Love, laughter and a lifetime of happiness awaits Alicia and David

FROM enjoying a perfect proposal by a grand palace in France, to being walked up the aisle by her dear father who also conducted the church ceremony, Alicia Clarke’s wedding was simply filled with happy memories and her favourite people.

On August 21, 2021, at Edenderry, Church of Ireland – the church of which her father, Canon Robert Clarke, is the rector – the Omagh woman was surrounded by loved ones, flowers and music, as she married her best friend, David Thompson of Trillick.

The bridal party included Cathy Clarke (sister-of-the-bride) as maid of honour; best men, Aaron Shortt and Jason Wylie; bridesmaid Danni Shortt; ushers, Gregory Deazley and Nigel Telford; flower girls, Ivy Wylie and Grace Steet; and page boy, Thomas Steer.

Alicia, who is a civil servant, and David, a civil engineer, first met in during their time at Omagh Academy. In fact, the pair were in the same year group, studying together from 2003 to 2010. But it was only after they left the school and kept in touch, that their romance blossomed.

“I had long-thought Dave was charismatic, charming, handsome and funny,” Alicia described. “But it was when we started dating in April 2011, that we realised how much we enjoyed spending time together; going on new adventures, and finding our feet as young adults.”

A romantic at heart, David had planned to whisk Alicia away to Paris in celebration of her birthday in June 2018 – but an injury picked up during a tag rugby game meant his knee had other plans!

“On the night before my birthday, Dave tore his anterior cruciate ligament,” the 29-year-old recounted. “The next morning, I opened a card telling me we were off to France in September. However, he had to swiftly intervene and let me know that it was likely our trip would be postponed!”

But all’s well that ends well: Fast-forward to the spring of 2019 – and following successful knee surgery for David – the pair found themselves on their way to Paris, the City of Love.

“We stayed for four nights at Disney Land, before we ventured into the city,” Alicia recalled. “After days of sightseeing, it was finally time to go to one of my favourite places in the world – the Palace of Versailles.”

And it was here, on May 19, 2019, that Dave proposed with a gorgeous gold band, decorated with a majestic solitaire diamond, while the couple were enjoying an adventure on a little rowing boat on the glistening lake.

“As you can imagine, I was very excited, and had to contain myself so I didn’t capsize the boat, ring and all!” Alicia laughed. “I was just delighted, and wanted to tell anyone who would listen. I remember even showing my ring to a random family on a rowing boat across the lake… who didn’t seem to understand!

“Once on dry land, we celebrated with champagne,” Alicia added. “And I had loads of questions for David about the ring: When did you get it? How did I not know? …Where did you go?! I absolutely loved it, and was so impressed by his choice.”

After breaking the brilliant news to their friends and family upon returning from their trip, it was soon time to start planning for their traditional day, highlighted with modern touches.

“It wasn’t long before I started adding to my wedding Pinterest board!” Alicia joked. “But while we talked about ideas, we weren’t stressed about organising everything straight away.

“We visited a few wedding fairs and venues for inspiration, and things all started to come together.”

But when the pair visited the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort Hotel, Ballymena, they simply fell in love.

“We were blown away by the hotel’s Renaissance Suite, and its stunning rooms,” Alicia described. “The grounds, too, were beautiful; the staff were so helpful; and the food and drink… just delicious!

“We also liked the idea of being able to stay with our family and friends and enjoy the next few days together enjoying the hotel and spa.”

While Alicia had ‘an idea’ of what she wanted her dream wedding dress to look like, she enjoyed the experience of trying different shapes and styles – and she wasn’t in any hurry to buy one straight away.

“I began wedding dress shopping with my mum, mother-in-law to be and two bridesmaids, my sister Cathy and best friend Danni,” she recounted. “As time went on, Covid-19 restrictions meant I could only bring one person with me to shop. So when I found ‘the one’, it was just my mum and I.”

The gorgeous gown in question was an eye-catching ivory off-the-shoulder number, with a feminine neckline, and a long train to match the flowing skirt.

“It was exciting to be able to bring the others to see it once restrictions eased a bit,” Alicia smiled.

A CELEBRATION OF LOVE

When Alicia’s big day finally arrived, she described feeling ‘so excited’ – but her words that followed were testament to her deepest devotion to David: “I wasn’t nervous at all: I knew I was going to be spending forever with my best friend, and I couldn’t wait to celebrate our love with our family and friends.”

And celebrate they did – with a special service, punctuated with heartfelt music, flowers that lined the aisle in colour, and poignant readings.

“I live just beside the church, but I wanted to feel like a bride so, of course, I took a car!” Alicia smiled. “I travelled with my dad in a 1958 Porsche 356, and my bridesmaids and mum travelled in a Rolls Royce Phantom.

“The service was very special as my dad walked me up the aisle, where I met my grandad, who would be giving me away as my dad conducted the service. That was very emotional for me. And it was amazing seeing Dave waiting for me at the top of the aisle.

“We also enjoyed listening to an aria string quartet; organist, Derick Weir; and Dave’s mum, Lorna, who played the piano for one of the hymns,” she continued. “So the music was fabulous, and our guests did a great job with the singing!

“Likewise, it was so nice to have Dave’s sister, Sharon, and my cousin, Rebecca, take part as readers on the day.

“I was delighted with the flowers in the church, too: We had flowers all the way up the aisle, and it looked beautiful.”

Dashing to the church hall for shelter from the rain after the service, the new Mr and Mrs Thompson enjoyed speaking to all of their guests before they were swept away to their reception in a Rolls Royce Phantom.

After tucking into their three-tier wedding ivory cake, decorated in fresh flowers, and which sat proudly beside a ‘Mrs & Mrs Thompson’ neon sign, it was soon time for the party to begin!

“The Manouche Boys played at our reception, and they were incredible,” Alicia said. “The dance floor was never empty – and, in fact, we danced until the lights came on. After which, of course, we had the customary post-wedding sing along.

“The day was such a success,” Alicia recounted. “We had such a ball celebrating with our favourite people.”

The newlyweds concluded by expressing their thanks to their family and bridal party for all their love and support.