ELLEN HEGARTY AND Keith McGrory were married at the Church of Santo Christo de la Encarnacion in the old town of Marbella on May 30th, by Fr Frank Lloyd. Two of the bride’s cousins, Eoghan Ó Riain and Meabh Ní Riain, sang in the church.
Ellen and Keith met each other in his home town of Buncrana, Co Donegal, where Ellen’s parents are both from, and where the Hegartys spent a lot of time as a family. Ellen’s father, Sean Hegarty, is a consultant surgeon in Waterford Regional Hospital and her mother, Marie Hegarty, is a solicitor and principal in the firm of Hegarty Co. Ellen, who attended the Ursuline Convent in Waterford before studying law at UCD, is a qualified solicitor and works in her mother’s firm.
Keith is the son of Margo and Martin McGrory. He is one of six boys and, like his father, works in the construction industry. He proposed after Christmas last year, and they decided to get married in Spain. Donal Hegarty and Ronan McGrory acted as his groomsmen and his young niece, Zara McGrory, as their flower girl. The bride was attended by her sister Kate and good friend Caroline Kelly.
Ellen says: “We were very worried people would not travel to Spain in light of the recession, but we were delighted that we got such a good response and in the end 198 people travelled from Ireland.”
The reception was held at an old Spanish estate called Finca la Concepcione. Flamenco dancers entertained the guests and the couple surprised everyone with a medley of songs for their first dance.
The cake was made, assembled and decorated in Spain by Marie’s friend and colleague, Orla Traynor. Marie celebrated her birthday the day after the wedding with all the guests in Guadalmina Golf Club.
The couple went to Cau Lac, Thailand, for their honeymoon. They plan to live in Waterford and are currently house hunting.