Name: Ciara Mc Kenna

Age: 22

Location: Draperstown

Fiancée: Paul Mc Guckin (Lissan, Cookstown)

Wedding Date: 10th July 2010

How did you meet?
We met through work. We both work for Sperrin Metal in Draperstown. Paul has worked there for a while and I started over a year ago.

How long have you been dating?
One and a half years

When did you get engaged?
We got engaged on Friday 21st December 2007. Paul proposed on our Christmas party night.

How did Paul propose to you?
It was our Work Christmas Party on 21st December 2007. He lifted me in a limo outside my house. We then went to a house in Ballyronan which was decorated in Christmas Lights for charity and he took me outside and popped the question. We then got escorted in the limo up to the Greenvale to our Christmas Party and back home again. The ring was beautiful. He picked it himself - the one I had always dreamed of!!

What’s the most romantic thing that Paul has ever done?
My proposal was the most romantic thing yet.

Where are you getting married at?
Our ceremony will be in Moneyneena Chapel and our wedding reception at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.

At what stage of planning your wedding are you at?
We are at the very early stages of planning as we just got engaged before Christmas

What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
We would both love to go on a cruise somewhere.

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
I seen the website advertised in our local paper the Mid Ulster Observer

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
The website is fantastic. It is my first port of call when I am surfing the internet about my wedding. All the links and tips are very useful and I have already contacted certain listed suppliers for quotations etc.

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as the January
bride for the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
I was over the moon - I didn't expect the phone call at all. I am never lucky!

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
It would be a dream come true. My wedding day is the most important day of my life and everyone deserves to have a perfect day. It would give me the opportunity to have those little extra things that our budget would not extend to. If I was selected it would make it an absolute day to remember not only for ourselves but also for our guests!

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride ofthe Year 2008?
I think I deserve to win because after years of searching for my soul mate – I have finally found him. Since I've started seeing Paul my life is complete. I am really looking forward to my wedding day, not for the material element but the commitment that this entails. I can't wait for us to start our lives together. To win Bookourwedding.com Bride of the year 2008 would give us a kick start and enable us to save for the perfect home. It really would be an all round fantastic and life changing experience.

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Name: Chrissy Gibb

Age: 21

Location: Antrim

Occupation: World Of Owls Centre Manager, Education Officer and Head of Herpetology

Fiancé: Andrew Palmer

Wedding Date: Hopefully April 23rd 2010, this is our anniversary

How did you meet?
Andrew and I have been best friends since grammar school, we have always been close but ended up closer as the years went on and have now ended up as a couple

How long have you been dating?
We will be together 5 years this April

When did you get engaged?
Andrew proposed to me on my 20th birthday- June 2nd 2006

How did Andrew propose to you?
Andrew organized a surprise birthday party for me with all my family and friends and asked my dads permission to marry me. He took me out for the day and when we returned to my parent’s house there was a gazebo in the front garden and a barbecue and masses of people! He gave me my presents and told me I couldn’t have my card until he did something. He then got down on one knee in front of everyone and asked me to marry him and presented me with the ring he had picked. Once I said yes he then said I could have my card and when I opened it, it said Happy Birthday Fiancé …I then burst into tears!

What’s the most romantic thing that your partner has ever done?
We are into our animals in a big way. My family runs World of Owls which is a bird of prey and exotic animal sanctuary in Randalstown. I had a parrot which we rescued which was the next love of my life after Andrew! When he passed away I was heart broken and as he was quite a rare breed we could not find anyone who bred them. Unbeknown to me, Andrew had got in contact with someone who had a few for sale, so one day he got out early from work and went and picked him up and brought him home. So that night when I came home from work, Andrew told me to close my eyes and took me into the kitchen and there waiting for me was my new baby parrot! For me this is the most thoughtful, romantic thing he could ever have done.

Where are you getting married at?
Galgorm Resort and Spa

At what stages of planning your wedding are you at?
We are at the very early stages of planning. As my full time job is voluntary, we are working very hard to save up for our deposit to put down for our big day.

What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
A dream location for us would be somewhere like Mauritius, but realistically we know we could never afford it, so it would be a dream for us to just be able to get away for a while and spend quality time together

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
At the Clandeboye Lodge Wedding Fayre when we visited the Bookourwedding.com stand.

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
As we're in the early planning stages Bookourwedding.com is great for us as it gives us so many ideas and with features like my personal Budget Planner, it is a really big help. The discount card is also brilliant.

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as the February bride for the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
I was in work feeding my snakes at the time, and I nearly dropped the phone when I got the call I was so shocked! My fiancé and I are not lucky people so I really couldn’t believe it!

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
I couldn’t even imagine! Material things don’t really matter as long as we have each other, but the thought of not having to hold back on our big day would just be incredible.

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride of
the Year 2008?
To be honest, I have as much chance as any of the other women who have been selected; I am just so grateful to be given the chance and both my fiancé and I would like thank Bookourwedding.com for this opportunity.

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Name: Clare Young
Age: 24

Location: Portaferry

Fiancé: Aidan Faloona (Portaferry)

Wedding Date: 4th June 2010

How did you meet?
We have always known each other; we started dating after we met in a local bar.

How long have you been dating?
3 years this June
When did you get engaged?
Christmas Eve 2007

How did Aidan propose to you?
Aidan picked me up from work on Christmas Eve and we came home to my house. He had brought my Christmas presents in to me but I didn’t want to open them until Christmas morning, he said well open your card then and I did as I thought he had got me the Westlife tickets that I had been nagging him for. When I opened the card, it said to my Fiancée at Christmas, when I turned around he was on his knee and said the magic words.

What’s the most romantic thing that your partner has ever done?
When I was living away from home at university each Sunday when I got up to my student house I would find little surprises in my bag, such as little notes and teddy’s. Little things like this mean alot to me.

Where are you getting married at?
Our ceremony is in Portaferry and the Reception is in the Canal Court Newry

At what stages of planning your wedding are you at?
We are at the early stages of planning; we have put down the deposit for our reception and booked the Chapel.
What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
Australia would be our dream destination.

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
I was browsing through google for hints and types and came across your website.

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
The website is excellent, it has given us useful tips and ideas into various things, we have also used it to obtain prices from wedding suppliers.

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as the March bride for the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
I was in work and my Mum rang me to say that Bookourwedding had called to say I had been selected as their March bride. I was both shocked and excited at the news and I still am!!!

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
It would be incredible; every girl dreams of their big day, winning Bride of the year would mean we could go that extra yard, and not have to worry about keeping to a tight budget.

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year 2008?
I’m no different to any girl who wants their wedding day to be extra special; winning Bride of the Year would make that a reality.

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Name: Geri Mc Cartney

Age: 26

Occupation: Full time mummy/beauty therapist

Location: Belfast

Fiancé: James Nolan, Belfast

Wedding Date: 30th October 2009

How did you meet?
We met in Poleglass youth club in July 1993, when i was 12 and James was 15, I fancied him but he had a girlfriend lol so we didn't start going out with each other until much later!

How long have you been dating?
ALMOST 6 YEARS!

When did you get engaged?
We got engaged on Valentines Day 2005 in Amsterdam

How did your partner propose to you?
James proposed while we were in Amsterdam, he surprised me by taking me on a wee valentines cruise where he gave me a love heart sweetie that said "be mine?" and popped the question!

What’s the most romantic thing that your partner has ever done?
Romance is hard to come by in our house with 3 wee ones so Id have to say the proposal is the most romantic thing he has done to date!

Where are you getting married at?
We hope to have the wedding ceremony in St Joseph’s church, Hannahstown. My Granda and little sister are buried there so it means a lot and then Corick House or the Ballymac hotel for the reception!

At what stages of planning your wedding are you at?
We are still quite early on in the planning – I am not the most organised bride to be!

What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
James and I would both love Hawaii or Mexico but ours will probably be more of a "familymoon" than a honeymoon lol as we will probably take the kids with us!

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
I saw their stand at the Belfast Castle Wedding Fayre!

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
I think its a fab site, it has a good list of suppliers to work from and the discount card is a great bonus for brides especially ones on a budget like me!

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as the April bride for the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
I was completely stunned to find out i had been selected, I still cant quite believe that i have a chance to win my dream wedding!

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
i honestly would be over the moon if i won the competition it would allow me to have the things i otherwise couldn’t afford to have, Id be shouting from the rooftops lol, seriously though-I’d probably cry!

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride of
the Year 2008?
I wouldn’t say I deserved to win over any of the other brides...I just know how much I would LOVE to win and how much of a difference it would make to my wedding day, it would allow me to have the things that i otherwise couldn’t afford to have and it would allow me to have the "perfect day" without having to cut corners. To be honest, I don’t expect to actually win but if I did it would be a dream come true! Im just chuffed to have been selected and to have the chance to win such a wonderful prize!

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Name: Leanne Mc Laughlin
Age: 23
Occupation: Data Entry Operator
Location: Claudy
Fiancés Name & Location: Shane Kerlin, Claudy
Wedding Date: November 2010

How did you meet?
I meet Shane at Katy Daly’s night in Strabane.

How long have you been dating?
Shane and I are together now four years on Easter Monday.

When did you get engaged?
Christmas morning 2006

How did your partner propose to you?
Shane proposed to me at five o clock on Christmas morning at his parents’ house. With a nice sparkling ring and holiday to Barcelona I was so surprised. I totally wasn’t expecting it. It was the best Christmas present ever.

What’s the most romantic thing that your partner has ever done?
Proposing to me on Christmas morning was one of the most romantic things. Secondly, the trip to Barcelona was the best and most exciting thing that Shane could have ever done for me. He had every day planned out with a little adventure. He set out every day to make me feel extra special.

Where are you getting married at?
Our ceremony is in St Patrick Church Dungiven and the reception is in the
An Grianan hotel.

At what stages of planning your wedding are you at?
We are just starting to plan our wedding. We have just found the hotel so we are almost ready to make all our wedding plans.

What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
A cruise would be beautiful to travel around New York, Las Vegas and then stopping off at the Grand Canyon. This would be a once in a life time experience.

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
I was looking online for wedding ideas and tips and found their web site.

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
This website is incredible; it has everything a bride would ever ask for.

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as the May bride for the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
I could not believe it I had to get my mother to read the email to me to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
For me to win this competition it would be a great help as it takes a lot of money to get married. These prizes would allow us to focus on our reception and honeymoon.

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year 2008?

Since I was a little girl I have always dream of a fairytale wedding. This competition would be a real dream come true for both of us. This would mean we will be able to share it all with our family and friends.

I would also like to thank BookOurWedding.com for this opportunity and wish all the other brides all the best in this competition.

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Name: Tammy Maguire

Age: 24

Occupation: Medical Secretary

Location: Culloville

Fiancés Name & Location: Darren Cumiskey, Crossmaglen

Wedding Date: 02/07/2011

How did you meet? We met on a night out through a friend

How long have you been dating? 3 1/2 years

When did you get engaged? 23/12/2007

How did your partner propose to you?
It was the day before Christmas eve and he washes cars for a living, he decided he might get more customers if he washed cars in a santa suit complete with beard and belly as well as wellies. I went down to see how they were getting on and while his friend distracted me Darren left and when I turned round Darren was on his knee in his santa suite in front of all his customers with a gorgeous bunch of roses and an engagement ring in the centre of the roses, of course it took me a while to see the ring so I couldn’t understand why he was on his knee and left the poor chap on his knee for about 5 minutes before I could give him the answer.

What’s the most romantic thing that your partner has ever done?
I’d never had a surprise party, but love the idea of them, for my birthday in July Darren organized a surprise party for me just because he knew I’d never had one, he spent so much time and effort on it organizing it for a month, with all my friends and family there, the only problem was I hadn’t a clue and arrived with wet hair and no make up on.

Where are you getting married at?
Our Ceremony will be at Crossmaglen Chapel where we both were baptized.
Our reception is at the Nuremore hotel

At what stages of planning your wedding are you at?
We have booked the reception and the Chapel I’ve looked at dresses, invitations, rings, bands etc but at the moment we cannot afford to go ahead with these.

What is your dream location for Honeymoon?
America we’ve never been and our honeymoon is the only time we can afford to spend a few weeks away.

How did you find out about Bookourwedding.com?
My Fiance saw the site address on a pen and told me to check it out, I’m so happy I did.

What do you think of Bookourwedding.com?
It’s a fantastic site it has everything a bride to be needs, it saves stress time and hassle. To chat about weddings with other brides to be is a godsend as family and friends tend to get annoyed after a while. There is everything I need for my wedding I don’t need to surf the net anymore because I have everything on one site.

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected as one of the finalist’s in the 2008 Bookourwedding.com Bride of the Year Competition?
Absolutely ecstatic, a wedding has so much planning and to be a finalist is just a dream come true. I never win competitions and I’m still quite shocked and excited that I was chosen to be a finalist. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and would like to thank bookourwedding.com for choosing me.

How would you feel about winning the entire competition?
It would be an amazing unexplainable feeling. My wedding means so much to me and like every bride to be I want the best wedding on a small budget and to win so many generous gifts would just mean the world and make things so much easier.

Why do you think you deserve to be crowned the Bookourwedding.com Bride ofthe Year 2008?
My wedding day is something I have looked forward to since I was a little girl and need all the help I can get to make it as special as I have dreamed of. I had been through a hard relationship and Darren was the light at the end of the tunnel, to Marry him alone is my dream come true. I’ve have never won anything in my life apart from Darren and to win this competition would just be the icing on the cake.