VOWS:DESPITE THE FACT that both Lorraine Hackett and David Clerkin were working with some of the Sunday Business Post's most astute journalists when they became an item, they managed to keep their relationship a secret from their colleagues for months. They finally came clean at the Christmas party and became engaged the following June while on holiday in Geneva. It would have been Bilbao three months earlier had Lorraine not succumbed to a bout of food poisoning, prompting David to decide that this might not prove the most romantic of occasions.
Lorraine graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from Dublin City University and after working as a production assistant on About The House and on Scope, both shown on RTÉ television, she moved the Sunday Business Post, where she worked for three years and was responsible for the recruitment advertising section. Last June, she opted for a career change and is now a corporate fundraiser with Dublin Simon Community. David graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in commerce and French and worked in the banking sector for several years, initially with Bank of Ireland and laterally, Investec. He also changed direction, acquired an MA in journalism from DCU and is currently markets correspondent with the Sunday Business Post.
The couple were married on a sunny winter afternoon by Fr Richard Sheehy in the Church of Mary Immaculate in Rathmines, Dublin, on December 28th. Lorraine arrived on foot from her house just across the road and walked up the aisle to the sound of the Dublin Gospel choir singing Oh Happy Day, "the pinnacle of a wonderful day," she says.
It was a real family occasion; Lorraine's parents spent a considerable amount of time during Christmas making holly wreaths to decorate the church and helping with last-minute preparations, and her Aunt Maeve sang Oh Holy Nightduring the ceremony. Her sister, Audrey, was a bridesmaid and her brother, Cormac, excelled as an usher and organised for all the guests to have sparklers outside the church.
David’s parents, Pat and Helen Clerkin, were wonderfully supportive on the day and Helen acted as Minister of the Eucharist. Finally, David’s nephew, Philip, was a perfect pageboy.
David chose Chris Burke, a friend of many years and former colleague, as best man. Lorraine's best friend Sarah Home, who travelled from Australia especially for the occasion, was also a bridesmaid as was her friend Samantha Bourke, a producer on RTÉ's Primetime,a job which has taught her to be prepared for anything. She came equipped with a first aid kit, spare pins and hair clips.
The reception was held in the Marine Hotel in Sutton and they danced to La Vie En Roseperformed in French, ironically, by a wedding band called the Italain Job.
Mr Clerkin and Ms Hackett have settled back into their home, in Rathmines after honeymooning in Cuba. However, they won’t easily forget their wedding day as they see the church every time they glance out of their front window.
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