Victoria & Simon's Wedding

The Couple

Tell us a little about how you met & talk us through the proposal

Simon and I have been together for a whopping 13 years! We met on a torrentially rainy night in Belfast in the summer of 2009. In an attempt to escape from the rain, Simon and his group of friends went to the only place they could get into… a gay bar, called ‘Yellow’. In similar circumstances and drenched to the skin, I ended up there too. Strutting his epic dance moves, Si noticed me from across the dance floor, and slowly made his way closer. After a lame attempt at photobombing our group picture, and a few hours of dancing and laughter, I bit the bullet, made the first move and went in for the first kiss. Whilst we stayed in contact after that night, we just remained friends for almost 10 months, until Simon made the long journey up to Londonderry to visit me at my Uni halls. After a couple of meetings, Simon and I made it official and started a relationship together. Our journey has been filled with many highs and lows, with Simon working in England for a number of years and us both committing to a long distance relationship. We grew increasingly frustrated with all the travelling, but never gave up or threw in the towel. After 4 long years, and a new job, the long distance was finally over and we began a new chapter, moving in together to our wee home in Broughshane, where we’ve been ever since. I spent around 10 years wondering when or if Simon was ever going to ask that all important question. It had gone so long that even my family, who had pestered Simon at every family gathering for years, stopped asking. I had given up all hope, but then the greatly anticipated event finally happened on a chilly night in Rossharbour, just before Christmas. It was so romantic. Simon arranged for us to have a meal, during dessert he panicked saying “I forgot my wallet” and disappeared off back to our cabin, leaving me to enjoy dessert. Little did I know he was actually frantically setting up the scene outside in the pitch dark. He laid roses, petals and candles along the harbour dock as a path for me to follow. He was back within 5 minutes, paid for our meal then suggested we go for a little walk. He led me all the way to to perfect spot then dropped to one knee. It was the most surreal and magical moment and I couldn’t quite believe what was happening! He was met with my tears and screaming “ARE YOU SURE” “ARE YOU SERIOUS” and eventually “YES!!!” When telling our friends and family the wonderful news, we were met not with the usual response of “congratulations” but sighs of FINALLY! We have loved and supported each other through joy and success but also through times of disappointment, struggles and loss. We never could have imagined that one chance encounter on a random rainy night in Belfast, would have led us to this point, almost 14 years later, having committed our lives together forever in marriage.

The Setting

Ceremony

Phantom House

Reception

Renaissance Suite

Why Galgorm

We visited many venues to host our wedding, with an open mind. We made a pros and cons list for each and scored them all out of 10. Our final viewing was booked at Galgorm, at this stage we already had a favourite venue. After a guided tour by the wonderful Kim, of all that Galgorm has to offer, we sat down looked at each other and simultaneously said “I love it! This is the one!” and gave it 10/10. We have visited the restaurants and spa many times during our relationship and it has held so many memories for us that we couldn’t imagine having the biggest day of our lives anywhere else! We were blown away by every aspect, from how many options there were for the ceremony, reception, photographs and all that’s included in the package. Nothing else compares to this, it is truly a magical place. We were also so impressed by Kim, her personality, attention to detail and genuine interest in us and our ideas. She made the whole process feel easy, and smooth, keeping our worries at bay and sorting anything we asked for no matter how big or small it was.

Tell us the most memorable part of your day

The whole day was honestly perfect, so this a difficult question! We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived and Rebecca knew what we needed before we even had to ask. The whole day ran like clockwork but if we had to pick one moment, it would be the feeling of pure joy and magic at seeing each other for the first time at the bottom of the aisle with all our loved ones there to celebrate with us.