Page 22 - Wedding Mag June 2024

Cecilia & Sam
26th August 2023 at Mulberry House
How did you meet?
We met on a night out in a local pub and once we got talking, we could not stop. We had so much in common that it felt strange that we had not met prior to that night. The spark was truly there, and there was no question that we were going to see each other again.
What made you choose Mulberry House?
When looking for venues online, we treated it like buying a house. We made a list of everything we wanted and started drawing up budget plans. We repeatedly searched the internet for an ideal wedding venue, but each one would have something missing from our list. That was until we came across Mulberry House. As well as being absolutely beautiful, Mulberry House catered for all our requirement - exclusive wedding venue, high quality rooms available for guests who will be travelling, local to immediate family and friends, within our budget and providing a full range of services. No other venue came close to the feeling we felt at Mulberry House.
Best advice you could give to a couple who are starting to plan their wedding?
Make sure you come up for air. You might find yourself googling ‘list of things needed for a wedding,’ or your Pinterest algorithm is just wedding checklists and budgets. You might have a friend who is demanding that you MUST buy your wedding dress 12 months before your big day, or Facebook wedding forums telling you to not book wedding decor suppliers, that you HAVE to do everything DIY. Your TikTok For You page might start showing big, elaborate weddings and you will sit there thinking ‘how can anyone afford this?’ When it comes to wedding planning, everyone else thinks they know what you need, and it can become overwhelming. Our advice would be, book your wedding venue and then breathe. With your wedding venue booked, you know your big day can go ahead, your guests will be watered and fed and everything else will simply fall into place.
What was the favourite part of your day?
We were married at St Mary’s High church, just down the road from Mulberry House. After the ceremony, our guests walked back to the venue, while we drove back in Sam’s two-seater car. Despite the journey only lasting two minutes, it was our favourite part. We were completely alone, admiring our shiny new rings that featured on our left hands and the weight just lifted from our shoulders. The most nerve- wracking part was done, and we just sat there, smiling at each other from ear to ear. I constantly think of that moment and crave that familiar feeling of complete and utter content.
What did Mulberry House do to make your day extra special?
The staff at Mulberry House were a huge part of the reason we chose it as a venue. You can really feel the team are a family, and it made attending meal tastings, open days, and planning meetings so enjoyable. On the morning of the wedding, I was feeling extremely anxious and overwhelmed. I had not slept all night and I walked into Mulberry House feeling completely on edge. Claire, one of the wedding and events managers, noticed and gave me a well needed hug. All my worries seemed to disappear as I wholeheartedly trusted the team. Throughout the day, every single member of staff was on hand for our every need, the service itself was impeccable, and our guests have continued to compliment how kind and wonderful the team were. Everyone had a real sense of being cared for.
What song did you walk down the aisle to?
My brother-in-law sang and played the Irish Hymn, ‘Be Thou My Vision.’ It was beautiful and added to the magic of the ceremony.
What would you have done differently given the chance?
If we were given the chance to change anything regarding the wedding, any decisions we would make would only be subtle. Such as, not feeling so nervous and on edge at the beginning, writing love letters to each other to open the morning of and putting more money behind the bar. But these subtle changes would not alter the way we remember our wedding. We can honestly say that the wedding went exactly as planned, and all the small stuff does not matter. If we were given the opportunity to hit the rewind button and go back to the day, we would use the opportunity to take everything in more, as it is true what they say, the day goes so fast.
Any other comments on your wedding day?
The one thing I would say we are so glad we did, was that we made the day personal to us. While we found it difficult to not compare and copy other weddings, we stuck to what we wanted and made the day unique to our tastes. We had the colours we like, the flowers we wanted and the music we listen to. We wanted brunch vibes throughout our meal, so we had the DJ play garage music. Prior to the wedding, we had so many people tell us it is a silly idea, but we did it anyway because that was what we wanted – it ended up being hit and everyone loved it! We also opted for not doing a cake cut, but a champagne tower instead and the pictures were fabulous. All the bridesmaids wore different colours, there were disco balls everywhere and I was in my slippers as soon as the meal started. We made the day personal to us, and we had the best day of our lives.