Wedding of the week: Bride and groom are literally on cloud nine
The weather’s always going to be a key factor on any wedding day — but especially so when the bride works for Met Éireann, writes
Joanne Cullinane, a hydrometeorologist, and Kevin Macken, an engineer at the Office of Public Works, first met seven years ago when both embarked on the same graduate programme in the flooding section of the Office of Public Works — so as you can imagine weather and flooding references rained down on the couple like confetti when they tied the knot.
Jo and Kevin got engaged in September 2018 while on holiday in the Algarve, Portugal. “We went for a walk on the beach after dinner on the first night we arrived and I knew I was going to propose,” said Kevin.
“There was a slight hiccup in that another couple were having a massive argument on the beach at the time and we ended up watching that play out for a few minutes. It did slightly take from the ambience of a romantic moonlit walk on the beach but I managed to pop the question in spite of it.”
Joanne, from Ballinhassig, Co Cork, and Kevin, from Athlone, Co Westmeath, exchanged vows in The Mountain Church, Goggins Hill, Ballinhassig, in a ceremony led by Fr Kieron O’Driscoll.
Photographer Emily Doran was behind the lens, with photoshoots commencing at the bride’s home farm and Ballybrack Woods, Douglas, that morning.
“I lost my dad, Tony, in June 2018. Being a daddy’s girl I really wanted to get down the yard the morning of the wedding for some photos,” said Jo.
“The weather had been very poor for the week and the yard was way too mucky for the dress, so my uncle John put down stone mix during the week and along with my brother rolled a straw bale out down to the yard just two hours before going to the church for the wedding.”
But the sun was to make an unexpected appearance for the occasion. “It just felt like Dad was with us on the day, from that morning as I plodded around in my wellies — the only present my father ever physically bought me!” said the bride.
Jo chose a Ronald Joyce dress and Cork Bridal Hair and Ruthanna Crowley took care of the bridal hair and makeup. Kevin and his party wore suits by Galvin Menswear, Tullamore, Co Offaly, and florist Sara Spillane created the floral arrangements.
Jo’s twin sister Marie Cullinane was by her side as chief bridesmaid while Kevin’s brother Cian Macken was his best man.
Marie’s daughter (the bride’s niece) Elena Gilhawley took centre stage as flower girl.
Celebrations continued long into the night at the reception, at the Maryborough Hotel & Spa, where the bride’s mother Josephine Cullinane and the groom’s parents Celine and Kevin Macken led toasts to the newlyweds’ happiness. The bride gifted her new father-in-law with a personalised weather forecast from Met Éireann and later on Cork band The Love Junkies had everyone dancing.
Each table at the reception featured a painting, by Jo, of a place in Ireland the couple had visited. “Suddenly guests started buying or raffling the paintings off and donating the proceeds to the Lollipop Day Oesophageal Cancer Fund, our favourite charity — one close to my heart having lost Dad to oesophageal cancer,” said Jo.
The newlyweds honeymooned in Cook Islands and New Zealand. They reside in Carpenterstown, Dublin 15.
