Wedding of the Week: The day was perfect... everything went so well, says Cork bride

THESE newlyweds first met while working together in a local nursing home.

They were both caring for the elderly at the time - Julia Kelleher was working as a care assistant and Ricky O'Donovan was a registered nurse.

They became close friends at first and then went on to start dating each other.

The couple have a son called Bobby, who is now aged four, and who played a very important role in their recent special day.

Ricky popped the big question to his bride-to-be at a Derek Ryan concert at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney back in January, 2019 - as the bride loves country music.

In May of that year they set the date for their wedding - September 3, 2021.

They were married at the Blessed Virgin Mary in Doneraile, County Cork, followed by their wedding reception at the Charleville Park Hotel.

Julia’s mum Sheila Kelleher gave her daughter away, while Ricky surprised his bride by singing her up the aisle to one of Derek Ryan’s songs, Love at First Sight in a Strange Place.

Julia recalls her dress for the special day: “I bought a dress on my own one year ago and about six months ago I wasn’t keen on it so I went and bought a second one!

“I loved one part of one and the bottom of the other so I went to a dressmaker and made the two into one - what I always wanted - I felt like a princess.”

The venue for the wedding reception was the Charleville Park Hotel.

Julia recalls: “Our venue was in Charleville Park Hotel, it was MAGICAL, it was so beautiful.

“From the moment I got up on the Friday morning to the moment we went to bed on Saturday morning, the day was perfect, everything went so well.

“The weather was beautiful. Our church service was at 12.30 (as I wanted to spend the whole day with my husband).

“We have a son Bobby, who was four in August, so he really understood the whole day - he was marrying his mama and dada.

“I did a lot of my own things, like the favours which were bottle openers and fridge magnets. For the decor I got an old fashioned high nelly bike and painted it and decorated it myself.

“I also got an old mirror and painted it and put wording and flowers on it.”