Wedding of the Week: Bride and groom roll up for street carnival fun in Clonakilty
Emer Helen and Aidan Collins. Pictures: Dermot Sullivan
They first met on a night out in Kerry but this West Cork bride and groom said their ‘I dos” on home turf.
And the timing could not have been better as the technicolour street carnival formed the perfect backdrop to their wedding photographs after Emer Helen and Aidan Collins emerged from Kilgarriffe Church, Clonakilty.
It’s been a busy few months for the couple, who exchanged vows in June and moved into their new home, near the groom’s native Dunmanway, this autumn.
Emer, from Ahiohill/Ballinascarthy, and Aidan, were married by rector Rev Kingsley Sutton, with Fr Pat O’Donovan taking part in the service. "The singers in the church were Julie and John of Wedding Music by Jewel, who made the service really special,” says Emer.
Helping them celebrate were Emer’s mother Rose Helen and Aidan’s parents Madge and John Joe Collins.
Emer’s sister Gwenda Hughes was her maid of honour and her sisters Oriel Coomey and Camilla Helen were her bridesmaids as was her college friend Kelly Maguire.
Aidan chose his brother David Collins to be his best man while his groomsmen were his schoolfriends Padraig O'Driscoll, Seamus O'Driscoll and Diarmuid Cronin.
Emer’s nieces Alice Coomey and Grace Devereux and Aidan’s niece Ellie Cahalane were the flowergirls.
The bride’s nephew and godson Cian Coomey together with the groom’s nephew and godson Noah Coomey were the pageboys.
Emer, a primary school teacher, and Aidan, a farmer, first set eyes on one another during a night out in Killarney several years ago with pals — so they were delighted their friends as well as family played such a key role in their big day.
“Our wedding day was an amazing day spent celebrating with those we love and who love and support us,” says Emer. “My sister, Camilla, and best friend, Kelly, who are both living in Australia, made the journey home to be part of our special day. Aidan's friend Seamus, who lives in New York, also travelled home to celebrate with us.”
The bridal party got ready in the reception venue, Fernhill House Hotel, the morning of the wedding. “We were able to have breakfast together and enjoy some prosecco to start the celebrations,” says Emer.
Emer was elegant in a Dando London wedding dress which she bought at Cinderella’s Closet, Cork. The bridesmaids wore dresses from Folkster.
Shkurta Lisa from Lisa's Studio, Clonakilty, was the bridal hairstylist and Siobhan O’Mahony was the makeup artist. The groom and his party looked dapper thanks to Catherine Deasy at Deasy Dress Hire, Rossmore, Clonakilty, and Daisy Chain, Kinsale, created the floral arrangements and bouquets and the church décor.
Capturing every moment on camera was photographer Dermot Sullivan (dermotsullivan.com) and videographer Greg Mulcahy.
“I can't speak highly enough about these two. They kept us on time and were very calm and supportive,” adds Emer. “The day fell on the same day as the Clonakilty street carnival so we took advantage of this and went down the town to get some pictures at the top of the town with the street carnival behind us.”
Love Shack Singing Waiters entertained the guests after the meal, at Fernhill House Hotel. “This was a surprise we had booked for our guests and they really did a fantastic job at getting the party started,” says Emer. “They had people up out of their seats dancing and singing. These girls were absolutely brilliant and were a great way to get the crowd in the mood before our band began. Our band were the Ian Hendrick Band who were brilliant on the night and they kept the dancefloor full all night.
“It was such a fantastic day from start to finish. We wish we could do it all over again.”
The newlyweds, who are based in Behigullane, Dunmanway, Co Cork, enjoyed a minimoon at the five-star Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare.
“We got the chance to recharge the batteries again after the busy lead-up to the wedding!” says the bride.
“We have not decided on a honeymoon destination as yet as we have been trying to get as much work done on our new house as we can.”
- If you would like your wedding featured email eve.kelliher@examiner.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
