Wedding of the Week: Childhood sweethearts tie the knot after 14 years 

Childhood sweethearts Mairead Twohig, from Farranree, and Cian Madden, from Parklands, recently tied the knot after 14 years together.

The couple first met when Mairead was 16 and Cian was 17.

Cian proposed to Mairead in 2018 at her parents’ home in what she described as “like something from a movie”.

She recalled: “He had huge balloons saying ‘marry me’, a bouquet of red roses and Ed Sheeran’s Perfect was playing. I was surrounded by my family and It really was perfect.”

Mairead, a pre-school teacher in Little Hands Childcare, and Cian, a process engineer in Dell, were married on August 24, 2024, at the Rochestown Park Hotel.

The date was particularly significant for the couple.

Mairead’s father passed away on August 23, 2023. He had suffered a stroke eight years previously.

“We cared for my dad over the years. We had the wedding booked a few months before my dad passed away so we continued to go ahead with the day the following year as my dad’s first anniversary was August 23 and the wedding was the 24th. We saw this as a sign and the wedding planning helped us through the first year. On the day I was so relaxed and I felt my dad was with me,” Mairead said.

Mairead and Cian’s three-year-old son Charlie accompanied Mairead as she walked down the aisle to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect.

“Charlie was holding a photo of my dad. This was so special to me,” said Mairead.

The couple were joined on the day by their closest family members and friends including Mairead’s nana.

Mairead’s maid of honour was her sister Julie Twohig and her bridesmaid was Alison Kearney. The best man was Owen Madden and the groomsman was Ryan Cullinane. The couple’s son Charlie was page boy and Maisie was the flower girl.

The bride’s dress was from Cinderella’s Closet and the suits were from Suit Distributors. The jewellery and the bride’s headpiece were from Rosie and Dott.

Make-up was by Niamh O’Leary with hair by Lynn O’Leary (Bridal hair by Lynn).

The bouquets and flowers were from Wonderous Weddings.

“The ceremony was beautiful and very personal to us. There was a moment at the beginning to honour my dad which was very important to us and there was a remembrance reading along with a remembrance candle lit. The ceremony included a little story about our life together and we took part in a sand ceremony along with our son Charlie,” said Mairead.

The reception also took place at the Rochestown Park Hotel.

“They were great to deal with and they created the most beautiful room for both the ceremony and reception,” said the bride.

The couple’s cake was by Sarah Jane Mehigan Lee, while Brian Morley performed at the drinks reception and Sparkle Band provided music at the ceremony and reception.

“Our first dance was Hello My Love by Westlife, the lyrics meant so much to us and we shared this moment with our son,” said the couple.

The photographer was John Sexton Photography while Liam O’Shea of Eventstuff was the videographer.

What was the most memorable thing about the day?

“A moment that stands out to me was myself and Cian looking at each other while sitting at the top table and then looking around the room. The room was absolutely beautiful and to see everyone we wanted with us to share such a special day was such a special moment. After all the good times and some hard times, we finally got there, we made it and became husband and wife. It was such an achievement for us. Our family was complete,” said Mairead.