Wedding of the Week: Jane and Simon receive the royal treatment on their wedding day
Jane Bond walks up the aisle with her dad Martin Bond to exchange vows with Simon Wiltshire. Pictures: David Murphy Studio
Jane Bond and Simon Wiltshire will always remember the day they first laid eyes on one another.
Jane, from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, and Simon, from Melksham, Wiltshire, UK, met on April 29, 2011, having taken up farm jobs in Queensland, Australia, in order to get their second-year visas.
“We remember the exact date because it was the day Prince William and Kate [Middleton] got married!” says Jane. “Love soon blossomed for us too!”
Jane and Simon were to receive the royal treatment on their own wedding day, too.
Returning to the other side of the globe in 2013, they now live in Bristol, and Simon surprised Jane by popping the question during a weekend away in the Cotswolds on March 9, 2025.
They were married by Fr Michael O’Shea on September 19, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rowe Street, Wexford, where Jane’s grandparents Kathleen and Jim Bond were wed in 1959.
As they met at the top of the aisle, both felt “almost giddy”, says Jane: “We couldn’t stop smiling,” says Jane.
“I thought I’d be very nervous and a bit teary, but when it came to it I was just very excited.”
Jane’s aunt and godmother, Marie Phelan, sang during the ceremony, accompanied by Eamonn O’Malley, who also performed at the drinks reception.
Jane’s mother arranged for the newlyweds to be whisked from church to venue in a 1930s Brenchley Tourer, provided by The Limo Company, Waterford. “We were chauffeured by the lovely Caroline,” says the bride.
The reception venue, Newbay House, Co Wexford, was “just perfect”, adds the bride. “The team thought of every detail — I can’t stress enough how good they are,” says Jane.
“The band The Firm had everyone on their feet. Everyone loved them. We had 'Tennessee Whiskey' as our first dance. Then we had DJ Rob Murphy play until the early hours.
“The dancing went on all night — we found ourselves being carried around on people’s shoulders a lot!”
Jane’s mother and father, Patricia and Martin Bond, and Simon’s parents, Pamela and Richard Wiltshire, helped them plan the occasion.
“We had about 130 guests; we wanted as many of our close family and friends there with us,” says Jane. “People came all the way from America, Australia, Thailand, France, Amsterdam, Spain, Scotland, England and Wales.”
Jane’s sister Emma Bond was by her side as a bridesmaid, along with her cousin Jeanne Phelan and her friend Gemma Cooper. Simon’s friends Craig Witherick and Mark Coles were his groomsmen, and his niece Grace Wiltshire was the flowergirl, while Jane’s godson Joe Delahunty was the pageboy.
Jane looked ultra-elegant in a Justin Alexander gown, and the groom was dapper in a Moss Bros suit. “Although I didn’t have a ‘dream dress’ in mind, I knew the minute I put the dress on that it was the one for me.”
The bridal hair and makeup team were Marie Hickey and Edel Morrissey. “I must say these two really added to the morning getting ready, they were so much fun!” says the bride. Flora Bella, Wexford, created the floral décor.
Rain failed to play spoilsport on the occasion as they posed for the camera, especially with Jane’s childhood friend David Murphy of David Murphy Studio (Davidmurphystuio.com) behind the lens. “He put everyone at ease and had everyone laughing,” says the bride.
Jane and Simon enjoyed a week in Westport, Co Mayo, and will honeymoon in Sri Lanka next year.
- If you would like your wedding featured in email eve.kelliher@examiner.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
