, but looked down-right fabulous on her girls to boot!
Nathan's proposal was positively romcom-worthy! "I got up one morning to head off to work only to find Nathan waiting outside in his car," Rose remembers. "He told me that I wasn’t going to work that day and instead we were off for a treasure hunt! He gave me a list of things to pack and my first clue leading to the place where we had our first kiss. Each clue after this led me to our special places and finally ended up in Trim, County Meath. I had lots of little presents to open at our hotel room and the final gift was a scrapbook with some pens and glue. Nathan had filled in every page bar the last one, which was titled, 'The Day We Got Engaged!' and he gave me a Polaroid camera to fill that page in myself!"
Right from the start, Rose and Nathan had very simple hopes for their wedding day. "We really wanted our wedding to be fun and romantic and that's exactly what it was. Our day was such a happy and joy-filled day and felt like such a celebration of our love!"
The couple were determined not to stress about the little things. "Overall, I would say the most important thing for us was to remember the real reason for the day, and not let details and dresses take over!"
What an emotional moment! These girls bag the award for the best wedding dress reveal reactions ever!
Of course Rose's bouquet had to feature her namesake! There's something so timelessly beautiful about those paler-than-pale shades of pink.
Have you ever seen a more gorgeous gang?!
I think we can all agree that Rose's parents nailed their father-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-bride looks - I'm living for her Mum's corsage!
This couple were really focussed on making sure their guests had a good time. "We had ice cream, candy floss and popcorn after the ceremony with acoustic music to entertain everyone and the atmosphere was just brilliant. We scrapped the traditional three-course, sit-down meal and had an amazing BBQ which everyone loved! But the most special part was Nathan’s father, Pastor George McConnell, conducting the ceremony. It doesn’t really get more special than that."
The couple had an epic floral ceremony backdrop, which cleverly featured lots of pastel blooms to tie in with Rose's bouquet.
Rose and Nathan tell us that they stumbled upon their wedding venue quite by accident. "I was totally set on not having a hotel wedding and also wanted to find somewhere that would be suitable for all weather! The Wool Tower has so much character and just felt right as soon as we stepped through the door. We had our ceremony downstairs, speeches and food upstairs and then dancing downstairs. The exposed brick walls and the pine beams fitted our relaxed vibe perfectly."
Don't these lads look smart!? Nathan set himself apart from his groomsmen by matching his jacket to his waistcoat instead of his trousers, and choosing a tie instead of a dickie bow - this is such a handy styling tip for grooms!
The couple happily accepted help from friends and family members in putting their big day together. "My best friend, Helen, drew our illustrations for the stationary and my sister-in-law, Paula, made our amazing cake and cupcakes for our cake display," Rose explains.
Rose also handmade most of the decorations for the day, as she wanted them to be one-of-a-kind. "I saved a lot of money doing this," she says. "The pallets were £1 each from a local farm, the candle sticks were vintage and found in charity shops and the posters were designed and printed on Vistaprint, then framed with simple clip frames."
The couple's bridal party was completed by family friends, Harriet and Maisie, who are just so sweet in their white flower girl dresses!
OK, it's officially time to chat about Rose's wedding-day look! She chose a blush pink wedding dress and cape by Needle and Thread with floral embellishment, accessorised with a half up, half down hairstyle and naturalistic florals.
"The dress was the first thing I set out to find," she tells us. "I knew my dress would set the tone and style for the rest of the wedding. As soon as I laid eyes on the Needle and Thread dress with the matching cape, I knew it was the one – so much so, I never actually went wedding dress shopping!"
Rose also did her own makeup on the day, choosing a natural and effortless look with a bold pink lip.
Rose's advice to engaged couples is not to get caught up in the small details. "Remember what the day signifies and what is important, and have fun! Wedding planning is so much fun and you only get to do it once!"
How cool is this macramé table plan!?
We warned you that dried flowers were going to be a huge trend in 2019, and this wedding proves it! If you're not ready for a fully dried bouquet, dried wheat and lavender are a good way to modernise an otherwise classic arrangement.
This beautiful creation combines no less than three of our favourite wedding décor trends - macramé, floral hoops and dried flowers!
It sounds like the couple had the most relaxed honeymoon - this is one of the reasons why we're such big fans of honeymooning close to home! "We travelled around Italy and Greece for three weeks," Rose tells us. "Italy is such a romantic place and Greece was full of amazing sightseeing. We plan to return very soon!"
What a gorgeous day! Thanks so much to Rose and Nathan for giving us a look behind the scenes of their big day, and to Sharon Kee Photography for sharing the beautiful photographs.
