Bride has a wedding never to be forgotten

ONE elephant will never forget the unorthodox wedding ceremony in which it participated in a Co Cork park yesterday.

Ester McCormack, from Fermoy, Co Cork, fulfilled her dream by spending part of her wedding day on top of Tiche, an enormous Indian elephant.

She and her new husband, Englishman Ross Walker, had a private wedding ceremony before arriving to meet the elephant in Fermoy Park, Co Cork.

Daredevil Circus, who are touring in Fermoy at the moment, said they were happy to comply with the new bride’s request.

“She came down and said one of her dreams was to have a picture taken on her wedding day with an elephant so we said we’d go with it,” general manager John Conway said.

He added that it was the first-ever request the circus had received for an Irish elephant wedding.

However, the elephant handler, Joe Gardiner, said he had previously received a few requests on the continent from Indian brides but never in Ireland.

“We thought it was a wind-up at first but then she arrived down with all her bridesmaids,” he said.

There were no objections from Tiche. Asian elephants are even quieter than their African cousins, and can live up to 70 years, hence their popularity with circuses.

Elephants are popular with grooms at Indian weddings, who often stage a dramatic arrival astride one of the majestic pachyderms. Baby elephants are also popular at wedding ceremonies in Asia for wealthy couples.