Wedding of the Week: Cork couple first met as children at caravan park in Skibbereen

Twenty-five years after first meeting at a caravan park in Skibbereen, Julie Ryan and Barry Kelleher tied the knot in July in front of their friends and family.

Both Julie and Barry’s family holidayed at the Hideaway Caravan Park in Skibbereen when they were growing up. “We became good friends in our teenage years and always kept in contact. We bumped into each other nine years ago, in 2017, in the Washington Bar on a college night out and here we are now,” Julie said.

The couple were wed at the Church of St Mary and St John in Ballincollig this summer by Fr Ronan Sheehan, who “gave us the most beautiful ceremony”.

Music was by Lynda Sloane-Cusack, “whose magical voice brought more than a few tears to our eyes”.

Julie made all of the flower arrangements for the pews and arches outside the church. “I had to put my trust in the groomsmen to make sure everything was decorated perfectly. Geraldine, the Sacristan, was incredible and helped the boys organise the flowers while thinking of every little detail for us in the church.”

The couple was supported on the day by their family and friends. “It meant so much to us that my Nana Helen was there on the day, as all of our other grandparents have passed. We did miss Barry’s father, Jimmy (Kelleher), on the day but made sure he was a part of the day too.

“We had so many people travel to celebrate with us, from all around Ireland and across the seas.”

Also in attendance were the owners of the Hideaway Caravan Park, Helen and Stephen. “If it wasn’t for the Hideaway, we wouldn’t have met; our paths wouldn’t really have crossed.”

The bride sourced her Evie Young gown from Diamond Bridal. “I wore my Nanny Alice’s earrings as she was someone very special to both myself and Barry, and I wore jewellery from the Dress House, a small Irish business”.

The bridesmaid gowns were from Azazie. The groom and his groomsmen’s tuxedos were from Suits.ie. Make-up was by Jessica of Portraits, while Lorna of Hair by Lorna ensured there wasn’t a hair out of place.

After the ceremony, a friend of the family, Mick Martin, drove the couple to West Cork for their wedding reception at Fernhill House Hotel in a vintage 1988 black Mercedes SE.

“Ellie and Neil welcomed us with open arms and bubbles when we arrived. From start to finish, they were absolutely amazing and went above and beyond to make our day so special.”

Julie made the cakes herself for the wedding reception. “Everyone encouraged me that I could do it as I recently got into baking. I took on the challenge and thankfully it worked out. I also made some cupcakes using my Nanny Alice’s recipe.”

Arundo played at the drinks reception, and music in the evening was by the Old Moderns while DJ Bertie Meehan kept the music going well into the night.

Photos on the day were by Laura and Benny Photography while the videographers were Ernest and Giles from Weddimony Films.

“Laura and Benny had us smiling and laughing all day long while capturing every special moment. Giles and Ernest seemed to be in the background throughout the day, catching everything on video — our very own ‘Keeping Up With The Kellehers’ documentary in the making!”

What was the most memorable thing about the day? “Walking down the aisle together and seeing all our family and friends so happy for us, it made us even happier and excited for the rest of the day,” the couple said.

“We jetted off to Kenya on the Monday after the wedding for our honeymoon, enjoying an amazing safari and some time at a beautiful resort. We are incredibly grateful that we got to celebrate our marriage surrounded by all the people we love, in the place where our story first began. It truly was a day we will never forget.”