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They have been together for 17 years and, although they were one of the first same sex couples in the UK to be united in a civil partnership, they are delighted they are now able to get married.

Ceri, from Durham, met Lauren Black, who is from Portadown, in a bar in England 17 years ago and the rest is history.

Lauren (37), a former pupil of Hart Memorial PS, Clounagh Junior High School and Portadown College, works at a local engineering firm while Ceri (42) is a photographer and looks after their two boys.

Lauren Black from Portadown with her partner Ceri Black from Durham who are getting married in July.

Ceri revealed that she and Lauren were among the first same sex couples in the UK to have a civil partnership in 2006. They were among the first couples in the UK to have joint legal responsibility for their oldest boy and were among the first in the UK to have same sex parents on the birth certificate of their youngest child.

Ceri said: “We might be one of the first same sex couples to get married in NI now that it is legal.”

The couple are having their ceremony in Riverdale Barn in Aghagallon in July with a special celebrant from England to marry them.

Ceri has just qualified as a celebrant on the UK Society of Celebrants and has written the ceremony for their wedding.

Ceri Black, originally from Durham, England but now living in Portadown, Co Armagh.

She is also is knitting her own wedding dress and will be knitting all the shawls for the bridesmaids as well.

“I have taken a job delivering pizza so we can pay for it. I have been staying at home to look after the boys but I wanted to take this job delivering pizza so we have a venue.

“I am also making all the wine for it. Lauren is going to make all the jewellery for it. I am making the wedding cake and Lauren is decorating it,” said Ceri.

She has worked about 350 hours on her wedding dress. “If you think of knitting you think of jumpers but I have made this out of very thin yarn called lace yarn so it is really light and floaty and I can wear it in summer,” said Ceri describing it as a white dress with a riot of colours. “It is a tea dress, sort of 1950s meets 1890s,” she explained.

A sneak peak of what Portadown woman Ceri Black's knitted wedding dress will look like.

“Really we have been together that long, the point of it is to get everyone together and celebrate with our family and friends, throw a party and spend some time with people,” she said

Ceri added: “We are mostly about raising our kids and living a normal life and both of us are really grateful that we are living in a point in history that lets us live the life that we always dreamed of living.

“Neither of us, when we were kids, ever dreamed for a second that we would be able to have the life we actually wanted.

“Lauren didn’t dream that she would be able to marry a woman. I didn’t dream that I would be able to marry a woman.

Ceri and Lauren Black from Portadown, Co Armagh.

“When I met Lauren and she had this great big family all of whom just welcomed me with open arms. It felt like the home that I had never known,” said Ceri.

“We just want to raise our kids, run our business and live a normal life,” she said.

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Portadown mum making own wine, knitting her wedding dress and creating jewellery for her special summer marriage