Our Wedding Story: The groom used to be a priest

[ irishtimes.com/weddings ]

Colm Hogan from Tipperary and Mary Pierce from Dublin were married on April 24th in the University Church on St Stephen’s Green, with a reception afterwards for 120 guests at Fallon & Byrne restaurant.

The ceremony was conducted by the groom’s long-time friend Fr David Cribben who, say the couple, “stole the show, delivering a warm and witty service”. He even made the couple a pre-wedding breakfast at their home.

They met 29 years ago when they were both working for An Post.

Colm was a priest for a number of years and moved to Ecuador where he established a parish and school in a shanty town called Monte Sinai. Mary was a development worker with VSO on the island of Pemba in Zanzibar, where she opened a public library.

They remained friends and when Colm returned to Dublin to do an MA three years ago, he lived near Mary in Kilmainham. “Sparks flew after a few months and we went on holiday to India. I stole Colm’s thunder at Bhagsunag waterfall in Dharamshala and asked him to marry me. He returned the compliment, in Hindi, at the Taj Mahal a few days later.”

On the wedding day, Mary, her father Johnny Pierce, her sister Ann and husband Pat Kelly visited her mother Nancy at Harold’s Cross hospice with Colm and Fr Cribben, and had a small ceremony in the bloom garden so that Nancy would be part of their day.

Friends of the couple, Kevin and Mag Moloney, Ro Charlton from Lucan, British Labour Party MP Mike Kane, Mary’s brother Eoin and nephew Sean played guitar, accordion, violin, flute and ukulele during the ceremony. Mike surprised them by playing bagpipes as they walked through Stephen’s Green and down Grafton Street.

"The best surprise for me," said Mary, "was when Colm went up to the altar and sang The Rose with Mag and Kevin."

The bride’s cousins Eileen and Carmel Roberts arranged the flowers using tulips from Mary’s allotment and from the gardens of their friends. Colm’s nephew Seán made the cord used in the hand-fastening ceremony combining Tipperary and Dublin colours. Colm’s sisters-in-law made the cake and guests received lavender sachets made by Mary. Friends Sally Boyle and Rick Englemann from Phoenix, Arizona, made and designed the invitations.

Mary works for the DAA at Dublin Airport and Colm works for Trócaire. They spent their honeymoon in Kerry, Cork and Glendalough.

We’d love to hear your wedding story. If you’d like to share it with our readers email weddings@irishtimes.com with a photograph and a little information about your big day