Wedding of the Week: 'It felt like the world conspired to ensure we got to have that day'

“The kindness of perfect strangers and friends not long known touched our hearts deeply.”

Those are the words of Melanie Dineen, from Macroom, who married Dylan Fleming, from Crosshaven, on February 10.

Tragically, Dylan died from cancer a month later.

“It was very last minute and we had almost ruled the possibility of a wedding out,” Melanie said.

“We had always planned on getting married, but it had never been a priority to either one of us.

“We had bought our forever home in December, 2023, and we used our savings to start renovating that.

“Marriage was always something down the line, when we had the house sorted, when we had children, etc,” she added.

Just months after buying their home, in June, 2024, Dylan was diagnosed with urethral cancer.

“That really put things in perspective,” Melanie said.

“The hope was that we would get married once the chemo started working and everything levelled out.”

“Unfortunately, we ended up being told that marriage was becoming more of a necessity.”

The couple contacted their civil registration office to notify them of their intention to marry and booked their wedding date.

“It was not what either of us had imagined for that day, but we were trying to stay positive. I ordered a tea dress from Vinted and the reality of our situation sank in.”

The couple’s friends and family rallied around them to help pull all the arrangements together.

“My dad used to be a photographer so I thought about asking him to do some photographs, but that would have meant he couldn’t be in them,” explained Melanie.

“My mam rang a family friend, Anthony Fleming, who is in the wedding business and he agreed to video the day immediately.

“He also got onto all his contacts and suddenly we had a venue, the Rochestown Park Hotel, photographers Ray and Irene Terry, hair stylist Kim O’Sullivan, make-up artist Liz McCarthy, florist Tracey Wallace and baker Tracy Desmond Bell, singers Caroline Bailey and Conor O’Shea, decor by Sandra Looney, and a suit from Ray Nugent.

“It was absolutely unbelievable! There was very little for us to figure out,” she added.

The couple’s friend Laura Byrne gifted Melanie her wedding dress.

“We needed a celebrant and I cannot express how much Linda Foley made that day magic for us.

“My aunt is currently doing the course to become a celebrant so I had reached out to her. She already had all the answers gathered for us in case we came to her. She works with Linda and said she would contact her. Not even two minutes later we got the call confirming that Linda would marry us.

“We were only able to meet in person exactly a week prior to the day due to hospital appointments and everything but it really didn’t make a difference. She was so warm and easy to chat to. We both liked her immediately and were so reassured that everything would be perfect.

“She covered everything, supplied a book of different reading samples, ribbons for the handfasting, questions to get to know us, and she checked in with us to see what Dylan’s energy levels were like and suggested different ways to make the day easier on him without drawing any attention to it,” added Melanie.

On February 10, the couple were married.

“It really felt like the world had conspired a bit to ensure that we got to have that day. Not everyone gets to, and we’re so aware of that.

“Dylan passed away on March 9 and I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I have the memories of that day to cherish.

“I’ll forever be grateful.”