Wedding of the Week: All aboard the love train for couple who tied knot in Cork

A couple who met when they both missed the train to Cork had an “amazing” wedding in May.

Darragh Bermingham, a former journalist at The Echo, and Kiva Sammon, an occupational therapist, married in The Glucksman Gallery in UCC, where Kiva graduated.

As a nod to their fateful meeting, Darragh, 30 and Kiva, 29, had photos taken on their big day at Kent Station in Cork city.

Darragh explained: “I was on work experience with the Irish Examiner and Kiva was a student in UCC, studying Early Years and Childhood Studies. The train came but because it said ‘Limerick Junction’, neither of us got on it. After it left, I realised I was supposed to get on it and change at Limerick Junction for Cork.

“It was just myself, Kiva, and her father left standing on the platform. He came over to ask me if the train had indeed been for Cork and I said it was. Then myself and Kiva got chatting and the rest is history. We always say her dad was the best wingman!”

Darragh is from Carlow, while Kiva is from Ballymore Eustace in Kildare. They are now living in Nurney, Co. Carlow, and in the process of buying Darragh’s late grandparents’ home.

They got engaged in August, 2024, in south-east Victoria, Australia, where they were living at the time. “I popped the question at a beautiful winery, Polperro,” said Darragh.

They wed in Cork, as Darragh explained: “We have such a love for Cork and a connection with the place. If we hadn’t moved to Scotland to allow Kiva to pursue a Masters degree in occupational therapy, we might still be living there today!”

The Glucksman staff, particularly Cathy, “were so kind and helpful and it was a brilliant experience”. Darragh’s mother, a civil registrar, was able to register the marriage officially before the ceremony, then Darragh’s friend and best man, Tadgh O’Connor, performed the actual ceremony on the day - his first!

“It was a bit of a different ceremony with a glass of whiskey in the middle (to mark Kiva’s Scottish heritage, and our shared love of the Uisce Beatha) and a sing-along at the end, where all the attendees sang Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

The wedding party moved on to The Imperial Hotel for a “fantastic meal”, then around the corner to the Frisky Whiskey bar in the Oliver Plunkett for dancing. Cork-based band, The Last Call, performed a great set.

The bridal party wore black tie with the groomsmen wearing tuxedos and the bridesmaids wearing black dresses. Both mothers wore black and white - “we really like how well this looked”.

The men were well looked after by Mac’s Menswear and Detail Menswear in Carlow. Kevin Donovan, Liam O’Brien, Ciarán Ward and Lee Byrne were groomsmen. Kiva got her wedding dress from the Bridal Outlet in Dublin - “I was just obsessed with the unique lace it had.” Her bridal party consisted of her three sisters, Evie, Abby and Jess, and Darragh’s sister, Sarah.

Aneta Winnicka was the “amazing” make-up artist, and Lynsey O’Leary was the “brilliant” hairdresser.

For the photos, photographer Eric Savoie, content creator Laura (Your Day By Laura), and Kiva’s dad, Seán, hopped into Seán’s car and visited Kent Station. “They were so accommodating there, and we even took some photos of us in the same seats we met in on the train!”

“As we strolled towards UCC, a chap stuck his head out the window of a passing car and screamed ‘congratulations, boy’, in the biggest Cork accent, and it made our day!”