‘In my vows I said I took David as my empire’s only hope’

David (33) and Lauren Bland (29), who had a fantasy film and bookthemed wedding in October, live in Crossgar

Everyone’s wedding day is special, but only a few people can vow to love their other half from earth to a galaxy far, far away and have a wedding worthy of a movie.

Book-mad Lauren, from Londonderry, married Star Wars-crazy David, from Saintfield, last October.

The couple, who now live in Crossgar, met online eight years ago and knew they wanted to tie the knot in a non-conventional way.

“Our wedding was like a mish-mash of everything we love,” Lauren says.

“I have an English degree and I love reading anything fantasy-themed or fairy tales. David is into Star Wars, Ghostbusters and Marvel heroes, so we decided we wanted the wedding to be about us and what we liked.

“We are members of the 501st Legion, a Star Wars costume and charity group. We dress up as Star Wars characters for charity events.

“With all that, we wanted to make the day about us and do what we liked.”

Lauren, a human resources manager at La Dolce Vita in Newry, and David, who works for electrical retailer Currys, chose the Galgorm Resort and Spa for the winter wedding.

The couple and their friends and families worked on the ceremony’s unique quirks.

“Our friend’s mum made us the most beautiful cake in the shape of books,” Lauren says.

“We had Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and fairy tales.

“The best man dressed as a stormtrooper during the reception and we used lightsabers to decorate the room.

“We had Ferrero Rocher as favours with golden snitch wings on them from the Harry Potter films. I got pencils and shaped and painted them to look like wands in the cen-