Something di erent!

Helen Riddell talks to couples about their multicultural celebrations

Jessica Kenny and Ricky Evans

Professional dancers Jessica Kenny and Ricky Evans met through their love of dance. Jessica, from BallNew Jersey native Ricky on Instagram. ‘A friend posted a dance video, I followed all the dancers one of whom was Ricky and after three the US and we met in person.’

However, it would be another nine months before they could meet again due to the pandemic. When travel restrictions had been lifted, the couple met in Cancun, Mexico where they got engaged.

After looking at a number of wedding options, Jessica and Ricky decided on Ireland and the Cork International Hotel where they were joined by family and friends including Ricky’s mother, sister and her husband and his best friends who travelled from the US. Ricky outlined how the couple were keen to include traditions from both cultures into their ceremony. ‘We did a jumping the broom, which is an African-American wedding ritual.’ Jessica who is half Bengali incor- porated her Bangladeshi heritage. ‘I had a Bengali style hen party, where I wore a traditional wedding sari and had a bridal henna design painted on my hands.’

The couple looked after their own wedding entertainment creating a playlist which lasted from the meal until the end of the party. With both being professional dancers, they pulled out all the stops and choreographed a showstop-

The couple are now living in Philadelphia are plan to return to Cancun for a belated honeymoon.

Adrian de Juan and Aoife Maya

International couple Adrian de Juan and Aoife Maya married in Cork in 2022 and currently split their time between Ireland and Mexico.

Adrian, from the Philippines, moved met Aoife, who was born in Mexico to a an Irish mother and Mexican father, at Ashton Secondary School in Ballintemple, Cork.

Adrian explained that the couple didn’t get engaged in traditional sense. ‘We just talked about it and decided it was right for us to get married.’ They married in the summer of 2022 at theed at the River Lee Hotel. Adrian said their guests travelled from across the world. ‘When we got to the registry were many more people outside than the ceremony in the small courtyard outside so everyone could see as it was one of the warmest and sunniest days of summer.’

After their wedding meal and speeches, the couple screened a slide show of photos of them both, and then held a few rounds of interactive games opened up for dancing. Adrian said what made their wedding day was ‘having all our friends and family together, everyone we love in one room. Every one of our friends and family was really involved and did their part to make the day a memorable experience.’

The couple are currently building a house in Mexico.

Nora Hall and Dan Sullivan

With each having a parent coming from Bere Island, it was almost inevitable that the paths of San Francisco-based couple Nora Hall and Dan Sullivan would cross. Nora explained that the families knew each other growing up, but their summer visits to the island never overlapped until the summer of 2017. The couple immediately hit it off and one year later got engaged on the island on New Year’s Eve.

After postponing their wedding three times due to the pandemic, the couple married in July 2022 at Bere Island’s Wild Atlantic Glamping, which Nora says was the perfect location.

‘We never considered getting married anywhere else. Bere Island is our happy

Guny Patel and Philip Gray

Kinsale based couple Guny Patel and Philip Gray married in Antigua earlier this year and are now planning a second wedding in Kinsale in the summer.

management where she met Philip Gray, a Kinsale-based artist. Says Guny, ‘I was very happy being single and then he arrives with his Irish charm!’

Guny joined Philip in Kinsale, where his studio is based and opened a successful womenswear business, Kinari, in the town.

The couple got engaged on Philip’s 60th birthday with Guny popping the question. ‘I booked a surprise break in Dubrovnik, we hired a small boat. I asked the skipper to pull into a bay and I got down on one knee and proposed.’

Brendan O’Sullivan and Peter Tora

Brendan O’Sullivan, a HSE manager from Bestwina, Poland celebrated their wedding in Beara and Poland. The couple met online and Peter proposed in May 2018. ‘Brendan’s mother was terminally ill at the time, and I wanted her to know that Brendan would be looked after before she passed.’ Sadly Mrs O’Sullivan died the following month.

The couple married on in September 2019 at the Beara Coast Hotel, Castletownbere, choosing a Humanist ceremony and included traditions from Peter’s native Poland.

‘We had a vodka toast during the speeches which all our guests enjoyed and used the Polish equivalent to cheers which is “Na Zdrowie”’. With Peter owning the awardtheir day.

Peter explained the couple’s decision to marry in Beara. It was important that we could enjoy the day without travelling long distances. Some relatives travelled from the USA and UK, they knew what was ahead of them in terms of an Irish celebration, maybe a same-sex wedding was new to most but we love to set the bar!’

The couple’s second celebration took place in Poland, hosted by Peter’s parents, which Brendan says one of the highlights was the food. ‘Peter’s Mom is a chef so the food was exceptional!’

Brendan says friends warned them they might have disagreements in planning the wedding, but said not one cross word was spoken. ‘We would do it all again tomorrow.’

Philip explains that the couple decided on Antigua following a holiday there with some friends last year. They were married at the Admiral’s Inn in Antigua on January 19th, 2023 with a renowned local saxophonist playing during the ceremony. To celebrate her Indian heritage Guny’s wedding dress was made by a Galway-based designer using sari fabric sourced in Leicestershire and Philip wore an Indian wedding coat. The couple were joined by their good friends from West Cork, Lucy and Peter Hagerty who acted as witnesses. ‘Everything place. We had Bantry Bay and Hungry Hill as the backdrop. Catriona Hanley, the owner could not have been more accommodating.’

The couple held their reception at the Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff, and continued the celebrations the following day at Dessie’s Bar, Bere Island, catered by the Chef’s Table, Castletownbere followed by music in the Bere Island Hotel.

Nora and Dan said planning a West Cork wedding from overseas did present some challenges.

‘We tried to keep everything as simple as possible and kept the focus on having fun with our family and friends.’

The couple’s immediate families travelled from the US along with some of their friends.

‘I think the biggest takeaway for everyone was how friendly and accommodating the Irish are. Although our guests were surprised by how late Irish weddings can last and at how many events can be packed into one weekend!’ was just perfect.’

Guny and Philip are now planning a second ceremony in Kinsale this summer. When asked if there was anything they would change about their day, Guny said they’d do it all over again, with just one addition, ‘our golden retrievers Tigger and Simba.’