Yes, you’ve guessed correctly, today our lovely bride, Angela is from County Fermanagh, whilst her husband Grant is from Scotland. Their beautiful day at Slieve Russell Hotel, Cavan merges little bits of Scottish traditions with a traditional Irish day. Thanks to Aishling from Butterfly Photography for sharing their day with us.
Angela and Grant in the Adelphi pub in Leeds. After seven years living in Australia, Angela had previously moved home to Fermanagh to help care for her mum during an illness. Following her recuperation, she then took a job in Leeds. Grant had moved from his home in Edinburgh to Yorkshire almost ten years previous.
“Whilst both at the bar ordering drinks we realised neither had the requisite Yorkshire accent and we got chatting (I always had a soft spot for the Scottish accent!). We arranged to meet up again and when we did I immediately felt at ease and didn’t stop laughing for the entire evening – Grant is gifted at making people laugh as well as having a good laugh at himself!” explained Angela.
For both Angela and Grant they knew things were serious and heading in the right direction after a visit to Boston to see Angela’s sister;
“When we went to Boston to visit my sister and her partner and we all got along so well it felt like we all knew each other for years! I realised then that I just couldn’t imagine a future without Grant,” added Angela.
Grant chose a pretty impressive landmark to pop the question at, Sydney Harbour Bridge!
“At Easter 2014 we travelled to Australia together where Grant met lots of my friends who are still living there. The morning after we arrived he insisted we do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb which I had never done… despite living there for 7 years! It seemed odd he was so keen as he usually avoids heights were possible! When we got there he was acting a bit apprehensive which I put it down to his realisation that it was a very high bridge and we’d be climbing to the top of it! He insisted we go right at the end of our group so we were the last two walking behind everyone else, whilst all clipped onto the bridge in single file. At the summit when the lady leading the group was talking to us via the customary headsets, Grant started to get a bit tetchy and was like ‘Ange, take the headset off’. Me being me, I was keenly listening in to find out if all the places I’d been pointing out to Grant were in fact correct. I heard another ‘Ange, take the headset off will ya’ with a hint of annoyance coming through… So I took it off and then he dropped down on one knee and gave the loveliest speech, ending with a proposal!” said Angela.
With family in Scotland and Ireland, and the couple living in Leeds wedding planning wasn’t as straight forward as normal! After ruling out a wedding abroad they decided an Irish wedding was manageable for the guests and chose the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell for their reception.
“The theme came about from the choice of kilts in the end! Grant tried on the Highland Pride style and it’s quite a dark pattern but he chose a gold tie which worked really well with it and that more or less determined the black and gold for the theme and the bridesmaids dresses! We incorporated some Scottish elements into the day; we had a fantastic piper who played as everyone arrived at the Church as well as back at the hotel reception; we had thistles in the bouquets and button holes and of course most of the male Scottish guests donned their kilts which really added to the whole day,” said Angela.
“Our day was absolutely amazing from start to finish!! We woke up to some snow scattered on the grounds of the Slieve Russell but the sun gradually came up throughout the morning and it turned into a beautiful bright sunny day. he ceremony itself was truly lovely; my Parish Priest from Fermanagh Fr Jimmy McPhilips was the celebrant and he made everyone feel totally at ease and had us all laughing throughout. Some of my amazing friends even managed to make the trip over from Oz and it was fantastic how many of Grant’s family and friends made it across from Scotland – we truly realised how lucky we are! It was so lovely in the car between the Church and the reception when it was just Grant and I and a glass of bubbly! There were trucks honking and lots of people waving and wishing us well – so many little things made it into a truly great day. Ashling captured some really amazing memories of the day – she is a total natural at what she does, managing to keep even the thirstiest of grooms happy to pose for pictures as she used her natural warmth and energy to keep everyone smiling on a cold February day in Cavan! Our band ‘The Trips’ were also amazing and had the dance floor packed from start to finish – not least when they did 500miles by The Proclaimers; I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kilts swinging!” added Angela.
Angela’s Advice
Definitely consider having your wedding filmed…we were initially very reluctant as neither of us like having a camera on us, but so glad we did now as it has come out amazing and it’s something to really treasure as the years go by!!
Also, everyone says it, but the day really does fly by so try and just relax and take some time where it’s just the two of you to realise just how blessed you are!!
Wedding Suppliers
Ceremony: St. Aidan’s Church, Butlersbridge, Co. Cavan.
Reception: Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co.Cavan.
Photographer: Butterfly Photography.
Wedding & Maids dresses: Elite Brides, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.
Groomswear: McCall’s, Edinburgh.
Cake & Flowers: Bouquets2Banquets, Belturbet, Co. Cavan.
Transport: Glendale Limos, Omagh Co.Tyrone.
Videographer: Donal Canavan.
Entertainment: Stephen Milligan Piper & The Trips, Dublin.
Hair: Imelda Maguire, Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh.
Makeup: Shauna McCrystal, Lisnaskea, Co.Fermanagh.
