Real Weddings: Raychel and Raz’s dreamy hotel wedding in Belfast

THE PROPOSAL
Raz proposed while we were on holiday in Hawaii in 2023. The poor man had been carrying a ring around with him every day for two weeks, stressing that every single view we encountered was a “proposal-worthy spot”!

We were on a quiet beach on the island of Kauai, watching the sunset. It had rained on and off all day, and the clouds parted to reveal a glimpse of amazing sky just for a few minutes, and we were in awe. Raz got down on one knee and opened with “I didn’t prepare a speech or anything”, then proceeded to make a very emotional, accidental speech that had us both in tears. As soon as I said yes, it started to absolutely lash rain, and we just laughed and kissed, then decided to sprint into the sea to make it official!

THE WEDDING ATTIRE
Raz was actually in the more expensive outfit out of the two of us on the day, and he looked incredible in a classic tuxedo from Charles Tyrwitt.

I found my dream dress online (despite being a terrible online shopper). After different styles of white dresses, I realised I was so much more excited at the prospect of putting my absolute dream outfit together… and that didn’t include a white dress. I came across my sage green Avery dress on V.Chapman and got total goosebumps. I could already visualise it paired with long gloves and a veil – it felt so romantic. The fabric had this beautiful, pearly sheen that made it glow all on its own… the kind of dress I could only dream up! I bought the dress in a Black Friday sale and found the perfect cream satin gloves on Etsy, and a stunning cream veil from Vinted.

THE CEREMONY
We worked with our fabulous celebrant, Ciara Turley, to make a ceremony script that would really tell the story of us, acknowledge both our families and cultures and our journey together. It was funny, emotional, and so sincere. Ciara designed a perfect handfasting ceremony for us that had everyone in tears; we used strands of Donegal Tweed to represent myself, and traditional Romanian handwoven bands made in Raz’s home county to represent him.

Ciara also managed to work in plenty of Irish and Romanian phrases, which everyone appreciated so much. We kept the whole day as bilingual as possible. We sent our whole ceremony script to a Romanian translator so we could make up a printed booklet for anyone who wanted to follow along in their own language.

THE RECEPTION
Our reception was an unfussy, classic affair with a great meal, drinks flowing and just loads of laughter and chat! Raz and I opted to have a sweetheart table just for the two of us, which we loved. It was a brilliant chance to get some quality time together and really take in the day. The usual ‘Top Table’ tradition isn’t a thing in Romanian culture; we had no bridal party or groomsmen either, and we figured our parents would have a better time getting to sit beside their own family and friends.

This meant that when it was time for speeches, each speaker came to stand by us and we got the perfect view. Another highlight of our reception was the speeches themselves. In the interest of keeping the day as bilingual as possible, all speeches were made in teams of two, with one Romanian speaker and one English speaker. This gave us the opportunity to involve so many friends and family, which was so special and emotional – there were tears, laughter and standing ovations!

THE ENTERTAINMENT
We were so thrilled to come across The Swing Cats on Instagram because they were exactly the vibe we were going for: an energetic swing band with a really sleek style. The guys were absolute professionals, and we couldn’t have asked for a better performance. Our friends and family really love a big dance, and we knew they’d be on the dancefloor all night, so it was important to us to invest in a really good band to bring the party vibe.

THE DECOR
It was a priority of ours to find a beautiful, big room with great light and minimal details (a tougher task than we anticipated). As soon as we saw the ballroom in the Titanic Hotel, we knew we had found the perfect space. It was so full of character without being overly fussy or heavy, and we knew our decor could be easy and minimal because the room and feature windows were doing so much of the work.

We wanted things to feel like our own personal take on a fairly classic vibe. We wanted to elevate the features of the beautiful space, instead of trying to create a whole new look, so we kept our florals tall and leafy, and brought in hints of warm creams, light yellows and blush pinks to add warmth to the white room, and work with the light wooden floor. Adding colours to the tables for the reception was really important as we didn’t want the room to look too white washed. So we bought loads of tall candles in tones of gold and yellow, and I made monogrammed handkerchiefs for each guest as a wedding favour, using a collection of plain and patterned fabrics in our colour scheme. They were laid out with the table settings and really made the room come to life. Overall, the effect was a minimal-modern-romantic kind of look, and from morning to evening, the room was magical.

THEIR TOP TIPS

• Keep it as personal as possible and do everything with intention, even down to the smallest details. Your guests will love celebrating with you all the more if they can really feel your essence shining through, so structure the day however you like, wear something you feel amazing in and record the memories that feel intimate and personal.
• It can be a challenge trying to do research and plan a wedding from a distance, visualising everything from behind your laptop, but just know that it’s better to overdo the research and be totally informed than agree to the first and easiest option and then regret it.
• Many people will advise against doing wedding DIY, but don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a little bit (if time and planning allow). It can be a gorgeous opportunity to involve loved ones in the memory-making and make the day feel all the more personal. Even if it’s just some signage, home baking, or a handwritten letter, these things can create lovely talking points throughout your special day.
• For our wedding favours, I made monogrammed handkerchiefs (So Long Sister). We also used our candlesticks as wedding favours. We designed and made a collection of three sizes that would look great as a little trio at home. Everyone got to take a set home after the Day 2 event. We purposely over-ordered candles so people would have fresh ones to take and use at home.