Nicole and Sarah had the most perfect family orientated day to celebrate their unique and special love. Choosing The Merchant Hotel in Belfast was a no brainer for them as it easily provided the modern and intimate backdrop for them.
Getting ready in rooms next to each other helped to settle their nerves and allowed for us to squeeze in a beautiful first look just before the ceremony.
The morning prep
We like to think this is one of the best parts of a wedding day, where you can sit back, be pampered and enjoy some time with your besties before walking down that aisle! Get some music you love and have it play quietly in the background whilst you sip on a little champagne and become your best self!
The first look
Haven’t heard of a first look? You might be missing out..
Some of our couples opt to see each other for a few minutes before the wedding. Because Nicole and Sarah were right next door to each other, we decided, to keep the vibes super chill, we would just do a walk through the door so they could see and hold each other for a moment before the vows. First looks are amazing for real genuine feeling, but they also cut down a little on the wedding imagery on the day meaning more time with guests, it also calms the nerves when you get to see your person, there is nothing to loose.
That feeling of walking down the aisle feels just as special as it would have originally, all your guests are seeing you for the first time but you are feeling calmer than without the first look. A little bonus is, that you can tell each other how amazing you look without feeling like you are disrupting the ceremony, as soon as you arrive at the bottom of the aisle there is very little to no time for exchanging words, so this is a perfect way to get around that.
The Vows
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Karen The Celebrant was the celebrant leading the ceremony and she did a stellar job of bringing Nicole and Sarahs story to life. Karen is fully invested in each one of her couples and so she was fully enmeshed into the wedding like she had been part of their lives forever.
The Merchant Hotel
The merchant hotel is one of Belfasts oldest hotels, steeped in history and character. If you fancy city centre 5 star luxury this could be the place for your dream wedding. With such a great view from the rooftop bar, it is a dream as the sun sets and your guests mingle, with great opportunity for unique selfies with each other.
Nicole&Sarah
We always plan a little getaway for our couples just on their own for some portraits but mainly so they can breathe and take it all in. We went for a wee dander around the streets local to The Merchant. When you shoot in the city centre you are sure to have a bit of fun with passers by which of course, makes for some super unique imagery from your wedding particularly as time passes and the fashion and landscape changes.
Speeches & Party
Rooftop speeches and a pizza party! You can do your wedding completely your own way. You don’t have to have a sit down meal with seated speeches, you can just squeeze all your loved ones into a room, make them snuggle each other and declare your love and thanks publicly with lots of tears. And to make up for all the overwhelm you can solve that with pizza party, emotional eaters unite!
