John and I met in the Roost Bar in Maynooth after John’s tennis match and it was indeed a case of game set and match on that first meeting.  We went on a “romantic” first date to Croke Park to watch John’s beloved Meath play Dublin. Dinner on 1st date was chicken burger and chips from a stand outside Croke Park. From there on we had a wonderful time getting to know each other.
Two years after we met, John proposed, on bended knee with roses, during a romantic weekend in Barcelona after a tandem cycle around the sites of that beautiful city. A romantic meal with champagne followed that evening.
We decided to stay in Ireland for our wedding; mainly because we wanted our families around us on the big day, but also because we found The Landmark Hotel and could think of no more beautiful setting than The Landmark, set on the banks of the Shannon.  We were immediately impressed by the professional and friendly welcome Wedding Co-ordinator Patricia Corrigan and all the staff showed us at The Landmark. Patricia made us feel at ease from day one and took away much of the stress from us.
I was honoured to have two fabulous bridesmaids in Alison Foley, my first cousin and great friend, as well as Helen McGovern, a close friend for many years with whom I have shared many life experiences. The stunning little flower girl on the day was Robyn McGovern. The search for my dress ended in Myrtle Ivory, a shop off Grafton Street in Dublin. It was the second dress I saw during several weeks of shopping with John’s sisters Susan & Niamh, and eventually I came back to that dress. The girls in the shop were always so helpful and I would highly recommend them.
John’s best men were James Canty and Mark Farrelly, lifelong friends of John. Their  suits were from Pat O’Byrnes in Trim, where the three lads are from. Pat and the guys from the shop did a great job on the trio as they had their work cut out for them as James’ leg was in a cast at the time!
We thoroughly enjoyed the lead up to the day which was made much easier for us by Patricia and the team at The Landmark Hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed our many trips down there during the planning and their experience really showed through with recommendations for bands, florists etc. All their recommendations were excellent. Late Nite Radio Band were excellent on the night, the violinist, Patricia Tracy, was spectacular, and Caltra Florist, Sean Duignan videographer and Ivan Keaney photographer were all brilliant and made the day really special.
The Wedding Day itself just flew by. We were married on Mohill Church, high in the hills overlooking the village. The ceremony was celebrated by Fr Gerard Daly, a very close relative of John’s and Bernard Hogan, my family parish priest. On arrival at The Landmark, we had a Jazz Band called the Odd Couple playing while our guests enjoyed some of Landmark’s famous canapes and cocktails.  The weather was lovely so we had some lovely photographs by the Shannon. People are still talking about the beautiful Monkfish and Fillet of Beef, and the baked Alaska went down a treat afterwards.
The whole day was just the best day of our lives, family and friends, all gathered together in a friendly relaxed atmosphere by the Shannon in a top class hotel while being looked after by the wonderful Wedding Co-ordinator Patricia Corrigan. I can highly recommend it.
We spent nine wonderful days on the Caribbean island of Antiga in the Sandals Resort, before returning to our hectic lifestyles; John running his family buisness, Leonard’s Furniture and Carpets in Trim, while I was back managing Little Harvard Creche and Montessori in Leixlip.
We would like to thank all our family and friends for making this a wonderful day and a special thanks to Toni & Becky Keane for their brilliant hair and make-up.