Real Weddings

Lynsey & Alan's Wedding

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The Couple

Tell us a little about how you met

Like many couples, we met at a bar both in our early 20’s, but it was the “one place” Lynsey swore she’d never meet her future husband! However when they saw one another back in 2009, something just ‘clicked’, almost at first glance. Alan worked his charm at the bar by giving Lynsey a very cheesy chat up line (too cheesy to mention!), we got chatting and exchanged numbers. We discovered that we lived a 5 minute walk away from each other and had quite a lot of mutual friends but had never bumped into each other growing up. When Lynsey got home that evening she told her parents about Alan and it turned out that her dad was good friends with Alan’s dad and Alan’s uncle was best man for lynseys uncles wedding! The two families both knew each other well and Lynseys mum said that very first night that she was excited about ‘buying a hat’! The expression is true…mothers really do know best! (Although it was a long seven year wait before she eventually got to buy her hat!) The following day Alan asked Lynsey to go on their first date…a romantic night at his parents’ house to watch a film! That evening Lynsey, already nervous about their first date, was introduced to Alan’s mother, father, aunty, cousin, sister and sisters friend….talk about being thrown in at the deep end but that didn’t scare her away!

Talk us through the proposal

On 18th June 2014 we went to a local restaurant for dinner for Alans birthday. When we arrive we were greeted with a glass of champagne ‘on the house’ and told that every customer was getting a free glass with their meal. We were there early so there was only a few other tables and they didn't have any glasses but Lynsey thought maybe they had finished theirs already and thought nothing more of it. We sat down at our table and Lynsey ordered a bottle of wine for the table. She noticed that Alan was very fidgety but just thought as it was a hot day that he was just warm and uncomfortable. We ate our starters, main course and dessert and Lynsey drank the wine. Alan kept asking through the meal “are you not going to drink your champagne” but Lynsey wanted to keep it until kept it until after the wine was all gone! So at the end of the dinner she finally stated to sip on her glass of champagne and that's when she heard a 'clink' noise and looked at the bottom of her champagne glass to see an engagement ring! Alan then got down on one knee and ask her to marry him and the bar staff all clapped...they had been watching and waiting the whole time for her to spot the ring and poor Alan was a nervous wreck all through the meal! We got the meal on the house which was lovely and because it was a gorgeous sunny evening after dinner we took a walk around Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow! It was a perfect evening and one they will never forget!

The Setting

Ceremony

Ballyarnett Presbyterian Church

Reception

Renaissance Suite, The Galgorm Resort & Spa

Why Galgorm Resort and Spa

As we lived in Scotland we knew half of our guests would be travelling from other countries (not only Scotland but Wales, England and the Netherlands) and we thought the Galgorm was perfect for them to have a relaxing weekend. The grounds of the Galgorm are so beautiful, the spa is perfect for guests to relax the day after the wedding, the rooms are luxurious and the resort has a great selection of places to eat to suit all the guests! The wedding package had a brilliant selection of food to choose from and I had heard from friends who had attended weddings there that their meals were delicious.

What made you choose a Resort Location?

The Renaissance Suite is the most stunning venue we had seen. We had looked at several different venues across Northern Ireland but as soon as we stepped inside the Renaissance Suite we knew it had to be there. The size was perfect for our guests, the bar was inside the room and there were no hidden corners that so many other venues had blocking views for guests. The decor was so beautiful with the large chandeliers and the lighting was perfect. We didn't like wedding chair covers and loved the tables and leather chairs in the Renaissance Suite. The scenery behind the top table was also stunning with a beautiful waterfall and views of the flowing river in the background. It really was a perfect location and a perfect day.

Tell us the most memorable part of your day

the time to relax with my new husband, drinking champagne in the wedding car from the church to the Galgorm which lasted 1hr 20mins, we were both a bit merry by the time we arrived at the hotel only to be welcomed by more champagne!!

Advice for future couples

Timing is everything so make sure them speeches are timed and don't run over! We ended up running over by 1hr 30mins so had a lot of hungry guests!