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Our Wedding Story: competition win paid for big day

Two beautiful brides with ‘an indescribable feeling of being a team against the world’

Emma Hughes and Karen Corcoran: “There is nothing like the moment that your eyes meet when you’re walking up the aisle to start the rest of your lives together”

Sarah Geraghty's face
Sarah Geraghty
Sat Feb 11 2017 - 02:00

“We’ve always had the support of all of our family and friends, but after the nerve wracking marriage referendum last May, it was especially emotional to feel so much love and support.”

After meeting in the George pub in Dublin four years ago, Karen, from Dublin, and Louth woman Emma were married last August.

There was one thing that made the planning process a whole lot easier. “We were really lucky to have won our wedding with 98fm and the Radisson Blu.”

But it did mean they were limited with numbers, “so trying to decide on the guest list was by far the toughest part. When we came back from our honeymoon we threw a party so that we could celebrate with all of our family and friends.”

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Family support

On 6th August, “the nicest day of the year”, the couple married in a spiritual ceremony – celebrated by Tomas Patrick Colton, from Spiritual Ceremonies – on the terrace of the Golden Lane hotel.

“Both of us had been quite relaxed and calm in the run-up to the wedding. Just before the ceremony started, we were in separate areas with our dads, waiting to walk up the aisle. The second the music started, we both were hit by nerves and emotions, and there is nothing like the moment that your eyes meet when you’re walking up the aisle to start the rest of your lives together.”

Both women credit their families – parents Maureen and Aidan and Rosemarie and Tony – parents for their support along the way.

Bridesmaids were Karen’s sister Sarah and Emma’s sister Louise. Her brother Brian was her best man and god-daughter Aileen was the flower-girl.

At the reception in the top-floor Sky Suite, the newlyweds first dance was to Ellie Goulding's How Long will I Love You.

Does life together feel different now that they’re married? “Day-to-day life hasn’t changed,” they say, “but there is an indescribable feeling of being impenetrable as a couple, a team against the world. And being able to call each other ‘my wife’ is pretty great!”

Photographer: Nicolette Spelic (nicolettespelicphotography.com)