Wedding of the Week: Music to the ears of Edel and Gordon

Top-class singers hit all the right notes at the nuptials of Cork bride and groom Edel O’Leary and Gordon O’Driscoll.

Mother of the bride Lilian, along with a member of Cork Operatic Society, sang as Edel walked up the aisle.

The bride, who is from Ballinlough, and groom, from Baltimore in West Cork, decided to hold their wedding in the picture-perfect Prince of Peace Church in Fossa, Killarney, Co Kerry, where they exchanged vows in a Mass led by Canon Tadhg Ó Mathúna, Blackrock, Cork.

The ranks of the guests swelled with talented vocalists and musicians, including none other than Derek Burke of Crystal Swing fame who joined the wedding band, the Pat Fitz Showband, onstage at the reception at the five-star Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney.

Earlier, nearby Muckross House and Gardens and its setting, Killarney National Park, provided plenty of appealing backdrops as the newlyweds posed for the camera of award-winning photographer Micheál O’Sullivan.

The bride’s parents Lilian and John O’Leary and the groom’s mother and father Sheila and Michael John O’Driscoll led toasts to the newlyweds’ future together and also by their sides were bridesmaid Susan Sheehan and best man Fergal O’Driscoll.

Edel and Gordon, who are based in Ballinlough, enjoyed a first date in the Cask cocktail bar in Cork City and got engaged at their home in September 2018.

Edel O’Leary and Gordon O’Driscoll with bridesmaid Susan Sheehan and best man Fergal O’Driscoll.

“Our big day was fairytale, a dream come true,” said Gordon.

Edel wore an elegant Jesus Peiro wedding dress, which she bought in the Say I Do bridal boutique in Midleton, and the groom and his party sourced their dapper attire in Simply Suits, Cork, while Tie the Knot in Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick, created the floral arrangements.

The newlyweds spent a few days in London’s Savoy Hotel after the wedding and will jet off to Mauritius on their honeymoon in April.