When I first met Jonathan and Catherine, I knew they were meant to be. The happy couple were married in August and enjoyed a reception at Ballyliffin Lodge Hotel. With bubbly personalities and a determination to do their wedding their way, I knew it would be a day with a difference. This also makes them the perfect candidates for my Mr & Mrs feature.
Here, the newlyweds each share their interpretation of their wedding day.
Biggest surprise of the day
He said: It was definitely the dress. I knew about every other detail but I had no idea what Catherine’s dress was like and I was pleasantly surprised.
She said: Jonathan’s friend arrived at the house on the morning of the wedding with a Starbucks hot chocolate and a card, which was a lovely touch.
Best moment of the day
He said: Can I say her showing up?! No, in all seriousness it was standing at the front of the church and knowing that she had arrived and was on her way up that aisle.
She said: This is a hard one. I think most people would probably say the ceremony but what I enjoyed the most was going to the beach for our wedding photographs. It was a quiet, private moment, just for us and a definite highlight for me.
How were you feeling before the ceremony?
He said: Rushed off my feet! There was so much to do on the morning of the wedding, which left little time to be nervous. Due to the size of our wedding cake, my dad had built a custom cake table, which we had to take to the venue, along with other various finishing touches. We had also gone to the trouble of creating colouring books for the kids and realised on the morning that we’d forgotten the crayons! That left myself and my best-man no choice but to head to Poundland. So all-in-all, it was a hectic morning.
She said: Everyone told me I was too relaxed, but that’s just me. I was really looking forward to the ceremony.
How did you feel when you saw your other half for the first time?
He said: I was wowed by her. I knew when I saw her that this was it.
She said: I was a little emotional. It just felt right.
How would you describe the style of your wedding?
He said: We went for a traditional / country vibe, with plenty of vintage touches. The décor consisted of hessian and lace, and Catherine’s dress even had a touch of lace.
She said: We chose a country theme for our wedding day. Jonathan is a charmer and sent me a Brad Paisley song when we started going out, so the theme was personal to us. The day was filled with pink, lace and country, which was reflective of us.
What was the most fun part of wedding planning?
He said: Cake tasting!! We actually had each of the tiers made even higher so the cake really was a centerpiece.
To be honest, Catherine did 80- 90% of the planning, but the parts I was involved in, I enjoyed.
She said: The best part for me was shopping for dresses with the girls. I didn’t enjoy chasing up suppliers, etc, and we almost had a disaster with our wedding car, so fun, girlie days out were welcome.
What was the most difficult thing to agree on?
He said: I think probably the hymns for the ceremony. We had input from a few different people and with so many options, it was hard to choose.
She said: The first dance song. Jonathan wanted a country song, and I had my heart set on something a little more traditional. So we played both of our choices to our parents and Jonathan won. Our parents felt his choice was more in-line with our personalities and I couldn’t disagree with that.
How does it feel to be married?
He said: It definitely feels strange referring to Catherine as my wife, but in a good way. It’ll be harder for her to get rid of me now!
She said: Strangely, it doesn’t feel too different. I think the biggest change is getting used to my new name. That hasn’t really sunk in yet.
Any advice for other couples?
He said: Whatever you haven’t completed the week or two before the wedding, forget about. If it isn’t done then, it won’t be. I’d also suggest going away together a night before the wedding. The wedding day really does fly by and you hardly see each other, so take some time-out together beforehand.
Oh, and bring comfortable shoes for the day after! I didn’t and my wedding shoes cut the feet off me.
She said: Don’t stress. The more you stress about the little things, the more you forget about the bigger picture and what’s important. Also, if there are any tasks you haven’t finished the week before the wedding, forget about them. They’re not important and they won’t get done.
Sum up your day in a single sentence
He said: With months and months of planning it was a very busy day, but it was definitely worth it!
She said: Magical, but tiring.
share this: