PAULA FENNELLY AND Ray Neary were married on June 8th at the Church of the Assumption in Portlaoise, Co Laois, by the bride’s cousin, Fr John O’Brien, followed by a reception in Castle Durrow.
Paula is the daughter of Phyllis and Liam Fennelly, and she grew up in Ballydavis, Portlaoise, where she attended Presentation College and then Ballyfin College, before studying at Dublin City University, where she qualified with a BSc in engineering. She joined the management consultancy firm Accenture, where she is a senior executive in their public service business division.
She has two sisters, Emer McNally and Anita O’Connell, who served as her bridesmaids, and one brother, Robert Fennelly.
Ray is the son of Mary and Jim Neary, and grew up in Drumcondra, Dublin, as one of three children. He attended St Aidan’s Secondary School before studying applied physics at Dublin City University, where he qualified with a BSc. He is a telecommunications engineer with BT. His brother Bryan Neary and brother Robert Carton acted as his groomsmen.
The couple met at the Galway Races in 2006, and Ray proposed over dinner in May 2008, but they kept the news to themselves until choosing a ring about a month later.
They had originally planned to get married in Tuscany in April, until Paula’s dad became ill; happily he was fully fit and well on the day.
The Dublin City Quartet played during the marriage ceremony in the church, and the sun shone on the day, so they were able to enjoy the grounds of Castle Durrow. Nieces and nephews of both the bride and the groom were deployed as flower girls and pageboys. David Stokes captured the full day on video and Harlequin, a band from Kildare, kept the dancing going until 2 am.
The couple travelled to China and Thailand for their honeymoon, staying in Beijing, Bangkok and the Thai island of Koh Samui. They live in Griffith Avenue, Drumcondra, where they are renovating a house they bought last year.