Wedding of the week: Cavapoo Arnold stole the show as ring bearer on Cork couple's big day
Dr Lisa Madden and Dr Brian Cotter, above with their cavapoo Arnold, who acted as ring bearer for their wedding ceremony. Picture: Studio Lordan
Forget about Crufts — this Cork couple’s pooch almost stole the show when he strolled centre stage as ring bearer.
Arnold (Arnie) was decked out in a tux as the two-year-old cavapoo ensured his humans, Dr Lisa Madden and Dr Brian Cotter, said their “I dos”.
Lisa, from Monard, and Brian, from Carrigaline, were wed in Holy Trinity Abbey Church, Adare, Co Limerick, by Very Rev Canon John O’Donovan and held their reception in nearby Adare Manor.
Awaiting Lisa at the altar, Brian says he felt “excited and reflective”.
Arriving at the church was also a highlight of the big day for Lisa. “I felt extremely calm and happy to be on the arm of my dad,” she says.
“The build-up to the wedding was bittersweet as my dad had some health issues, so the day also marked a celebration of his return to full health.”
Peter and mother-of-the-bride Mary Madden and the groom’s parents Liz and Jim Cotter were central to the occasion, as were the bride’s grandparents, Noreen and Michael Cronin.
Lisa, a dentist and aesthetic practitioner, and Brian, a medical doctor and co-founder and global medical director of SISU Clinic, originally met through a close friend, Janice.
“We got engaged in 2014 by the waterfall at Sheen Falls in Kenmare,” Lisa says.
They set their wedding date for November 2025 and another five-star venue, Adare, provided a winter wonderland backdrop as Seán Lordan of Studio Lordan (Studiolordan.com) was behind the camera for the photoshoot.
“There are very few days whereby you get to gather your favourite people in your favourite place for a party,” the bride says.
“It was an absolute fairytale from start to finish. Everything about it was extremely special, and we felt so blessed,” the bride says.
Lisa chose her cousin Mary-Jade Hynes and her friends Miren Somers, Kelly Forde, Deirdre Cotter, and Kate Hinchion to be her bridesmaids, while Brian’s niece Jennifer McCarthy was the flower girl.
Brian’s brother James Cotter was his best man, with his friends Eoghan Kelly, Robin O’Mahony, Paul Waschk, and Angad Saluja as the groomsmen.
Lisa looked super-elegant in her Jesus Peiro gown. “I went all over Ireland and the UK looking for the perfect dress,” she says.
“It was a task I found quite difficult as I was open to trying on all options. When I started my search in November 2024, I travelled to Mullingar with my mum and friend Kate, and it was in The White Room that I found the dress.
“I didn’t make the decision there and then, but as I continued trying on dresses both here and in London, I kept reverting back to the Jesus Peiro dress.”
Brian and his party wore suits custom-made at Louis Copeland, Cork.
Lisa’s hair was styled by Janice McCarthy and Candice Ambrose was also on hand as a bridal hairstylist.
Sarah Cummins did the bride’s makeup and Nikki O’Leary, makeup artist, ensured the bridal party was camera-ready.
Little Bear kept the camera rolling as videographer, as did content creator Your Story by Elle and Bronagh Wilkinson devised the floral décor.
The mid-meal entertainment was by The Hit Machine Drummers with Jo Petit & The Dream Band, ensuring the dance floor was full.
“Having our dog Arnold bring up the rings in his little tuxedo is something everyone enjoyed and we’d like to say a big thanks to Grace (The Pet Sitter) for making this possible,” adds Lisa.
The newlyweds, who live in Ballinlough, Cork, enjoyed a minimoon in the One&Only Royal Mirage luxury resort in Dubai and plan a honeymoon in Thailand this spring.
- If you would like your wedding to feature in Weekend email: eve.kelliher@examiner.ie
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