Inside My Wedding: American couple on their ‘fairy tale’ NI wedding day at Dunluce Castle

An American couple have shared a glimpse of their ‘fairy tale’ wedding day at Dunluce Castle in Co Antrim.

Corey Barrows (33) and Jamie Barrows (29) from West Virginia have been together since December 2018 and got engaged in September 2021.

The couple opted for a destination wedding and were blown away when they saw pictures of the north coast’s countryside and castles, reports the Irish Star.

In September 2022 they made their way to Dunluce Castle where they enjoyed the ceremony with a small group of friends and family followed by a charcuterie style picnic before heading to a number of other locations including Dunseverick Castle, The Giant’s Causeway and Left The Quays Bar, Portrush. .

Jamie said: “It was such a pleasant experience working with Rob and my other suppliers. It was so easy to plan the event. It helped me to be stress free on the big day. My wedding day was everything I dreamed of and more.”

She shared all about her “magical” wedding anniversary here in NI.

How did you meet and how long have you been together?

Corey worked with my father for years before we met. Corey contacted me and asked me out on a date for The Nutcracker in December 2018. We’ve been together ever since.

Tell us about your engagement.

Corey and I went to The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia in September 2021 for a weekend getaway. He told me to get dressed early for dinner because he had something special planned for us.

He finally surprised me with a horse-drawn carriage ride. Shortly after the ride he asked if we could stop for a photo at the Spring House, a pavilion at the resort. We got down the stairs and started posing for a picture and then he got down on one knee and popped the question.

Why did you want to get married in Northern Ireland? did you come to the wedding

I never wanted a big wedding. I started thinking about getting married abroad when I was at university and had always wanted to travel to Ireland for the scenery and beautiful castles.

I came across Rob Dight’s Epic Love Photography Instagram account and immediately knew this was what I wanted to do and that he should capture our day. After Corey proposed, it wasn’t even two weeks before I reached out to Rob to check his availability and start planning. I had never been to Ireland before we got married.

How did you start planning?

After confirming that Rob was available for September 2022, I began reaching out to other suppliers he had previously worked with. It was all super easy and stress free. All I did was contact the vendors on Instagram and see if they were available for our anniversary.

I had the fabulous Olivia Muldoon as my makeup artist, the queen of braids, Kim Annesley, Victoriana Floral created my beautiful bouquet, Toni Furtado led the charcuterie style picnic, Sam, Dani and Calvin from Cinematic Tide made an epic video for Corey and I created to relive our special day.

The celebrant of our ceremony was Owen Crane, who beautifully prepared a ceremony with a hand fast. His wife, Annie Crane, custom made the hand grip. The grounds at Dunluce Castle are owned by Sean McKinley who was the most gracious host.

How did you determine your location?

About two months before our big day, I had a Zoom call with Rob to check locations and go through our timeline. Rob showed me pictures of all the places we could go and I chose Dunluce Castle, the scenery spoke for itself.

What was the best part of preparing for your wedding day?

I think the best part was getting ready with everyone at our Airbnb The Old Bushmills Barn. I love that I was able to chat with my hair and makeup artist Kim and Olivia to help set me up for the day. I was surrounded by my family and we all went to Dunluce Castle together. It really felt like a stress free day.

What was the best moment of your day and other favorite parts?

Of course, the best part of my day was marrying Corey. Having Dunluce Castle as the backdrop for our ceremony was magical. We all enjoyed a charcuterie picnic styled by Toni Furtado. We had to have photos taken at various locations such as Dunseverick Castle, The Giant’s Causeway and The Quays Bar in Portrush. It was like living in a fairy tale.

Is there anything you would do differently or wish there was something you didn’t have to worry about?

I wouldn’t do anything else. It was honestly the most amazing experience of my life so far. Really magical!

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