Wedding of the Week: Little Daisy gives Louise and Raymond 'most amazing moment ever'
Louise Devaney and Raymond Dunlea. Pictures: Trevor O'Donoghue, todimages.com
On their first date, they strolled by the Atlantic, on Rossbeigh Beach, and their wedding day swept this Kerry couple waterside once more, this time along the shores of Killarney’s lakes.
Louise Devaney, Killarney, and Killorglin native Raymond Dunlea met in 2017 and got engaged exactly a year later, on May 8, 2018.
“We went for a trip away to The Heritage, Killenard [County Laois], and Raymond arranged petals in a heart shape on the bed with the ring box in the middle and proposed on one knee in the room after dinner,” says Louise, from Killarney.
“He had already spoken to my dad and asked his permission and picked the ring out with my best friend, Patricia McCarthy.”
Patricia was also by Louise’s side on the big day, along with Louise’s two sisters, Caroline and Elizabeth Devaney, in the role of bridesmaids, while Killorglin native Raymond’s brother Jonathon Dunlea was his best man and their brother Trevor Dunlea and nephew Keelan Griffin were his groomsmen.
Louise, the daughter of Noreen and Tom Devaney, and Raymond, the son of Marian and John Dunlea, exchanged vows on May 7, 2022, in St Mary’s Cathedral.
The couple, now based in Barradubh village, outside Killarney, were married by Fr George Hayes from Kenmare Parish previously of Barradubh/Glenflesk parish, where he christened their daughter Daisy Dunlea in April 2019.
Three years later, on their wedding day, Daisy was a flowergirl along with Louise’s nieces, Lucy Devaney and Ellis Conroy; while the couple’s nephews, Dylan and Matthew Dunlea and Daire Devaney, were pageboys.
One of the highlights of the occasion for Louise occurred as she was walking up the aisle. “Daisy turned around and ran back to me and gave me a cuddle. It was really special, the most amazing moment ever,” says Louise. “My dad and I then walked up the aisle behind her.”
Trevor O’Donoghue, their photographer, was behind the lens, as was Stephen O’Donoghue, the videographer, and they led the wedding party to Muckross House and to the viewing point near the boathouse at Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park, before they re-joined the guests for the reception in the Killarney Oaks Hotel.
The bride looked stunning in an elegant gown purchased in The White Ivy boutique in Kenmare,
The groom and his party were dapper in suits from Simply Suits, Tralee, and White Heather, Killarney, looked after the floral arrangements.
Triona O’Meara, Ruby Tuesday, Killarney, created the bridal hairstyling and Aideen McCarthy was the wedding makeup artist.
Louise had a top-class wedding planner close to hand, she adds. “One person who made our day so special was my best friend Patricia. She arranged almost everything, from my hen party in Cork to the actual big day," says the bride. "She loves that kind of thing whereas I’m allergic! She was superb and deserves so much credit for everything.”
The newlyweds travelled in style in a Volkswagen Beetle. “Our beautiful wedding car was borrowed from our very close friend, Oliver McCarthy (Patricia's husband),” says Louise.
“Our wedding day was fantastic the sun shone all day and everything went so perfectly. The wedding band, Truly Diverse, were spectacular, and were one of the highlights of the day as were the singers The Three O’s, who performed in the church and at our reception where they surprised Ray with a version of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone, as he is a diehard Liverpool fan.”
Louise and Raymond plan to complete their honeymoon next year. “We spent just a few days in Kilkenny after the wedding, Daisy is still small, but we hope to go to New York in 2023," says the bride.
Louise is a leisure centre manager and Raymond is a sales assistant/butcher.
- If you would like your wedding featured, email eve.kelliher@examiner.ie
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