Patrick lifts veil on special day

THE first time Patrick Dunne saw his bride’s face was when he lifted her wedding veil, shortly before the vows.

Patrick married accountant Bernadette Coleman from Dublin minutes after they were introduced by radio station 98FM, which aired Ireland's first blind- date-style wedding live on the Two Strangers and a Wedding Show last December.

"I was looking for Shrek, when I was walking down the aisle But ... he is more than what I thought," said Bernadette, 30.

"She is beautiful," said the 34-year-old groom.

The big day almost never happened when the bride's parents tried to stop her.

Yesterday, a short three months after the pair were paired, they were at it again saying 'I do' in a ceremony followed by a reception for 200.

Three months ago wedding celebrant Michael Peter Ross performed the 20-minute civil ceremony in front of 180 people at the Clontarf Castle Hotel and live on radio.

For the honeymoon they went off to Austria. The happy couple beat hundreds of applicants to win the chance to marry in the promotion and won E50,000 in prizes as

well as eternal bliss.

"Though today's ceremony will legalise things, December 3 will always be our wedding anniversary," Bernadette said yesterday.