Wedding of the Week: A romantic proposal for Cork couple at stunning beauty spot

A ROMANTIC proposal at Gougane Barra led to the wedding day of Debbie Leahy and Leon Rowley.

The couple, Debbie. from Cobh. and Leon. from the Northside, live in Cobh with their four daughters Maegan, Amy and twins Daisy and Lilly.

This week the couple feature in our Wedding of the Week.

They met in December, 2017, on a night out in Cork city.

Recalling their engagement, Debbie said: “My aunt took the twins one day, they were about seven months old, so we took full advantage and headed away for a spin and lunch. We ended up in Gougane Barra... little did I know he was going to pop the question, which he did on the side of the lake, it was perfect.

“He’s not good at keeping secrets but this time he pulled it off, I was so surprised and absolutely over the moon.”

They got married in Cobh Cathedral.

The bride recalled: “It was the most amazing sunny day on the 21st of October.”

The bride got her dress in The Moderne in Cork, an elegant Stella York dress. Leon got his and the groomsmen’s suits in Morleys, Cork city. The bride’s hairdresser on the day was Mairead Hastings, a close friend, from Yummy Hair Design in Cobh, with help from Yvonne McKiernan from Cobh. Make-up was by Shirley Ryan MUA, also from Cobh.

With Covid restrictions still in place, they had 100 people at the wedding, which included close family and friends.

Recalling the day, Debbie said: “Honestly, everything was just perfect on the day, I can’t fault one thing.”

The reception was held at the Carrigaline Court Hotel, which they said was fantastic.

The cake was by Ellen O’Driscoll from Ellen’s Kitchen, Cobh, and they had a balloon display from Happy.Bambi’s party supply.

What was the most memorable thing about the day?

“The best memory I have of the day is standing at the end of the cathedral aisle (which is like a runway!) and just taking it all in before walking with my dad up to Leon. This was extra special as my baby girls ran down the aisle screaming mammy, which put me a bit more at ease,” the bride said.

She added that family and friends were so supportive in the run up to the big day.

“I would just like to say thank-you again, I can’t believe this is all over. I just wish I could do it all over again.”

She praised Laura and Benny, their photographers: “I can’t begin on how amazing these two were.”