I remember Ciara & Sean’s Ballyliffin Lodge wedding perfectly! A genuinely lovely couple, from the moment I met them, I knew their wedding would be amazing. A beautiful day, the couple wowed guests with a few surprises, including an epic choreographed bridal party dance! Just before their first wedding anniversary (and an hour before they jetted off on a well-deserved honeymoon), I caught up with Ciara who has kindly shared details of their day. This is what she had to say…

Ciara, how did you meet Sean?

I met Sean through my brother, who is also called Sean, about 14 years ago! They ran around together in their younger days! It all started back in the days of the ‘Slaughtneil Discos’ in our teenage years. 

Tell us about married life

Married life is great. It was so special to get to build a house together and it’s great spending more time together! Sean can even cook, which I hear isn’t too common for husbands!

When & where did you get married?

Our ceremony was in my local chapel, ‘The church of the Immaculate conception, Gottnaghey.’ Our reception was in the Ballyliffen Lodge and Spa. It all happened on the 18th of July 2015, so almost a year ago!

What is your favourite memory of the day?

I don’t have an actual ‘favourite part’ – I loved it all. The day was made extra special as my brothers and sisters were able to make it home from New York for the wedding. I am the youngest of 13 and we aren’t all together too often. Sean’s 3 sisters all made it home from Australia too. It was nice for them to be part of such a special day. 

What three words would you use to describe your wedding?

Relaxed, fun and special.

What was the overall vibe for your wedding?

Our wedding was an unforgettable day, with lots of fun and laughter. There was a very relaxed vibe.

Tell us about the search for your dream dress

I searched far and wide as my bridesmaids will tell you! I left it to the last minute, just 6 months before. It was so difficult to make my mind up as I had a lot of ‘imagining’ to do because the samples never actually fitted properly. In the end, I found my dress in local boutique, ‘Ultimate Dresses.’  It was a Justin Alexander dress, which I originally tried on in a very light gold colour. I instantly loved it but mammy said: “You might regret getting gold – it’s the only day you’ll wear a big white/ivory dress.” Mammies are always right so I took her advice and ordered it in ivory. I was glad I did! 

And your bridesmaids?

I had four bridesmaids who are all very different! Sean’s sister Gemma was in Perth but she was able to send measurements over. My bridesmaids were very good and did their best to get to appointments. Poor Danielle (my niece) probably went on every single bridesmaid dress adventure with me. If there was a prize for having the patience of a saint she would definitely be deserving of it. Initially I wanted short for my bridesmaids but then changed my mind. I wasn’t too fussy about getting certain bridesmaid dresses, as long as the girls were comfortable. We ended up getting beautiful ‘Alexia’ dresses in a rose pink colour, which we found in ‘The Bridal Showroom’ in Derry. The ladies in there were very helpful.

Where did you honeymoon?

We are currently heading off on our honeymoon! We decided to sort our house and leave the honeymoon until now. We are heading to Las Vegas for 4 nights before heading to Cancun for 7 nights.

What five tips would you offer couples planning their wedding?

1. Enjoy the experience & try not to stress about the little things. You will want to relive the day over and over again.
2. Take it all in – the day absolutely flies by.
3. Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before!
4. Involving family was a big one for me. Our brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews were involved in the wedding. Our cousins and niece did the music, my sister in law did my make up, my cousin did my hair and another cousin did my flowers. This made things extra special.
5. My daddy has passed away and I was very anxious about him not being there but I did a few little things to involve him. I was glad I did these.

What do you love most about your wedding album?

I love how we were able to go to Donal’s studio to see our album on the big screen. Tom has been more than helpful too with the layout. I love the natural pictures the best!

For more photos from Ciara & Sean’s wedding, a gallery of photos can be found here.