Set at the gateway to the Cooley mountains and on the banks of the glistening River Glyde, Bellingham Castle is the centrepiece of a 17-acre estate that includes a weir and a man-made river island where you can create memories that last a lifetime. The opulent 17th Century Irish castle is bursting with rich history, splendour and old-world luxury and was the venue for Deirdre Kettle's wedding to Michael Newby on the 18th of November 2023. This beautiful wedding day was captured by Rashida Keenan, we promise you will adore it!
The pair met whilst they were both working onboard a cruise ship sailing around Alaska in the Summer of 2018. Deirdre, a performer, was new on board when she was invited to the bar to have a drink with some new friends, one of them happened to be Mike and the rest is history!
The engagement had an extra personal touch as it happened in Lanzarote for their first holiday as a family in August 2022. Their one-year-old daughter (at the time) played a big role in helping her daddy out with the proposal by holding the ring box and offering it to Deirdre as Michael went down on one knee!
Deirdre's signature scent on the day was Jo Malone myrrh and tonka, a unisex cologne with notes of lavender, omumbiri myrrh and tonka bean. This fragrance is complex and smokey with a rich sweet undertone. "For a winter wedding, I felt it was the perfect scent for the occasion."
Deirdre got her dress in Ivy & White in Belfast. She had researched the designers beforehand and knew what dress offerings they had in store. She saw a particular dress from ‘Chosen by Kyha’ on the store website and had a feeling that this would be the one. Turns out she was correct, it was the first dress she tried on and fell in love with it straight away!
Michael wore a Moss Bros tuxedo, the couple knew they wanted to do a black tie theme. On top of that being outside the UK they knew they had to utilise a chain store tailor. Since Mikes's groomsmen are scattered around the UK this was a very quick and easy process with the limited options available.
Deirdre's bridesmaids were Gillian, Orla & Kate. "All girls have a great eye for fashion and all agreed on the stunning black velvet dresses from Folkester in Dundrum."
The ceremony was held in St Mary’s Church, Knockbridge. This is Deirdre’s village church. "Our favourite part was having our daughter there with us as a flower girl."
The pair picked Bellingham Castle as they had attended several weddings there in the past and as soon as the two got engaged, they very quickly determined that this was always going to be the perfect venue for them.
For the wedding band, Deirdre and Michael chose "The Professionals featuring Jo". "We chose them from a recommendation of Deirdre's dad who is in the music industry and after watching their videos online, we knew they were the band for us." The dance floor was never empty, Joe even had Deirdre’s cousin on Facetime from Dubai singing along with everyone!
