Our Wedding Story: ‘It was perfect – just us and the dog’

[ irishtimes.com/weddings ]

Niamh Plunkett (29), senior cabin crew with Aer Lingus, and engineer Ian Cahill (28) met in 2005 on a night out in Navan. Their first official date was to see the film Hitch, the ticket stub for which Ian still carries in his wallet.

In 2011 the couple bought their first house and added to their family with the arrival of Woodstock the puppy.

On December 1st 2013, they had just turned on the Christmas tree lights when Ian turned to Woodstock and said: “I think there’s something missing, pal.”

He went down on one knee and proposed to Niamh. “It was perfect,” she said, “just the three of us together in our home at the Christmas tree.”

Clonabreany House in Co Meath was the first venue the engaged couple visited and they booked their wedding there for March 19th – the week of their 10th anniversary. They were married in Johnstown Church, Navan by Fr Brendan Ludlow who was a friend of Ian’s late grandparents, Tommy and Jane Cahill.

“As they had both passed away, we thought there was no better way to have them symbolised on our big day than to have Fr Brendan conduct the ceremony,” said the bride, who found her dress online after several shopping trips with her mother and sisters.

Niamh made the bouquets and buttonholes. “I’m a very sentimental person and my flowers had a lot of personal meanings in them.” The flowers all included ladybirds to honour her grandparents – “ladybirds are a big thing in the Plunkett family” – while her “something old” was a necklace belonging to her late maternal grandmother which was attached to the bridal bouquet.

Niamh’s sister Deborah Murray was maid of honour, her other sister Lorraine Martin and niece Robyn Murray were bridesmaids. The flower-girls were nieces Grace Murray and Emer Martin. The groom’s friends Owen Kenny and Ciaran Mallon were best man and groomsman and page-boy was Darragh Martin. Mother and father of the bride are Joe and Marie Plunkett, and the groom’s parents are David and Rosemary Cahill. The newlyweds honeymooned in Las Vegas – where they were joined by three friends – and Mexico.

Photographs: David McNeill, davidmcneill.ie

We’d love to hear your wedding story. If you’d like to share it with our readers email weddings@irishtimes.com with a photograph and a little information about your big day