Elizabeth and Kieran met nearly seven years ago, when they were both working for the same retail tech shop. “We met completely by chance,” says Elizabeth. “He took me on a mini pub crawl of my hometown and we laughed and joked all evening.”

A Christmas proposal

The couple had been together for two and a half years when Kieran proposed. “He’d always told me that Christmas proposals were a cliché. That was until the 24th December 2019, when he got down on one knee in front of our family,” says Elizabeth.

“I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both! I immediately called anyone and everyone who wasn’t there. And I don’t think I stopped staring at the ring on my finger until at least the following week!”

Shopping for the dress

“I found WED2B on Instagram, loved the dresses and had already had a not so great experience in another bridal shop,” says Elizabeth.

“I could’ve spent the entire day in the Shirley store. We were made to feel so welcome, nothing was too much trouble and I felt like a princess and a bride that day. There were many tears and many happy memories made.”

“I chose Presley in the end. It was new into store that day, so it hadn’t been tried on by anyone else. It was everything I said I didn’t want when I first walked in, but as soon as I had it on I knew that was it. I’d found my dress! Having not long had a baby, the dress made me feel so amazing. It’s flattering, had just the right amount of sparkle and had a presence none of the others had.”

A wedding by the sea

The couple married in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. “My husband’s family are from there, and it holds a special place in his heart,” says Elizabeth. “It was honestly the most beautiful location I could have wished for, the day was a dream. We got married on 2nd July 2022, six years after we first met.”

The big day

“I got ready with my mum, six bridesmaids, and my flower girl,” says Elizabeth. “We stayed in an AirBnB the night before, and the owner provided us with nibbles, breakfast and a bottle of Prosecco for the morning. We panicked a little when it started raining about 30 mins before the ceremony, but the sun came out just in time and held out till the end of the day.”

“If I’m honest, I don’t remember much from the ceremony, apart from hearing ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ every few minutes from our little boy. I’m not sure he liked playing second fiddle to his mum and dad! But he looked adorable in his little suit.”

After the ceremony…

“Afterwards, the bridal party headed to the beach for photos, which was super fun, while the rest of the guests went to the hotel for our reception,” says Elizabeth. “They were greeted with welcome drinks and a traditional Irish band.”

“Our first dance was to Calum Scott’s ‘Biblical’. We’ve both had our moments and this song really spoke to us when we listed to it. We both also did dances with our parents – cue the tears!”

Sharing the love

“We had the hashtag #BrandNewey for people to post photos on social media,” says Elizabeth. “We also had it on a neon sign behind our cake.”

“Later, the bridal party performed a spectacular dance routine that we’d rehearsed during the hen do,” says Elizabeth. “Even though it doesn’t look quite so spectacular on video, it was rather hilarious at 1am!”

The best bits…

“The most memorable moments were spending quality time with people we loved, despite not long coming out of a pandemic,” says Elizabeth. “Plus, seeing each other really happy."

My top tips…

“Embrace it! Things will go wrong but they have their ways of working themselves out. It really is the best day of your life.”

Elizabeth and Kieran’s Dream Team

Photographer: Angela Cunning Photography

Venue: Marine Hotel Ballycastle 

Wedding dresses Birmingham: WED2B

Florist: Ballycastle Garden Centre

Cake: McGoldrick’s Bakery

Band and DJ: Hype the Band

Photo Booth: Beatz Entertainment

Makeup: Noeleen McHenry

Hair: Cadhlro Hair

If you would like us to feature your big day, like this wedding by the sea, then please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Your nearest WED2B is closer than you think, click here for your nearest store and here for what to expect when you visit.