Wedding of the Week: Marvel-inspired day for super Kerry couple Noreen and Niall

'It was really special for us to celebrate the day with our daughter Lily. She woke up with me at 6am and partied until 1am'

Sat, 06 Jan, 2024 - 17:57

Eve Kelliher

Kerry couple Noreen Looney and Niall Drumm met while studying in Cork.

Noreen, from Listry, Milltown, and Niall, from Ballyard, Tralee, were wed in November in the Sacred Heart Church in Milltown, by Fr Danny Broderick, with the help of the sacristan Eamonn Donnelly.

Noreen Looney and Niall Drumm and Ger Looney. Pictures: Tara Donoghue Photography

"Our big day was incredible. We both felt pure happiness and excitement from the moment we worked up," says the bride.

"People say it’s the quickest day of your life, and they aren’t joking."

Noreen Looney and Niall Drumm with Mary and Ger Looney and Breda and Chris Drumm.

They held their reception in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel in Tralee, where Noreen’s parents, Mary and Ger Looney, and Niall’s mother and father Breda and Chris Drumm, led the toasts.

Noreen’s friend Tracey Sheahan was her maid of honour and her friend Conor Cronin was her man of honour while her friends Niamh Sexton and Mairead O’Sullivan were her bridesmaids.

Noreen Looney with her parents Mary and Ger Looney, daughter Lily Drumm and bridal party Conor Cronin, Tracey Sheahan, Niamh Sexton and Mairead O’Sullivan.

Niall’s brother Robert Drumm was the best man and his friends Greg Cronin and Dan Sheehy were the groomsmen.

The couple’s daughter Lily Drumm was the flower girl and their nephews Ultan and Ruadh Drumm were the pageboys.

Wedding band The Pearls kept everyone dancing till dawn. “It was really special for us to celebrate the day with our daughter Lily. She woke up with me at 6am and partied until 1am, and she didn’t complain once. She is such an incredible little girl,” says Noreen.

Noreen and Niall’s paths crossed over a decade ago in their first year at University College Cork. “We had mutual friends but we didn’t really get to know each other until an end-of-exams celebration in March 2013. You couldn’t separate us from that moment on,” says Noreen.

Noreen Looney and Niall Drumm with their wedding party. Pictures: Tara Donoghue Photography

They got engaged at home, in Listry, Milltown, in December 2021. “It was just the two of us, I was in my pyjamas ready to watch TV,” says Noreen.

Marvel comic heroes inspired their wedding theme, from table names to cake toppers.

Noreen Looney and Niall Drumm. Pictures: Tara Donoghue Photography

Makeup artist Annette O’Brien ensured the bride and her party were ready for their close-ups. “Annette is such a professional — and not just doing our makeup, she helped out with so many small things, like those last-minute touches with our outfits. I’ll never forget it. Our hair was done by the wonderful Tara Boughen,” says Noreen.

Noreen Looney. Pictures: Tara Donoghue Photography

The bride sourced her dress in Finesse Bridal Boutique in Listowel, Co Kerry. “Mags and Liz are so in tune with every bride. It was like they knew what I wanted straight away. I couldn’t have been happier.

"The bridesmaids’ dresses came from Diamond Bridal in Cork and the guys got their suits from Suits Select in Tralee.”