Sheryl and Lyle’s wedding was set in the beautiful autumnal surroundings of the Clandeboye lodge which was beaming in colour on a mild autumn day.
The day started checking in with the girls who were in full swing getting prepped for the big day ahead.
With Sheryl having two dresses (this will become clear later) I got to work right away along side EMD media videography to capture all the finer details.
Shoes: “I go for comfort over anything so I got block heels from ‘Paradox London’ online. Again knew I would want to change shoes in the evening for comfort and to dance our big choreographed dance, so Lyle bought me white trainers with rose gold accents (colour of our wedding rings) personalised with the date of our wedding day on the side.”
Bridesmaids Dresses: “Bridesmaid’s dresses were also from reflections. As soon as we choose Lyles burgundy suit I knew hunters green would be a good colour for bridesmaids and the colour was perfect for both their skin tones.”
Wedding dress & Suits: “My main wedding dress was from Reflections Bridal Studio in Lisburn. I always knew I wanted to change into an evening dress as I love to dance and to be comfortable so I found a beautiful sparkly 50s style evening dress on ‘Chi Chi’. I also knew we were not going to be able to do a full choreographed first dance in a ball gown, and me being a dance teacher a big first dance was a must, so changing into an evening dress was perfect. Lyle even had a change into a bow tie and braces. Both my dresses were altered by Miriam at ‘Strawberry Lane Designs’, she was fantastic! All the men’s suits were from Freddie Hatchet, Lyle always knew he wanted to get married in a burgundy suit and so we based the whole wedding colour scheme around him and the men’s suits.”
Accessories: “I got my earrings, my bridesmaid’s earrings and my rose gold and porcelain hair piece from ‘Lace and Favour’ online and got my veil from Etsy. All of which were very affordable and beautiful.”
Then it was over to the boys to capture the guys arriving, Lyle was quite nervous but had a great team around him and his best man (brother) was probably the best Best man I have ever met..
Make up: “We had the lovely Chloe Lowry for our makeup the morning of the wedding. Chloe made me feel relaxed and special on our wedding morning and did an amazing job with our makeup which stayed put all day. I especially loved that she suggested a bold burgundy lip colour which was perfect for me.”
Hair: “Fionnoula and Chris from ‘The Gallery’ in Moira did a fantastic job on hair the morning of the wedding. I had a full up do with hair piece and veil, the up do held up all day even for our choreographed dance.”
Wedding Rings: “My engagement ring is from H Samuel and both our wedding rings are from Goldsmiths. My engagement ring is rose gold and pear shaped with the wedding band then weaving around the bottom of the pear shape. Lyle’s ring is titanium with two rose gold accents to tie our rings together. I love the rose gold as it’s unusual and has a beautiful shine.”
Ceremony/ Reception music: “Being a dance teacher I knew I wanted the bridal party to have a dramatic entrance for walking down the aisle. With my love of musical theatre we couldn’t think of a better processional song than a Greatest Showman Medley played on violin by Lindsey Stirling. I had everyone debriefed that they had 16 beats of music to walk down the aisle to but of course our dogs (our flower girl and ring bearer) had other ideas and they came bolting down the aisle together with the grooms men trailing behind. Our Celebrant Julie from ‘Celebrant NI’ was fantastic, she was so open to our ceremony being so personal and emotional and her communication with us throughout the process was amazing.”
Anything else: “We loved the time between our ceremony and evening meal as guests and ourselves were so relaxed and everyone got to enjoy other fun and personal things were had planned. This included an Audio guest book where guests left voice messages to us on an old style telephone instead of writing in a guest book, a finger print family tree and Michael from ‘inkwell Cartoon & Caricature’ who created caricatures for guests and ourselves. It was amazing after our wedding listening back to the voice messages from family and friends and hanging our caricature up of us on our wedding day, more memories that will last forever.”
How did you meet originally and get together:
Lyle and I met on a dating app and talked for over a year before meeting in person in Belfast Castle Court Starbucks in 2014. It was as if we always knew each other when we finally met in person and we have been inseparable ever since then.
Could you sum up your wedding in a couple of sentences – how would you describe the look and feel of the day, the vibe?
I would describe our wedding day as personal, emotional and organised with intimate vibes. It had so many personal touches from writing our own vows, the Wedding Lasso, the massive dog themed table plan, personal speeches and right down to the choreographed first dance in the evening. I knew I wanted the day to be organised so that I could really immerse myself in the day to enjoy and remember every moment.
What was important to you about your wedding – what were your priorities from the very beginning?
Our main priorities that stand out from the very beginning include: a venue that allowed our dogs to be incorporated into our day, great food, a choreographed dance and relaxed photography. All of these things were achieved and it made for the most personal, memorable and enjoyable day ever.
What made the day really special and personal to you? (things you included, unusual elements, thing that people made or did for you, etc).
The personal touches that stand out the most to us are having our dogs at our wedding, writing our own vows and our change in clothes for the choreographed first dance.
Having our dogs there took some of the pressure off feeling like all eyes were on us as they definitely stole the show and we will treasure the professional photos that Ryan captured with us and our dogs forever. Writing our own vows was incredibly emotional and really elevated our ceremony to be even more special.
An amazing surprise during our dessert was from the mother of the bride who shocked us with a surprise singing waiter, this had everyone reenergised after a beautiful meal and really got the party started.
The change of clothes in the evening and the choreographed first dance we kept an absolute secret from everyone expect our venders who needed to know. It was so much fun to watch the guests react when we were introduced back into the room for our first dance and when we began to dance. We practiced every week for 15mins for the whole year prior to the wedding and choreographed the whole 4minute routine consisting of Waltz, Charleston and Contemporary dance style steps completely ourselves and now we have the best memories, photos and video of this to cherish.
What advice would you give to the other couples planning their day?
My advice would be to just soak it all in. Go to as many wedding fairs/shows as you can, speak to as many different venders as possible, shop around to meet your budget and in the end do what makes you happy and what will make it the best day for you and your partner.
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