Wedding of the Week: Waterfall proposal and big day 'full of fun and laughter' in Kerry
Photography And Pictures: At Padraig House Gary Wedding Leonard Muckross Cassidy Healy Aisling
Their cute Cavachon Dougal was with this Kerry couple when they got engaged and also celebrated with them the day they said ‘I do’.
Aisling Leonard and Gary Cassidy first met when they were introduced by a mutual friend, Denise Hallissey. “Denise played football with me on the Kerry Ladies team, and she was a school friend of Gary's,” says Aisling, who is from Castleisland.
A stroll in Tomies Woods set the scene for the proposal, on May 1, 2021, by the waterfall O’Sullivan’s Cascade. Their pooch was the first to congratulate them and two years later, Dougal also trotted centre stage — this time decked out in a dapper doggie tux to be ready for the wedding-day close-ups.
Aisling and Gary were married in St Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney by Fr Kevin Sullivan on June 16.
The bride’s mother, Paulette Leonard, walked her down the aisle. “It was a very special moment,” says Aisling.
Very much in their thoughts on the occasion was the father of the bride, the late Eugene Leonard.
By Aisling’s side as maid of honour was her friend Aoife Lyons while her cousin Niamh Leonard and friends Stef Murphy and Anne-Marie Wrenn were her bridesmaids and Isla Cassidy, Gary’s niece, was the flowergirl.
Gary’s brothers lent their support, with Dean Cassidy as the best man and Alan Cassidy joining Gary’s friends Mike Tim O'Sullivan and Brian Long as his groomsmen.
“The wedding ceremony was gorgeous, and Niamh McCarthy (Fadu) played and sang stunning music,” says the bride. “Gary's sister, Kelly Cassidy, sang ‘Falling Slowly’ during the communion at the wedding ceremony.”
Celebrations continued at the reception venue, the Killarney Great Southern Hotel.
But first, their photographer, Padraig Healy of Padraig Healy Wedding Photography, took them on a photo shoot to Muckross House, Killarney.
“Paudie brought a really good energy and was excellent on the day,” says Aisling.
“Stephen O'Donoghue (Odicci) was the videographer. He was really relaxed and worked really well with Paudie.” Mother-of-the-bride Paulette and Gary’s parents Judy and Paul Cassidy led the toasts.
The couple enjoyed planning the event. “We wanted a relaxed, yet upbeat, fun day with all our friends and family. There were nods to both our backgrounds in sport (me with GAA and Gary with soccer) throughout the day,” says the bride, who played with the Kerry Ladies team for seven years, while Gary played with MEK Galaxy.
They describe the occasion as “a day full of fun and laughter”. “The atmosphere was electric from start to finish,” says Aisling. “We had our first dance to A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay. The band Truly Diverse were excellent and really got the crowd going. DJ Michael Beckett also kept the party going! We never left the dance floor.”
Aisling looked stunning in an Alexandra Grecco dress purchased in The White & Gold bridal boutique in Kinsale, Co Cork and Gary was super-smart in a Mark Darcy suit.
The bridesmaids were elegant in Folkster and the groom’s party’s suits were bought at Simply Suits, Tralee.
Maeve Carey was the makeup artist and Laura Boyle was the hairstylist. “They worked their magic at my ‘home’ house in Castleisland,” says Aisling.
The two-tier wedding cake was by Laura Taylor, Killarney, and Blooms Florist, Killarney, devised wedding décor. “They were excellent to deal with. Alan Brady, Blooms, couldn't have done enough for us,” adds Aisling.
The bride and groom plan to set off for South Africa and Mauritius on their honeymoon in November.
Aisling is a community dietitian with the Health Service Executive and Gary is an assistant Civil Defence officer with Kerry County Council.
The newlyweds live in Kenmare.
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