Wedding of the Week: Couple who met sailing from Miami to Cuba marry in Cork
Kathryn Ramsdale and Diarmuid Collins. Pictures: Micheál O’Sullivan Photography, www.osullivanphotographyirl.com
They met at sea so ocean adventure was always going to be the theme for this bride and groom’s big day.
Kathryn Ramsdale and Diarmuid Collins first laid eyes on one another while working on a cruise ship, the Adonia, Kathryn as a doctor and Diarmuid as a deck officer. “We were sailing out of Miami to Cuba and Dominican Republic at the time,” says Kathryn, from Formby, Liverpool.
She and Diarmuid are now based in Hampshire, England, but returned to the groom’s native Baltimore, Co Cork, this summer, when they were married in the Sacred Heart Church, Rath, in June by Fr John Fitzgerald and held their reception at Inish Beg Estate, Baltimore.
Diarmuid had proposed on Kathryn's birthday in March 2021 during a walk in the New Forest National Park in England. “Diarmuid handed our son Dylan, who was six weeks old at the time, to me and popped the question,” she says.
Dylan, now two, and Kathryn and Diarmuid’s son Louis Collins, seven months, took centre stage as pageboys on the wedding day, along with the bride’s nephews Walter Ramsdale and Leo Ramsdale.
Family means a lot to Kathryn and Diarmuid. “Sadly, Diarmuid's mum Joan Collins passed away from melanoma in November 2018. I had a medallion made for Diarmuid of his mum to pin onto his jacket so it felt like she was with us throughout the day,” says Kathryn.
“We had a memorial candle made with her photo on it which we lit throughout Mass and as soon as we walked back up the aisle together we left straight to visit her grave where we had a photo taken together.” Diarmuid adds: “At our drinks reception we served my mother’s favourite drink, Garnish Island gin and tonic, and we continued to burn her candle throughout the day on our memory table.”
Toasting to the newlyweds' happiness together were Kathryn’s parents Bernie and David Ramsdale and Diarmuid’s father Patrick Collins, as well as Diamuid’s grandparents, Nancy, 90, and Diarmuid, 93, O’Donovan. “We were so lucky to have Joan's parents, Diarmuid's grandparents, at the service with us and this was one of our reasons in choosing Inish Beg Estate so we could have them close by, given Diarmuid's mum couldn't be there in person,” adds the bride.
Kathryn's best friend Matthew Hall was by her side as her man of honour while her sisters-in-law Lucy Ramsdale and Suzanne Shipley were her bridesmaids along with her twin nieces, Lara and Phoebe Ramsdale, and Diarmuid’s sister Odharnait Collins.
Sean Harrington lent his support as Diarmuid’s best man, as did his groomsmen, Ger O'Brien, Conor Harrington and Daniel Douglas. “We had guests travel from Vancouver, Australia, Cyprus, Barcelona and the UK,” adds Kathryn.
Their photographer, Micheál O’Sullivan Photography, and videographer, Donal O’Connor of OC Wedding Videography, were “super-relaxed and inconspicuous”, adds the bride.
“The sun came out and there were clear skies which enabled us to go out on Diarmuid's uncle Kieran Collins’ boat Radiance, owned by Baltimore Angling and Wildlife tours, The Beacon, Inish Beg Estate in Baltimore Harbour where we got to take some beautiful photos on the water,” says Kathryn.
Once the wedding band struck up, a five-hour dance marathon ensued. “We chose Arklight as Kathryn wanted an Irish fiddler like they had in Titanic!” adds Diarmuid.
The couple used ocean-inspired colours as a mood board. “We also filled a sailing boat with ice and used it as a giant ice bucket for our drinks reception at the boathouse slip,” says Diarmuid.
“Kathryn owns a wine and tapas bar in Cyprus called Vinaria with her man of honour Matt and so the wine we chose for our wedding breakfast was wine from their wine bar.”
They also included forest-inspired decor “similar to Robin Hood and Marian’s wedding day in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, adds Kathryn, who walked down the aisle to the Bryan Adams song from the movie “(Everything I do) I do it for you”.
In fact, the couple hosted a weekend of celebrations. “We had a dinner buffet down at Baltimore Sailing Club the night before our wedding where everyone who had travelled to Baltimore could meet,” says Kathryn. “Diarmuid's mum had been commodore of the sailing club so this was a special place to have our rehearsal dinner. Our day-two event took us back to the water where we chartered a boat with Cape Clear Ferries for all our guests to enjoy some scenic sailing around the surrounding islands of West Cork.”
Magician Jamie Skelton made the wedding day extra special, they add. “He was our MC and our entertainment at the drinks reception and dinner reception, he was incredible,” says the bride.
The super-elegant bride wore a Mark Lesley gown, which she sourced in Brides of Southampton and the groom and his party wore suits from Sean Murray, Skibbereen, West Cork.
The bridal hairstyling was by Debbie from Honeybee Hair and Beauty, Skibbereen, while Ashling Daly from Beautique by Ashling Daly, Skibbereen, was the makeup artist and Catherine from West Cork Flowers created the floral arrangements.
The newlyweds honeymooned in Whistler for four nights, followed by a cruise in Alaska.
The family are based in Hampshire, UK, and the bride and groom both now work shoreside within the cruise industry, Kathryn as a director of health services and Diarmuid is a senior manager of marine investigations.
- If you would like your wedding featured email eve.kelliher@examiner.ie
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