Wedding of the Week: How Cork couple Claire and Ben swiped right on love

“It was on teaching practice while attending Mary Immaculate College,” says Claire, now a deputy principal of Conna National School, Co Cork.

She and Ben, a member of An Garda Síochána in Cork City, lived in Dublin for several years before relocating to Cork.

“We bought our first home in Ballyhooly, Cork, last January,” says Claire.

They were married in November in the local church, the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, by Father Robin Morrissey.

Ben had popped the question in April of the previous year on Inchydoney Beach. “Inchydoney is where we went on our first date,” adds Claire. 

“It’s a very special place for us. We had just got a new car and we went off for a spin [the day of the engagement]. I was completely caught off-guard and was in a woolly hat and didn’t expect a marriage proposal when we got to the end of the beach.

“Ben was very traditional and had first asked my father’s permission. He had to pretend he wanted to borrow some power tools in order to ask my dad, Liam, who said: ‘How long are ye together now?’ When the reply was eight years, Dad’s response was, ‘Ah drive on so!’”

The bride was delighted that one particular VIP watched her walk down the aisle. “It was very special to me that my grandmother, Annette Hooton, 91, attended the Mass,” says Claire.

John Sexton (johnsextonphotography.com) was behind the camera, while the faux-flower bouquets were created by Nicola McHugh and the church décor was by Very Vintage Occasions.

The reception took place in Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa, Tralee, Kerry, where both sets of parents, Catherine and Liam Nagle and Marion and Terry Donovan, helped the couple lead the celebrations.

The bride’s cousin Aisling Sheahan was her maid of honour while her college pal Niamh Ryan was her bridesmaid along with her cousin Aoife McNamara. The maid of honour’s daughter Lily Long was a flowergirl along with another cousin, Caragh O’Reilly. 

The groom’s friend and colleague Brian O’Sullivan was his best man while his brother-in-law Gary Moore was his groomsman along with his new brother-in-law Colm Nagle. Ben’s nephew Hugo Moore was the pageboy.

Claire was stunning in a Justin Alexander dress from Lilac Rose Bridal Boutique, Limerick, and Ben wore a dapper Remus Uomo tux from RedChurch, Cork, styled with a paisley velvet jacket.

Jeanette Cronin was the makeup artist and Christine O’Sullivan was the hairstylist for the bridal party. 

The newlyweds enjoyed a minimoon in Lanzarote after the wedding and plan to spend three weeks honeymooning in Australia in 2024: “It will be the three-week trip of a lifetime,” says the bride.

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