Lynn and Alan’s wedding at Beech Hill Country House was a true magical celebration. The real wedding couple described their day as “of the forest,” with Beech Hill’s enchanting outdoor forest ceremony area inspiring everything from décor to the smallest details. The bride wore an incredible one-of-a-kind wedding dress designed by her cousin, featuring hand-sketched illustrations that told the story of their love. Adding playful and memorable touches, the couple had bubble girls and boys in lieu of traditional flower children, and a live guest illustrator captured custom illustrations for their guests. Their Harry Potter-inspired love story was reflected in whimsical wedding favors, nodding to the magic of their relationship. The couple’s pets also played a starring role: their tortoise, Albus, inspired their wedding cake, while their dog, Rocket, stole the show as the ringbearer. We're excited to show you a glimpse into their magical Beech Hill Country House wedding beautifully captured by photographer Hannah McKeown.
Lynn, a Co. Tyrone native, and Alan, originally from Dublin, have built their life together in the charming town of Castlederg, Co. Tyrone — a place they now call home.
Lynn and Alan’s love story began with a swipe on Tinder. When Lynn first came across Alan’s profile, she was intrigued by a photo of him making Paverpol figures. She loved the idea of meeting someone artistic — though she later discovered it was a one-off project! Still, six years later, those quirky figures now hold a special place in their forever home. Another detail that caught her attention was Alan’s tongue-in-cheek claim that he worked at Hogwarts as a wizard. For a self-confessed Harry Potter superfan like Lynn, that was enough to seal the deal.
Alan wasted no time showing off his cheeky charm once they matched, opening with the playful line: “Would a Ravenclaw date a Gryffindor?” — a cheesy but undeniably cute first impression. Their first date was set for 6 p.m. at the cinema to watch Fantastic Beasts, but fate had other plans. Lynn overslept, the cinema didn’t have the license for the film, and they ended up watching Aquaman instead — which Lynn didn’t mind one bit. The evening may not have gone as planned, but it marked the start of something truly special. That date was the start of something special, even if Lynn wasn’t sure if Alan liked her. Spoiler alert: he did. He thought she was very pretty, even if she was a little late!
The proposal came on a family trip to Italy. Alan had it all planned out in advance, they were heading to Lake Garda to celebrate Lynn’s brother’s 30th and so, Alan thought the perfect opportunity would be to propose in the Arena di Verona. Lynn didn’t have a clue about what was coming, neither did Lynn’s cousin Rachel who were cackling away after Lynn’s cousin Ross (Rachel’s brother) replied to an airport selfie saying “odds on he proposes.” The rest of the group who all knew about the planned proposal were entirely poker faced. Alan decided Rachel should know and so told her that evening to ensure all went smoothly with the big moment.
On arriving at the Arena Di Verona, it was closed sending the group in to quite a panic trying to find a plan b, Lynn was still oblivious whilst the others spent the day trying to think of somewhere else for Alan to pop the question. They then suggested they would go for a walk around the lake, Lynn wasn’t fussed so told them to head on, she’d be staying at the bar! It was then that her sister managed to convince her to take a few steps towards the lake, it was then that plan b was activated. They’d take some pictures and when it was Alan and Lynn’s turn for a picture, he’d pass the phone to Janice and then he’d propose. So off they went for their picture in front of the lake, however, Alan may have bottled it a little so to give him another go, Lynn’s brother said, your belly is hanging out in that picture Alan we’ll have to take it again. Giving him another run at it, he then got down on one knee, Lynn absolutely was caught off guard and so the first thing out of her mouth was “what are you doing?!’ And then “seriously” followed by “yes” despite the fact that she was not technically asked any question, Alan got the answer he was looking for … and Lynn was finally ‘in’ on the plan!
Once engaged, the couple set out to plan a wedding with a focus on keeping things as stress-free as possible. The bride explained that her priority was ensuring her guests had a great time rather than striving for perfection in every detail. The bride says, "I wanted to focus on my guests having a good time rather than micro-managing everything and expecting perfection – my rule during the planning if any decision-making was starting to stress me out was to ask myself “what did they have for this at the last wedding I attended” – if I couldn’t remember then I figured it wasn’t anything I needed to worry about."
Regarding the overall look and feel, the couple described their wedding as “of the forest.” With their ceremony set in Beech Hill’s outdoor forest area, many of their choices — from décor to small details — were inspired by the natural woodland backdrop, creating a serene and magical atmosphere throughout the day. Lynn adds, "I wanted that ‘of the forest look’ and wanted everything to be a little wild and on the messier side – I remember telling my florist that I wanted my bouquet to look like I'd just ran through a field and grabbed things haphazardly, I didn’t want it to be uniform or ‘neat’."
When asked what made Beech Hill Country House Hotel the perfect venue for them, the couple said, "The forest ceremony area had me completely sold – I had always wanted to get married outside and initially loved the idea of going out into nature somewhere for our wedding ceremony, but the logistics of this turned out to be too stressful! I was also really impressed with the package that the Beech Hill offered, with them including things like the cake and wedding stationary it took the pressure off and let us focus on the things we were most interested in."
The bride adds, "The fact that the Beech Hill is fully dog friendly was also a massive bonus for us – we had our rescue dog Rocket as our ringbearer and he was able to stay overnight no problem – he stayed up and partied with us until 12.30!".
The little ones added a playful touch to the day, strolling down the aisle blowing bubbles at the guests with bubble guns. The girls wore dresses from Monsoon, paired with coats from Dunnes Stores, while bubble boy Thomas, looked smart in his Holy Communion suit.
The couple tied the knot on 28 February 2025, with 100 guests in attendance for a ceremony set in Beech Hill’s enchanting outdoor forest area. The ceremony was led by Celebrant Chlöe Cairns and couple exchanged meaningful wedding rings. Lynn wore a 9ct yellow gold Cherry Blossom ring by Lee Renée, while Alan chose a unique piece from Etsy by CopperbeardJewelry, featuring a band set with dinosaur bone. The bride’s cousin Sam read Edward Monkton’s charming, A Lovely Love Story, about a dinosaur and their beloved counterpart, adding a whimsical and heartfelt touch to the day.
When we first laid eyes on Lynn's unique wedding dress, we were in awe. But upon closer inspection of the pattern, we were completely blown away. The dress was truly one-of-a-kind, featuring hand-sketched illustrations by the bride’s cousin and close friend, Daryl Crowe. Drawing inspiration from images and symbols meaningful to the bride, Daryl translated his sketches into a custom pattern, which was then printed onto fabric to create the gown. A graduate of Heriot-Watt University in Fashion Design for Industry, Daryl had spent several years crafting bespoke garments before launching a successful interior design business, bringing both his creativity and precision to this unforgettable piece.
"The fact that my cousin and one of my closest friends Daryl handmade my dress especially for me was so unbelievably special. The illustrations that Daryl hand-drew for it were all based on things that have personal significance to me – for example the hot air balloon has my dog Rocket and my tortoise Albus inside it, and our initials L & A at the top. It also includes pomegranates for my love of Greek mythology and the story of Persephone. It has rye in-keeping with the natural theme and as a nod to my favourite book The Catcher in the Rye."
"My dress was very much a one-off though as he has said all the way through that he won’t be making any more dresses after this!".
Lynn complimented the dress with Vivenne Westwood x Melissa skyscraper heels in nude, sourced from Vinted. She also added Stephanie Browne’s Golden Eve earrings, purchased from Wolf & Badger, crafted in Australia. She also wore a bracelet that held special meaning as her “something borrowed,” kindly lent by her mother.
The bridesmaids wore rust-coloured wrap tie satin dresses by Six Stories, paired with stylish heels from River Island. The groom and his groomsmen were dressed in stylish suits from MJ’s Menswear in Derry, ensuring a sharp and coordinated look for the wedding day. The groom’s accessories added a personal touch to his look, including a pocket watch sourced from Etsy and a Harry Potter house badge gifted by his best man, worn by the groom, his groomsmen, and the male guardian of the ring bearer.
After the ceremony, the couple and their guests enjoyed a cocktail hour, featuring custom illustrations created live for guests by the talented Pencil&Paint.
For a unique twist on the traditional guest book, the bride purchased a vintage index card holder from Etsy and created index-card-sized prompts for guests to fill out, making each message personal and interactive.
Later, guests were treated to whimsical wedding favours: DIY Ferrero Rocher “Snitches” adorned with golden wings, sourced from Amazon and attached with glue dots from Shein, adding a playful Harry Potter-inspired touch to the day - and a nod to their lovestory.
Adding personal touches to their wedding cakes, the couple featured a tortoise climbing up the side in honor of their pet, Albus. On top of that, the bride’s bridesmaid Cleona surprised her with a gluten-free cake from Willow Tree Cakes, specially made to accommodate her recent coeliac diagnosis.
The couple shared their first dance to “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, creating a magical and heartfelt moment on the dance floor.
When asked for advice for other newly-engaged couples, the pair say, "Talk about what your priorities are for the wedding to figure out where you want to spend a little more. Don’t feel pressured into doing anything that you don’t actually care about – we tore apart every aspect of ‘a wedding’ and made a decision on each part whether it was something we actually wanted or if it was just ‘the done thing’. We each got so much support from our bridal party, both at the planning stage and on the day, so choose wisely, you want the people that have seen you at your best and worst and that you don’t have to perform for, there will be enough stress without having to appease anyone you’re not that close to!".
For their honeymoon, the couple jetted off to Rome the Monday after their Friday wedding. They described the trip as amazing and highly recommend it to other newlyweds.
Congratulations Lynn and Alan! A very special thank you to our lovely couple and Hannah McKeown Photography for sharing today's sublime Beech Hill Country House wedding with One Fab Day!
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