Wedding of the Week: Cork college sweethearts are wed

Nikki Joyce and Scott Hurley first met in 2019 while studying marketing at MTU. They quickly established a friendship, and it wasn’t long before they became a couple. “We grew closer and closer until we finally made it official in April, 2019… everyone could see we wanted to be more [than friends], but were oblivious to know how the other felt.”

The couple got engaged on January 12, 2024, during a visit to the Empire State Building in New York. “It came as such a shock to me,” said Nikki, from Passage West. “I plan everything. I really thought I’d plan my own engagement, but he did amazing.”

The 12th is a special date for Scott, from Greenmount, and Nikki. They were wed last month, on June 12, at St Mary’s Church, Passage West.

“Father Sean was incredible. We were so grateful to have him as he used to be the parish priest in Passage West before he moved to Farranree Parish. It was lovely to have him back to marry us.”

They were supported on the day by their family and friends, and their five bridesmaids and five groomsmen, and two flower girls.

The bride sourced her gown from Cinderella’s Closet, while her shoes were by Shein. The bride’s drop pearl earrings were from Rosie and Dott while her necklace was from Keanes.

Make-up was by Lisa O’Mahony. “She was incredible and heard my vision exactly.” Hair was by Lauren Hickey from Crown Hair in Passage West. “She was outstanding.” The suits were sourced from Morleys. “They were incredible to deal with and were so helpful in getting us sorted.”

After the wedding, the couple held a reception for their guests at the Rochestown Park Hotel. “They were incredible from start to finish,” the couple said. They had high praise in particular for the food at the reception. “It was incredible. We received so many compliments on it.”

Nikki and Scott put their own personal touch on the reception. They designed their own menus and and even created wedding newspapers, detailing their love story, for every guest.

Music at the reception was by Va Va Voom. “They were incredible and the dance floor wasn’t empty all night!” The couple’s first dance was to Lewis Capaldi’s Pointless. “We actually went to see Lewis Capaldi live in Thomond Park two weeks after the wedding, and it was so special hearing Pointless live, knowing it was our first dance song!!

The “absolutely incredible” three-layer cake was from Ruairi’s Kitchen.

Nikki and her mum made the bouquets. “That’s a memory I will cherish forever. They were gorgeous and it was such a lovely way to have my mum included in the wedding planning,” said Nikki.

Photos on the day were by Ray and Irene Terry.

What was the most memorable thing about the day?

“I think Scott and I were so touched by the people that celebrated with us. We had the most amazing day start to finish. This wedding has been 2.5 years in the making and I’m so honoured that our guests noticed the effort we put into it, right down to the small details,” Nikki said.

The couple graduated from MTU five years ago and said they were touched to receive a special message from one of their lecturers, Lisa Scannell, which was read out during the speeches on their wedding day.

“We genuinely had the most perfect day, the weather was gorgeous and we just celebrated with the people we love the most.”

The couple got the keys to their new home in Midleton on the same week of their marriage, and are looking forward to starting the next chapter of their lives together in East Cork.