“GIVEN the uncertainty of the previous six months, to still be able to have the day we dreamt of with all our loved ones was amazing, and we have a lot of happy memories to cherish.”

So said Aisling (nee Moore) and Richie Sherlock, who live in Glanmire and were married recently.

Aisling is from Glanmire village and Richie is from Ballyvolane. They met on a night out in The Castle in Glanmire back in 2017.

They were engaged in 2019 on Ballynamona Beach and got married in St Joseph’s Church in Glanmire on Saturday, September 5.

The ceremony was very personal. Fr Martin Barry married them and did a hand-fasting ritual.

Aisling’s father Martin who passed away 11 years ago, was in their thoughts on the day. Aisling said: “It was an honour for my mother to give me away.”

She said walking up the aisle and seeing Richie at the top was one of the most memorable moments of the day.

The bride bought her dress, by Ronald Joyce, in Amore Bridal Wear in Youghal. Richie got his suit in Morley’s on Daunt Square.

Aisling said: “Considering the numbers were limited, we had our closest family members in the church.

“We had a live stream to ensure we could involve as many other people as possible. The link was shared with family and friends that we unfortunately could not invite.

“This also meant my two grandmothers, Joan and Eileen, who are 99 and 95, got to watch Richie and I getting married.”

The wedding reception was held in the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire.

“We had been to many weddings there and we were always very impressed. To have such a beautiful hotel with a fantastic reputation on our doorstep, meant there was no question about where our venue was going to be. We didn’t look anywhere else! There was also a sentimental element to our choice, as it was where my parents first met and where they had their wedding reception in 1983.”

The wedding cake was from Cinnamon Cottage in Rochestown.

The couple were full of praise too for photographer Dominic Dunne.

Meanwhile, ‘Bog the Donkey’ were the band — they played a mixture to suit all ages.

The first dance was to an Ed Sheeran song called How Would You Feel? Aisling said: “Richie made me a ‘mix CD’ when we first started going out and it was the first time I heard the song and it just became our song.”

By Elaine Duggan