A beautiful Belfast proposal. Curtis surprised Jessie when he asked her to marry him during her graduation celebrations in Belfast!
The Venue…
3 months after Jessie and Curtis got engaged they came to visit Clearwell Castle in October 2018. They had done much of their research on Instagram so they could see photos from other weddings and not just those on our Website.
‘When we arrived we were instantly impressed by the splendor of the Castle and its grounds.
The inside was just as impressive as the outside. From the four poster beds and the Jacuzzi baths in the rooms, to the beautiful long aisle with grand windows allowing all of the light into the room. After the tour we were given a tray of canapes to try, each of them delicious, we glanced at each other and just knew that this was to be our Venue.’
Clearwell Castle was the first and only venue they visited! Originally planning on waiting 2-3 years for their wedding they suddenly only had 5 months until their big day.
Time To Get Planning!
The Brides Attire…
In the excitement of the engagement Jessie went to go and ‘look’ at some dresses the weekend after. Jessie came across the designer Enzoani online and so she found a boutique that stocked their dresses in Cardiff. After trying on 8 dresses the shop assistant picked a wildcard; as she walked out of the changing room her mum and best friend gasped. It was definitely The Dress.
A Classic fishtail dress with Chantilly lace and antique embellishments. Jessie complimented the dress with a cathedral length embellished veil for the ceremony. Later she switched this for a chapel length veil, slightly lighter for the rest of the day.
‘When I slipped it on after having my hair and make-up done it didn’t feel real, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.’
Curtis sent a pair of Swarovski earrings over to Jessie in The Honeymoon Suite the morning of their wedding, they were beautiful. To take Jessie back to their engagement she wore a Tiffany bracelet gifted from Curtis and her children. To finish the look her mothers engagement ring, the perfect something borrowed.
The Grooms Attire…
Curtis wore a black dinner suit with a winged collar shirt. An antique white rose buttonhole was pinned on the left side of his dinner jacket to tie in with Jessie. A special wedding gift from Jessie that she had shipped over from the USA – a pair of New England Patriots (Curtis’ favorite NFL team) cufflinks.
The 2 Best Men and 3 Groomsmen matched Curtis.
The Theme…
Classic and elegant with a modern twist.
With the dress already in hand the theme fell in place around it. Ivory, white and antique pink colours were featured throughout The Castle.
The Wedding Day
Getting Ready…
Staying at Keepers Cottage (just across The Castles’ Courtyard) Jessie and her Bridesmaids got up at 5am! First in the hairdressers seat was the Bride herself having her hair fully curled and pinned, followed by her 9 Bridesmaids… there was no time for anyone to be late.
The next step was to finish the centrepieces. A mixture of gypsophila, hydrangeas, and eucalyptus arranged in a tall lily vase sprayed white gold. Doing the centerpieces themselves were one of Jessie and Curtis’ biggest wedding savings!
‘I was expecting it to be stressful but I actually really enjoyed it all, we had the bubbles flowing, fruit and croissants from the castle’
The Ceremony…
Jessie and Curtis became Mr & Mrs in Clearwell Castles Ballroom.
A String Quartet (one of Jessie’s wedding day must haves) played a slower version of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol as she walked down the aisle with her father.
The Quartet then played Stand By me by Ben E King as the new Mr & Mrs celebrated hand in hand as they exited the Ballroom.
The Welcome Drinks…
Peach Bellini
Peroni
‘We were so lucky with the weather there wasn’t a cloud in the sky so we were able to have these out in front of The Castle whilst the string quartet played outside.’
The Wedding Breakfast…
“Before you eat dinner and drink your champagne,
Let’s all take a trip down memory lane,
We want you to smile and giggle a lot,
So go to your table and find your mugshot.”
Instead of name places, Jessie and Curtis collected baby photos of their guests – a brilliant and funny ice breaker!
The Menu
Salmon Fishcake
On a bed of crushed peas with homemade tartar sauce
Roasted succulent turkey crown
Accompanied by roasted parsnips, horseradish mash, Pigs in Blankets, stuffing and roasted thyme jus
Lemon Tart
A rich lemon filling in crispy pastry finished with clotted cream, caramelised lemon zest, blackberry coulis and white chocolate crispy pearls
‘Every one of our guests commented on how delicious the food was! The Castle really did impress.’
Jessie’s Bridesmaids started off the speeches with a poem they wrote about her. A lovely touch as Jessie is known to often write personal poems for her friends.
The Best men did their bit for the speeches too! A photo of Jessie and Curtis’ Labrador Coco, the other important lady in his life.
The Evening Reception…
‘We had the Clearwell Castle DJ, and the dancefloor was filled all night long.’
For the first dance ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ by Alicia Keys.
Suppliers
Photography: Darren Thomas
Wedding Dress: Enzoani
Groom Attire: Slaters Menswear
Wedding Rings: Ernest Jones
