Wedding of the Week: Rival GAA lovers make perfect team

They celebrated their love of the GAA and their two counties of origin when Grace O’Brien and Robert Faherty exchanged wedding vows.

Grace, from Cork City, and Robert, from Ardmore, Co Waterford, were married in a ceremony in the Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, where they also held their reception.

“We had just 22 people at it as we wanted just close family; it was a very intimate wedding,” said the bride.

Helping them mark the occasion were the couple’s daughter and flowergirl, Penny, Grace’s parents, Marian and Vincent O’Brien, Robert’s mother, Tina O’Connor, and Frankie Faherty, his grandmother.

“We are very family-orientated so we chose those closest to us to be our witnesses, Bernie O’Connell (my aunt) and John Faherty (Robert’s uncle),” added Grace.

The bride and groom first met on a night out in Cork’s Voodoo Rooms.

“Robert was working and living in Dublin at the time. It was completely by chance that we met as he was out with his friends and I was out with mine. We had great banter from the get-go,” said Grace.

“The romance was long-distance at first but we made it work.”

They describe their big day as “everything we wanted it to be, very laid-back and easy-going, with the most beautiful setting”.

Agnes Stodolny of Bracket Studio captured the event on camera, Cakes by Ruth baked the wedding cake and the floral arrangements were by Best of Buds.

“Our pictures where mostly taken in the hotel but what we wanted most was pictures taken on the pier by Youghal bridge as it’s us standing in the middle of our counties (Cork to the right-hand side and Waterford on the left),” said Grace.

"Robert and I have a fierce rivalry when it comes to our counties. We love the GAA and our wedding cake is based on a day out in Thurles, a Cork v Waterford match."

The newlyweds also struck a pose in the groom’s local pub, An Tober, in Ardmore.

Grace looked stunning in a Maggie Sottero dress sourced in Vows, The bride, a qualified and experienced makeup artist, did her own makeup.

Robert and his party looked dapper thanks to Morley’s, Cork, while Christine Sullivan tended to the bridal hair and proved an adept all-round wedding stylist.

“Christine, masterclass wedding and occasion stylist, threw herself into every aspect of preparation on the morning of the wedding,” said Grace.