Niall and Andrea's Wedding in Tyrone, Co Tyrone

We landed in Belfast in September 2022, and after meeting his family, friends, and daily life, we got engaged in January 2023.

We were ecstatic. We decided to get married in the summer of 2024. We started visiting venues and were almost set on one when we decided (very last minute) to visit The Lusty Beg. It changed all our plans. We couldn’t picture getting married anywhere else. Plus, we had gotten engaged in County Fermanagh, so getting married there felt like the perfect full-circle moment.

We had to go back to Argentina to sort out all the legal paperwork. That’s when we hit the biggest roadblock: my visa just wasn’t going to arrive on time for our wedding day. So, we had the venue booked, all the guests excited… but the bride couldn’t attend?

It turned our world upside down. We had to make the difficult decision to postpone our wedding date for a full year. Thankfully, The Lusty Beg agreed without any issues.

In the meantime, I was already getting my dress custom-made in Argentina by an incredible designer called Venus de Arlés. I had always wanted something along the lines of a corseted mermaid style, but when I got to his studio and tried on all the whimsical dresses, I couldn’t resist. I thought: When else am I going to get to wear an A-line puffy dress? The chances were very slim, so I went for it.

When all the paperwork was finally sorted, we came back to Tyrone, where we now live, and went into full wedding-planning mode.

There were a few non-negotiables for us: a harpist, a venue with enough accommodation for all our guests, and… an ice cream cart. Luckily, The Lusty Beg covered two out of the three.

The first things we booked after the venue were our band and photographer.

We picked The Rockits because we had seen them at another wedding, and the dance floor was always full of life. Easy decision.

And for our photographer? That was an intense search, as I’m very passionate about photography myself. I looked and looked until one day, scrolling through Hitched, I saw her. I specifically wanted a female photographer because I wanted to support a woman-owned business and keep the girly, relaxed ambiance during the getting-ready moments.

Silverlace Photography was the answer to all of that. Lisa was simply outstanding. Her unique style and personality won us over completely.

Then came the décor. We hired McGarry’s, as we had previously seen their work at The Lusty Beg. Let me tell you... once you see their roof draped with fairy lights, you refuse to get married without it. They handled our lighting, flower arch, and aisle flowers. Worth every penny.

Our celebrant was Olivia, better known as La Luna Ceremonies, and I feel incredibly grateful to have found her. We wanted someone bilingual in English and Spanish so my parents wouldn’t feel lost during the ceremony. I thought it would be an impossible task but Olivia appeared on my screen after a couple of Google searches. How lucky were we?

As for invitations and stationery, we did it all ourselves! We designed and printed them, and my mother decorated them with flowers.

Our harpist, Lucia McGinnis, was top of the game. As I mentioned in the review we left for her, my now-husband’s family is very musical, and when I mentioned that our little nieces and nephews wanted to play some traditional tunes alongside her, she didn’t hesitate for a second. She was immediately on board with the idea.

It turned out to be one of the highlights of our wedding. Our guests could NOT believe they hadn’t rehearsed at all!

The flowers were by Nettles and Petals, a super-talented local florist from Carrickmore. I sent her a picture of the flower arch we hired, and she worked her magic to create beautiful bouquets that matched perfectly.

The suits were from Freddie Hatchet. My husband’s favorite color is green, and he always knew he wanted a suit with texture. Finding the perfect one was so easy that I was genuinely impressed.

Hair and makeup were tough ones to sort out! I stayed at The Lusty Beg the night before the wedding because I wanted to get ready on-site and not lose any sleep (could you blame me?). I couldn’t find any hairstylist who would travel to Lusty Beg for three people until I found Claire Carrigan, whose studio is just 5 miles away. I had my trial and loved her. Sorted!

Makeup was even harder. I never wear foundation, and finding someone who could do glowy makeup without the dreaded orange tones was difficult, until I saw Hayley Hill’s Instagram. I immediately knew it had to be her. On top of that, she has the bubbliest personality and kept the energy high all morning with her infectious enthusiasm.

Our cake was from French Village. Funny story: it got badly damaged during transportation (not their fault, completely ours). Once again, Lusty Beg came to the rescue. The head chef managed to separate both tiers and even added decorations to fix it. It needs to be mentioned. The cake was absolutely delicious.

The last vendor we booked was our wonderful videographer. This was actually a gift, since my sister and her partner couldn’t travel from America for unfair reasons. I can’t believe we almost didn’t have a wedding video. It’s now one of our most treasured keepsakes. I’m forever thankful to all our vendors, who weren’t just excellent at their jobs but also incredibly warm people.

Since I’m Venezuelan, I knew I could get away with anything non-traditional, and people would just think it was part of my culture (lol). So we did a wedding cake-shaped piñata, tequeños, and, funny enough, my cap veil, which many thought was a Venezuelan tradition (it wasn’t, I just liked it).

The ceremony was one of our favourite parts, as it was intimate and heartfelt. Reading our own vows made it unforgettable. Lucia playing with our nieces and nephews was also a highlight. Our surprise ring bearer. We hid the rings under one of the seats, and guests had to figure out who would take them to the altar! Our parents performing the warming of the rings tradition. I couldn’t help but shed tears. The ice cream cart + Guinness station? A huge hit. Walking down the aisle to Dreams by The Cranberries. Seeing everyone even the band singers! with temporary tattoos of our faces, lol. My dad doesn’t speak English well, so he read his speech in Spanish, and the best man read the translation after every paragraph. Guests described it as more than a speech, it could be considered literature. And my mother-in-law surprised us with a speech in Spanish, what a shock! My father-in-law surprise performance of Forever and Ever with the band! The excitement of waiting for the developed photos from the disposable cameras we left at every table. Exchanging rings. Mine was made here in Omagh, and Niall’s was handmade in Argentina, representing the exchange of our cultures.

What else can I say? I could keep writing and come to the same conclusion: It was the most perfect day.