Wedding of the Week: Good surprises galore at Kim and Ian's wedding

The wedding ceremony was led by Father Kieran O’Brien and the couple held their reception in the five-star Dunloe Hotel & Gardens.

“As soon as we left the church, we ventured up to the Gap of Dunloe. It was absolutely lashing rain but we said if ever there was a day to go for it, that was the day,” says Kim.

Their photographer, Padraig Healy, of Padraig Healy Wedding Photography, led the way and LM Videography was also behind the lens.

“We got some unbelievable photos. It was one of the highlights of the day, for sure. The groomsmen basically carried me up a hill, and it was very funny on the way down as Paudie [our photographer] kept screaming: ‘Watch the sheep shite!’ We laughed the whole time, even though we were getting drowned.” 

Back at the reception, both sets of parents, Therese and Paul Sadlier and Alice and Martin Casey, toasted to the newlyweds’ future happiness as did their maid of honour, Éadaoin Moore, and the bridal party, Kate Lennox, Dervla Ryan and Michael Lookabaugh, who travelled from West Virginia for the occasion.

Sean O’Brien was by Ian’s side as best man with Ciaran Reddin, Ian Thorne and Andrew Stokes as groomsmen. Muireann Casey, Kate Casey, Darcy Sadlier, Pippa Sadlier and Ailbhe Noone were the flowergirls; while Ruaidhrí Casey, Flin Casey and William Noone were the pageboys.

The bride and groom’s paths first crossed when they were in sixth-year in secondary school. “We got together the night I finished my Leaving Cert, June 17, 2010, after meeting in the local nightclub, and began going out a month later,” says Kim.

They have been living in New York for the past seven years and Ian popped the question on Christmas morning almost a decade after they first laid eyes on one another. “We were at home with my family, in our pyjamas, and after I opened my present, he got down on one knee,” says Kim. 

“I know it sounds ridiculous to say I wasn’t expecting it seeing as we had been together 10 years. And living in a small New York apartment, it was hard to hide a ring from me, and also we were still living the good life in New York, so I hadn’t thought too much about it.” 

But it was “the best surprise”, says Kim.

They were wed on June 25 of this year and they describe the occasion as “simply magical”.

“We’ve never felt so much love in one room," says the bride. "We had family and friends travel from Australia, New Zealand, Iowa, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, New York, London, Switzerland and of course Dublin.

Kim looked stunning in a custom-designed Kathy de Stafford dress, teamed with Loeffler Randall shoes and Ian wore a custom-made Louis Copeland suit. 

The bridal hairstyling was by Cathyanne Kelleher with makeup by Annette O’Brien.

“Our vision was always that everyone had the time of their lives, and anything after that was a bonus. I think we achieved it — we celebrated and danced the whole weekend.”

The groom loves the song Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi and so as an end to her speech, the bride had asked her cousin Adam to play the piece on the piano as a surprise.  “It was a really special moment for us both,” she says.

There were more musical surprises during the post-wedding celebrations the day after, at the Golden Nugget Bar and Restaurant in Fossa. “The band rolled up on their motorbikes, and who had come along to play with them only Pat Shortt! They played an absolute stormer, and Pat Shortt even performed the 'Jumbo Breakfast Roll' song — a priceless moment!” says Kim.

The newlyweds honeymooned in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Dubai before returning to their base in New York.

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