Stars and sunshine turn out for ceremony
A beaming and very relaxed Andrea Corr, who wore a full length off-the-shoulder ivory Vera Wang dress and veil, waved at onlookers when she arrived at the church just before 3pm.
Andrea’s bridesmaids included her sisters Caroline and Sharon as well as her best friend, Niamh McElwaine and Brett’s sister Zoe.
Following the one-hour ceremony, celebrated by Fr Malachy Murphy, the wedding party posed briefly for photos while guests remained indoors.
Onlookers cheered and wished the happy couple well as they were driven past waving through open windows.
Then, the attention turned to the celebrity guests, in particular, Bono and his wife, Ali. Several people screamed “happy anniversary” to the pair.
The pair, married 20 years yesterday, pulled up in a sleek Italian Maserati sports car.
Following weeks of speculation and reports that five churches had been provisionally booked for the star-studded ceremony, it was confirmed only on Thursday that St Joseph’s Church in the west Clare town was the final choice.
A team of 12 staff from Ennis-based florists Mulqueen’s spent several hours decorating the church ahead of the ceremony.
Cream and lavender flowers adorned the church – hydrangeas, cream roses and delphiniums which were crafted into seven-foot towers at the church entrance and altar.
Wedding florist Mary Mulqueen revealed she only dealt with wedding planner Tara Fay and not the happy couple.
“We were working away late last night,” she said. “We were sworn to secrecy as it was a secret location.”
Sound engineers had set up a performance area for the band Lumiere who arrived at the church three hours in advance to rehearse for the ceremony.
Ten minibuses and coaches were hired to ferry guests between Doonbeg Golf and Spa Resort and St Joseph’s Church in Miltown Malbay 15km away.
Guests started arriving up to an hour before the ceremony with the earliest arrivals unknown to the gathered media and thought to have been friends of both families.
Scores more high-profile well-wishers arrived in dark Mercedes cars and blacked-out people carriers. These included champion golfer Pádraig Harrington, his wife Caroline, Today FM DJ Tony Fenton and comedian and TV presenter Patrick Kielty. The sporting world was represented by Glasgow Celtic football managers Gordon Strachan, and his wife, Lesley, as well as Martin O’Neill and wife, Geraldine. Denis O’Brien, JP McManus and his wife, Noreen, as well as horse owner John Magnier and his wife, Susan, all made the guest list. Among the last guests to arrive were Bono and his wife, Ali.
Rumours were rife the U2 frontman was expected to provide entertainment at the wedding reception before he jetted to Cardiff for the next leg of his band’s 360 tour.
The event had prompted bosses at the exclusive Doonbeg resort to write a letter to members, who forked out around €43,000 to join, to stay away from the course for the day.
One onlooker, Irene Burden, who runs the Old Bake House on Miltown Malbay’s main street admitted she was transfixed by the glamour.
“I just couldn’t take my eyes off the dresses, the shoes. I was so excited by the fashion I missed seeing many of the celebs.”
Back at Doonbeg, a team of 35 chefs and cooks had been brought in to cook for the lavish reception including at least five chefs from the US.
It has also been rumoured locally that waiting staff from the five-star Dromoland Castle, near Newmarket-on-Fergus in Co Clarewere seconded to Doonbeg for the day.
It’s believed 350 people attended the reception which featured a relatively modest dinner menu.
According to one insider, “The starter was a prawn cocktail which was followed by a sorbet. The main course choice consisted of two meat dishes and a vegetarian option. These were rack of lamb, black sole on the bone and a mushroom risotto. The dessert was meringue-based but I don’t know what they called it. It was a lovely menu with nothing really fancy, which you might expect.”
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