The Couple
Names:
Ciara & Mark Briers
Wedding Date:
13/04/2023
The Setting
Ceremony Location:
Whitehouse Star of the Sea Church
Reception Suite:
Corinthian
How did you meet?
We both studied pharmacy at Queens University Belfast. We knew of each other but never really crossed paths due to our surnames, we were split in the opposite half of the alphabet from each other. Ciara only really knew me as “the boy who ate a yogurt” every morning when sitting in a lecture, I must have made an impression! I was on a night out with some friends around the same time as university had finished and bumped into Ciara and some of her friends in a queue for the nightclub, we said hi and a few brief words when passing. Later that night I looked at my phone and there was a message on Facebook from Ciara saying “Come find me on the dancefloor” with that cheeky monkey emoji. She’ll deny that she sent this text and that her “friend” sent it, but I still have the screenshot saved to this day! Safe to say I left my friends for a while. Who knew that that would be the start of our journey!
How did you propose?
I proposed at the top of the grand central hotel in the observatory, overlooking Belfast. I felt this would be a nice, quiet spot with a great view of the city. We were staying the night in the hotel and heading out for some food & drinks in the city. We took a detour to the observatory, and I was happy to see it was quiet enough with only one man sitting in the corner beside us, I thought I’ll wait for him to leave. Of course, he decided to take his time which led me to profusely sweat! He finally left, spotting my gap I seized the chance and proposed, but of course at the same time a group of roughly 6 middle-aged women walked into, clocked what was happening, and made a massive scene, the exact thing I was trying to avoid! It was great fun and we had a laugh & even got some pictures of the action! It did take Ciara a few seconds to answer when I was down on one knee, she couldn’t stop laughing from either excitement or the shock that I had finally proposed!
How did you begin planning your wedding?
Ciara immediately got onto pinterest & looked up colours, themes and dresses. We briefly thought about going abroad, just the 2 of us. That idea was quickly scrapped when we agreed that the day just wouldn’t be worth having without our closest family and friends. Mark managed the excel spreadsheet totting up the cost of Ciara’s ideas!!
Why did you choose Tullyglass House Hotel as your Wedding Venue?
We had looked at a couple of venues before the tullyglass, originally, our plan was that we weren’t going to go for a hotel wedding. We had looked at several barns/self catering venues before being recommended the Tullyglass. After our first meeting with Gus for the initial consultation, it changed our minds completely. We couldn’t get over how accommodating and friendly Gus and all the staff were. We also loved the look of the venue and the overall feel/atmosphere. It was a very relaxed and chilled environment to be in which suits our personalities. It was a very easy decision to make on the car ride home! Nothing that we requested was too much trouble and everyone went out of their way to make sure that our planning went smoothly.
What was the best part in the build up to your Wedding Day?
Mark – For me it was writing my speech as the groom. It was something I was nervous about, especially with public speaking. Once I began writing and practicing the speech, going through our story and all the memories we had, it was the easiest task I’ve ever done! I loved that I did it on my own and didn’t read it to anybody beforehand!
Ciara – For me, it was having lots of time spent together with family and friends. We had several afternoon teas, lunches and dinners in the lead up as a chance to get everyone together before the big day. We had been together 7 years by this point so got to reminisce on all of our memories over the years.
Any excuse for another celebration!
What was the highlight of your Wedding Day?
Mark – Watching Ciara walk down the aisle, as cliché as it sounds it really isn’t a moment you’ll ever forget! I also really enjoyed the reception with our family and friends. We left our photos until just before the dinner, so we got to spend time with the guests and listen to the band we had. The keg of Guinness went down a treat!
Ciara – Same as Mark, walking down the aisle was something I was so nervous about & couldn’t stop thinking about in the lead up to the day. As soon as the music started & I seen his face, all nerves left me. It was the absolute best feeling in the world. We then drove down to Tullyglass, just the 2 of us. It gave us some time together to have a breath after the ceremony before the reception.
I also absolutely loved my morning getting ready in my mums house. It was one big party! We sang & danced the morning away & turned the music up loud so we couldn’t hear the rain! We couldn’t believe when it was time to get in the car.
What advice would you give to future couples getting married? Have you any top tips?
Work as a team and make decisions based on what you want as a couple. This is your day together, a day to celebrate your relationship with your closest family & friends who have been part of the journey with you. This will shine through on your wedding day! Everyone said our day felt so relaxed because we were. Things will always go wrong along the way but you just have to go with it. Embrace that the day is about the 2 of you getting married, & nothing else really matters after that.
What was your reception entrance song?
The Pointer Sisters – I’m so excited
What was your first dance song?
Frank Sinatra – I love you baby
Where was your Honeymoon location?
We currently haven’t been on our honeymoon at the time of writing this! People were so generous with their gifts at the wedding, we have saved most of the money to go on a 2month trip around South America this August 2024. We’ll be getting our backpacks back on to travel around 5 different countries, exciting times!
