‘Please, please, get us to Johannesburg on time’

IT WAS supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. But a Kerry couple was close to tears last night as their plans for a dream wedding in South Africa this weekend hung in the balance.

Ashley Meyer and his bride-to-be, Paula Herlihy, are praying for a miracle that would help them make it to Johannesburg in time for Saturday’s ceremony.

“But everything is still up in a heap,” South African-born Ashley said last night.

Ashley, Paula, their children, Leanne Herlihy, 11, and 10-week-old Joshua Meyer, and Paula’s parents, Thomas and Mary Herlihy, from Killarney, were due to fly out of Cork Airport last Thursday for their big day on Saturday.

But the volcanic ash cloud forced the cancellation of their flight. They have all been staying in a Cork hotel since.

As flights resumed at Cork Airport yesterday, they were still waiting for news on rescheduled flights.

Ashley said things are not looking good and that he may have to postpone the wedding.

“We have been told by Aer Lingus that we can be put on standby for Amsterdam but there is no guarantee,” he said.

“But even if we get to Amsterdam by Friday, there is still no guarantee we can get the connecting flight to Johannesburg because of the backlog there. Everything is still up in the air.”

He said he is doing everything possible to avoid cancelling, but he said it is looking increasingly likely that he will be left with no other option. “I have been on the phone all day to the resort in Johannesburg trying to explain the situation,” he said.

“If we cancel now, we could lose up to 50% of what we have paid. They are treating our situation sympathetically, but I don’t know what will happen yet.”

Ashley said the last week has been very stressful.

“Paula still has to organise her dress and the kids are getting tired and cranky. And if we do get flights, we are facing an intense period of travel, and with a 10-week-old baby,” he said.

Meanwhile, newlyweds Donna and Clyde Stanton, who were married in Mayfield last weekend and who held their reception for 200 guests at the Rochestown Park Hotel, are hoping to rearrange flights for a honeymoon in Las Vegas after their flights were also grounded. But hotel owners Shay Livingstone and Ronan Fahy came to their rescue and offered them a mini-honeymoon – Irish style. The couple enjoyed complimentary accommodation in the hotel’s 1,350 square foot presidential suite, and had access to a lounge and an eight-seat cinema with popcorn-making facilities and ice-cream station.

They also enjoyed an afternoon of pampering in the hotel’s thalassotherapy centre.

Donna said she has been in contact with her airline and they hope to get seats on flights out of Shannon to Newark in the US next week.