I dropped off a balloon to Kate, my niece and self-appointed boss flower girl. I sent another to my niece, Áine, in Tipperary. They loved the balloons on the tables at Julie and David’s wedding. They were exquisite, great big clear balloons with a silver pattern on them.

They floated high above the tables atop a string of LED lights entwined in ivory netting. Each balloon had burgundy petals inside to match the colour scheme. Below, four golden jars containing LED lights completed the picture. These were the special touches that added the magic to Julie and David’s wedding.

Jenny Red Balloon, as I call her, was responsible for the table décor. Jenny Murphy is a great friend of Julie’s and has a thriving company that concentrates on balloon art. When we got to the hotel and I was assembling the cake, Jenny took me into the reception room.

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“Sit down,” she said. Then she sat opposite me. While I wondered what news she was about to impart, she said: “Well, can you see me?”

Oops. Way back in the early planning stages, when I heard that there would be balloons on the table, I had expressed the hope that guests would be able to see each other. It had not gone down well with the balloon artist.

FOCUS ON PEOPLE

Julie and Dave were not into all the fuss and trimmings that can sometimes overshadow a wedding. For example, they had no intention of paying extra for chair covers or putting favours on the table. Place names were also dispensed with.

Instead, the couple put serious effort into getting the mix of people right at tables, keeping people who knew each other together as far as possible. The result was happy banter all day. I doubt if anyone noticed the chairs weren’t covered in the beautiful Ocean View dining room of Dunmore House Hotel outside Clonakilty.

The resounding assessment from the wedding guests of the hotel’s performance has been that the meal was served expertly and tasted scrumptious and that the staff were more than helpful to all guests throughout the day and evening.

Julie and Dave often have lunch in Dunmore House Hotel and, consequently, know the proprietors and staff well. Where possible, the couple was adamant about using people they knew and, more importantly, could trust. Hence, many of our close friends and family members were involved in the music and artistic input on the day.

Many of you will know Donal O’Leary, photographer with the Irish Farmer’s Journal. Donal was one of the first people that Julie engaged to do her wedding photographs. Donal, being a Cork man, is not too far away from us. It was lovely having Donal about on the day. The ultimate professional and gentleman, Donal, along with his colleague Helen, made sure that each photograph was expertly arranged.

THE FIRST DANCE

A year ago, there had been a lot of talk about the first dance. Dancing was not an option for Julie and David but they still wanted to do something special before the dancing started. Then there was no more talk about it and I didn’t want to ask them.

When it came to time for the first dance, I saw Julie and Dave take seats at the top of the dance floor. It was only then that I noticed the big screen to the side. Julie announced that they had a surprise for us. The beautiful music from the rock band Kodaline started.

“Tell me, tell me that you want me, and I’ll be yours completely, for better or for worse … You make my heart feel like it’s summer when the rain is pouring down. You make my whole world feel so right when it’s wrong. That’s how I know you are the one.”

The scene was the swimming pool in Hayfield Manor Hotel in Cork City. We saw Julie walk to the side of the pool on her sticks. She was wearing a figure hugging, snow white dress. She sat on the edge of the steps and slowly let herself into the pool and into David’s arms. They danced beautifully aided by the buoyancy of the water and enjoyed their first dance more than most couples.

The radiance and delight on their faces was just magic. You could hear a pin drop and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. At that moment everyone saw how Julie and Dave surmount obstacles that come their way. They just find a way around problems and they prove, again and again, that there is a way. Of course, the reaction from Julie and David’s guests was one of tumultuous applause. The dancefloor filled and never emptied again as people rocked the evening away to the Kilkennys. The lads were just the perfect band for a mixed crowd.

If you want an injection of love and get-up-and-go attitude, then follow the link to Julie and Dave’s first dance.

Go to the Evening Echo website and type in “My truly special day” into the search box.

John Mollaghan of Moments Wedding Videos is the videographer responsible for this fabulous piece of work.

We’re eating wedding cake and remembering with friends and relations the beautiful day of our daughter’s wedding. The inner glow will remain with us forever.