Wedding of the Week: Cork childhood pals who met at gymnastics enjoy 'unique' day

Tessa Hegary and Adam Doyle's wedding at Ballyseede Castle was 'surreal, unforgettable, everything we wanted' - completed by siblings Naomi Doyle and Sam Hegarty making the trip home from Australia 

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle. Pictures: Val Zukowski

A shared passion for gymnastics has ensured the fortunes of Cork couple Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle have always somersaulted in sync.

Childhood pals Tessa and Adam first met in Carrigaline Gymnastics Club at the age of eight. “We were both competitive gymnasts at the time and became friends through training,” says Tessa.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle. 

Adam popped the question on July 21, 2021, during a romantic weekend away in Maynooth. “Adam proposed before dinner in the hotel room; we were surrounded by champagne and flowers,” says Tessa, now a gymnastics coach.

From Kildare to the Kingdom, she and Adam, a coach developer for Gymnastics Ireland, headed to Ballyseede Castle Hotel in Tralee, Co Kerry, for their big day.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle were married by celebrant Caroline McCarthy. 

The bride, from Minane Bridge, and groom Carrigaline, exchanged vows in a ceremony led by celebrant Caroline McCarthy.

The reception also took place within the venue’s ivy-covered walls, where Tessa’s parents, Kate and Patrick Hegarty, and Adam’s mother and father, Natasha and Cronan Doyle, led the toasts.

Tessa Hegarty with her bridal party.

The bride’s sister Chloe O’Toole was her maid of honour while the groom’s sister Naomi Doyle was the bridesmaid and Tessa’s friends Jamie O’Toole and Aidan O’Sullivan were the bridesmen.

Tessa’s niece Alice O’Toole was the flower girl.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle. Pictures: Val Zukowski, (https://wedding-photography.company/

The groom chose his friend Adam Lambe to be his best man and his friends Darragh Collins, Kieran O’Shea and Finn Randall were the groomsmen.

Val Zukowski ( wedding-photography.company) captured the big day on camera as the photographer and
videographer.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle with their wedding party. 

The couple wanted a celebration that was “young, fun, unique, and romantic”, says the bride. A string quartet struck up for the drinks reception and music
filled the air late into the evening as the couple danced under the stars, the castle and grounds lit by twinkling lights.

The occasion was “surreal, unforgettable, everything we wanted”, says Tessa.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle. 

The bride looked super-elegant in a Rosa Clara gown which she sourced in The White Ivy in Kenmare, Co Kerry.

Ensuring everyone was camera-ready were hairstylist Cathy-Anne Kelleher and makeup artist Michelle O’Connor from Vanity Case. The groom and his party were dapper thanks to Simply Suits, Cork.

Tessa Hegarty and Adam Doyle. 

Maura Sheehy of Maura’s Cottage Flowers, Tralee, created the décor. 

“We were delighted that our siblings Naomi Doyle and Sam Hegarty could make it from Australia — and that I got to wear my granny’s necklace on the big day,” adds Tessa. 

“My granny, Rosemary Foulkes, was unable to be there, so having her necklace to wear was very important to me, as it meant I had her with me in some form.”

The newlyweds honeymooned in Dubrovnik, Croatia. They are based in their new house in Kerry Pike, Cork.

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