I still remember Laura & Charlie’s wedding day well. The couple really pulled out all the stops to ensure their Redcastle Hotel wedding was a day guests won’t forget in a hurry.

The happy couple were married on the 25th of August 2017, so as they approach their first wedding anniversary, I thought now would be the perfect time to catch up with Laura to get the scoop on the inspiration behind their big day. She also shares some valuable advice for anyone currently in the stages of planning their own wedding.

Here’s what she had to say…

Laura, how did you both meet?

We both met during a night out in our local pub.

Tell us about married life. How has your first year been?

Married life has been great and the first year has gone by so quickly. We are now expecting our first child, which is due on New Year’s Day. So it’s exciting times ahead for us.

What is your favourite memory of your wedding day?

My favourite memory would be us exchanging our vows and also the helicopter ride from the beach to the hotel with just me and Charlie. It was lovely to chat together before the reception and we were really glad we had this time to ourselves because the day is so busy and goes by so fast.

What 3 words would you use to describe your wedding?

I would say epic, amazing and memorable.

What was the overall vibe for your day?

We were on such a high all day and everyone was having a great time, which is exactly what we wished for.

Tell us about the search for your dream dress

The search began when I initially saw my dream dress by Ronald Joyce. I then went to McElhinney’s Bridal Room in Ballybofey, County Donegal, where I met Veni Infantino, the designer from Ronald Joyce. I tried on the same dress again with my bridal party and Veni present and I knew then that this was my dream dress and everyone agreed. Veni also gave me the original sketch design of my dress and meeting her made this experience extra special.

And the bridesmaid dresses?

The bridesmaid dresses were from Perfect Day Bridal in Lurgan, County Armagh, who were very helpful from the start. The dresses that my bridesmaids had chosen were also by Ronald Joyce and we all loved them.

Where did you honeymoon?

We went to the JA Manafaru in the Maldives, which I can honestly say is like paradise. We had a beach hut villa and it was amazing. We really enjoyed every minute of our stay here. We also stopped in Dubai for three nights on our return to the UK and stayed in the Atlantis Palm Hotel. Again, this was such a lovey place and we really enjoyed our time there.

What 5 tips would you offer anyone currently planning their wedding?

1. Plan early to avoid being disappointed about things such as your preferred church date and venue date not being available, or your band or photographer already being booked up.
2. Delegate! Let people help you plan your big day as it takes the pressure of you and you can relax more.
3. Don’t get pushed into doing or having things that you don’t want, simply because it’s tradition or other people previously did it.
4. Enjoy your planning and try not to get stressed out by it.
5. Wear your wedding shoes around the house before the big day to break them in.

What do you love the most about your wedding album?

I love my entire wedding album. I especially love the pull out section in the middle. The selection of photos that we had to choose from was fab. We are going to put our album on display for all to see in our home. We can’t thank Donal and his team enough for their great work from start to finish.