JOANNE HAMPSON AND Brett Dunn were married in a civil ceremony in Solis Lough Eske Castle, Co Donegal, at the end of January. Registrar Siobhan Brown conducted the service, which was the first of its kind to be held at the castle. Some 115 family members and friends joined their celebrations at a reception afterwards.
From Buncrana Road in Derry, Joanne is the second-youngest of Philomena and William Hampson’s five children. She has three older brothers, and her younger sister, Kathryn, was maid of honour. After graduating from Thornhill College, Joanne moved to London to study sports therapy at North London University. Now living in Australia, she works as a club development officer for the city of Rockingham.
Brett is from the city of Mandurah, south of Perth in western Australia. He is the eldest of Cheryl and Bill Dunn’s three children, and his younger brother, Drew, was his best man. He studied environmental science in Murdoch University in Perth and then went travelling around the world. He arrived in London four and a half years ago, planning to stay a few months. However, on his third day he met Joanne at a friend’s birthday party, and ended up staying two years. Two years ago, the couple moved back to Mandurah, where Brett works for the department of water.
The reception in Solis Lough Eske Castle was followed by impromptu Irish dancing led by the bride. “I just kicked off my shoes and everyone followed,” she says. Twenty guests travelled from Australia for the wedding and a further 15 travelled from London.
The couple spent a week honeymooning in Langkawi, Malaysia, before returning to Mandurah, where they are soon moving to a house near the beach.