Wedding of the Week: Picture-perfect moments at Ballybunion for Leanne and Padraig
Daughter Their Bride With Cunningham And Groom The Molly
County Limerick newlyweds Leanne Moloney and Padraig Cunningham returned to where he proposed after they tied the knot.
The cliff walk at Ballybunion beach is also where Padraig, an automation engineer, had popped the question to Leanne, a primary school teacher, four years before, on February 9, 2019.
Leanne, from Pallaskenry, and Killeedy native Padraig were wed in St Mary’s Church, Pallaskenry, in August.
It was the fifth wedding date they had set, due to rescheduling caused by the covid pandemic restrictions. “With all the uncertainty, we decided we wanted to start our family so we pushed the date out to August 2023, by which time we had welcomed our daughter Molly who had arrived in June 2022,” says Leanne.
The Mass was led by their friend, Fr Adrian Egan. “Adrian has been a friend of ours since 2012 when he and Leanne joined Limerick Musical Society for their production of Oklahoma!” says Padraig.
The bride and groom crossed the border to Kerry to host their reception in Ballygarry Estate Hotel and Spa, Tralee. “We knew there was nowhere else we would want our wedding reception to be held and there was no stone left unturned by Thys Vogels and his team,” says the bride.
Playing a key role in the celebrations were Leanne’s parents, Mary and Timmy Moloney and Eileen and Mike Cunningham, and Padraig’s grandmother Kathleen Cunningham and the groom’s grandparents Bernie and Billy Broderick tuned in online.
Leanne’s sister Emma Moloney was the maid of honour and her sister Áine Moloney and friends Ciara Murphy and Carol O’Riordan were the bridesmaids.
Padraig’s brother Kieran Cunningham was the best man and his brothers Mike and Billy Cunningham were groomsmen along with the couple’s friend Neilus Brouder.
The bride and groom’s daughter Molly Cunningham was the flower girl.
Leanne’s father drove her to the church in his Mk1 Escort and her uncle Tomas was the chauffeur for the bridesmaids, in his Mk2 Escort.
Leanne’s friend Jamie Herlihy and church singer Claire Heffernan sang Leanne and her dad up the aisle and Leanne’s friend Kim Burke was the vocalist during the newlyweds’ first dance.
Leanne and Padraig first met during a night out in O’Grady’s Bar in Newcastle West in Co Limerick. Leanne was socialising with her pal Aoife Culhane. “Aoife was going out at the time with Padraig’s brother Kieran (they have since married),” says Leanne.
The father-of-the-bride’s lockdown project was the perfect spot for the hair and makeup team to set to work on the morning of the wedding. “My dad built a pergola overlooking his magnificent gardens. It has great natural light and made an ideal beauty lounge,” says Leanne who looked stunning in a Suzanne Neville design she bought at Kadee Bridal, Athlone.
Kaspars Sarovarcenko (Black Diamond Photography, https://blackdiamondphotography.ie/) captured the big day on camera.
“We have known Kaspars a long time. He went above and beyond to get the shots we wanted,” says Leanne.
Liston Video, a father-and-son duo, was also behind the lens and the floral décor was by Tie the Knot, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick.
The couple, who live in Killeedy, honeymooned in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote.
The couple describe their wedding day as "everything we could have imagined and more".
Sadly, eight weeks after the occasion, Leanne’s father Timmy passed away after a short illness. “We will be forever grateful that Dad was in attendance and played such an important role in our day,” says Leanne.
“We made memories we will cherish forever. We would like to dedicate this feature to his memory."
- If you would like your wedding in Weekend, email eve.kelliher@examiner.ie