An Ulster Museum Ceremony & Café Parisien Belfast Wedding Reception

An Ulster Museum Ceremony & Café Parisien Belfast Wedding Reception


This fabulous real wedding couple Siobhán and Phil tied the knot in a wonderfully colourful celebration at the Ulster Museum in Belfast followed by an incredibly stylish bash at Café Parisien. Featuring vibrant floral arrangements, a photoshoot on the streets of Belfast and oodles of character, this colour-filled city wedding is not to be missed! Captured by Paula Gillespie Photography, check out their charming ceremony and chic restaurant reception below.

Flowers roses on table along with RSVP cards
Pink and orange flowers/roses

Before we dive into the details of their glorious city nuptials, let’s get to know the happy couple a bit more! After meeting in work in 2013, the pair began going to gigs together and before they knew it, those gigs turned into dates, and a year later the couple made it official.

Father gets bowtie on with the help from wife
Wife wears bridal veil stands beside husband wearing suit and bowtie

“Neither of us remember a specific date, so have never been ones to celebrate anniversaries! Right from the start, we both just loved being around each other and wanted to spend all our time together. Once we became official, things started to move quickly and we moved into an apartment in Belfast sometime in 2015. Suppose things didn’t move that quickly, as the proposal came 7 years later!”

Bride holds up the bouquet to smell and poses in front of plates sitting on wall
Bride holds up the bouquet to smell and poses in front of plates sitting on wall

Fast forward to their engagement, the proposal took place during a trip to Donegal, while the pair were hiking up Sliabh Liag in the wind and rain. “Phil completely took me by surprise by asking me to marry him. We took ourselves to The Rusty Mackerel after for some celebratory pints of Guinness. We can’t wait to head back to Sliabh Liag as a married couple!”

Welcome to our wedding signage
Close up of pink red and orange roses/flowers/bouquet
Close up of pink red and orange roses/flowers/bouquet

Siobhán and Phil opted to tie the knot in The Belfast Room at the Ulster Museum, which sits on the grounds of the city’s Botanic Gardens. Filled with natural light and the “perfect mix of classic and modern”, the couple’s dreamy ceremony space was decorated with plumes of colourful floral arrangements.

Father of the bride walks her down the aisle
Bride and groom at the top of the alter facing each other smiling

Walking down the aisle with her dad to She Moved Through the Fair being played on the harp, glowing bride Siobhán wore a stunning Love and Liberty Bridal off-the-shoulder gown paired with a statement beaded veil.

Bride and groom sit beside a bed of flowers in church/at the alter

The couple’s Humanist ceremony included a reading of Seamus Heaney’s Scaffolding and a rendition of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven by two of their friends. “Phil’s father Danny sadly passed away in 2019, so during our ceremony, both our mums lit a unity candle while ‘Danny Boy’ was played on the harp.”

Bride and groom at the alter with celebrant
Bride and groom exit wedding ceremony guests stand and clap

“I feel like a Humanist wedding guarantees a personal and emotional ceremony, you literally design it how you want and your story is told in such a special way that’s personal to you.”

Bride shows off wedding band ring and holds colourful bouquet flowers
Confetti being thrown over couple by guests bride and groom
Confetti being thrown over couple by guests bride and groom

Following their ceremony, the two used the streets of Belfast and the museums façade as the backdrop to their gorgeous wedding photoshoot. From the outset, Siobhán and Phil didn’t have a theme in mind but knew they wanted a wedding that was relaxed and contemporary whilst remaining elegant and cool.

Bride and groom look at each other standing in front of statue
Close up of bride and bridesmaid colourful bouquet flowers
Bride and bridesmaid smile holding colourful bouquet flowers laughing
Bride, focus is on the colourful flowers groom in background
Bride and groom pose on the steps to manor wedding venue house

“We were so excited to have all our friends and family together to celebrate, so it was most important to us that everyone was comfortable and had a great time. At the same time, it was very important we felt the day represented us as a couple.”

Bride looks out of wedding car window as she sits beside groom
Groom beside bride holding bouquet roses flowers in wedding car
Close up of brides bouquet in car
Bride and groom holding flowers walking along street
Bride and groom holding flowers walking along street
Image of bride and groom wearing sunglasses

Siobhán and Phil has this advice for anyone embarking on their own wedding planning journey: “Be yourselves, stay true to who you are and make sure the day reflects you both as a couple. Most importantly, never lose sight of the real reason you’re doing all this. Wedding planning can be a very stressful time and you might be disappointed here and there along the way, so just remember that this is a special celebration of you and your partner and your relationship – that’s what truly matters!”

Cafe Parisien sign
Bar pub setting flowers on steps
Sign pose seating arrangements for guests
Orange red and pink roses on table
Welcome to the wedding of Siobhan & Phil RSVP letter sign

With bold lettering and tying in with their vibrant colour palette, Siobhán and Phil’s gorgeous wedding stationery was made by modern design studio Keady Row. “Keady Row create one of a kind, contemporary wedding stationery and no problem was too big for them. They were a dream to work with and our invitations and on-the-day stationery were one of our favourite things from our wedding.”

Flowers on top of white wedding cake orange pink yellow
Bride and groom stand before staircase
Bride and groom surrounded by blue walls they kiss on the staircase

With it’s stylish, moody interiors and city centre location, Café Parisien served as host for Siobhán and Phil’s chic restaurant reception. Being the first and only venue they viewed, the couple had always wanted a restaurant vibe for their reception and the spot, which overlooks Belfast’s City Hall,  ticked all the boxes. Their fun-filled evening went on to include a first dance to As Long As I’ve Got You by The Charmels, plenty of canapés, cocktails, and dancing on the terrace. 

Interior pub setting crowd guests
Two cocktails and sweet treats for bride and groom
Shot of bride and groom from behind arms around each other
Wedding band playing songs in pub guitarist singer singing
Bride and mother and father chat amongst each other
Father of the bride wears face king crown at table

Following the busy festivities of their wedding day, the couple took a well deserved trip across Italy, spending a few nights in Naples, Ischia, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. To finish off their honeymoon the pair returned to Naples – “the pizza really is that good! We could not recommend this trip enough, especially Naples and Ischia. If you’re ever in Ischia, definitely visit Poseidon. It’s a beautiful place that has thermal baths, saunas and a private beach – honeymoon bliss!”

Bride and groom cocktail bar flowers seated on red leather couch
Bride and groom cheers with cocktails in hands

A huge thank you to Siobhan and Phil for sharing their charming Belfast city wedding day with us, and to Paula Gillespie Photography for these amazing images. Make sure to check out the gallery below for more shots from their spectacular special day!

Are you planning to tie the knot in Northern Ireland? Check out our NI based weddings here.

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