Our Wedding Story: A meeting in Coppers, a wedding in the Algarve

Primary school teacher Laura (28), from Clontarf and deputy principal Ian (32), from Blanchardstown, first met in Ian's classroom in Rutland Street National School when Laura was on work placement while completing a degree in Education.

“We bumped into each other on a night out in Coppers . . . and our second date was a day trip to Nottingham to see Ian’s favourite football team play. I think he knew I was a keeper after that,” laughed Laura.

Ian proposed on a beach in Goa, India, after the couple had spent six weeks travelling around the country.

On July 19th, the bride, in a dress from Bijou Bridal in Tramore, Co Waterford, walked down the aisle at the Grande Real Santa Eulalia Hotel in the Algarve, Portugal (to a string quartet's rendition of Falling Slowly) and married Ian in a ceremony overlooking the sea.

Ian's friend Patrick sang during the ceremony and performed O Sole Mio, while the 92 guests were cooling down with ice-cream afterwards.

Laura, whose parents are Miriam Gygax and Rory O'Callaghan, saw her brothers Peter and Stephen O'Callaghan for the first time in four years when they flew in from Australia. Their twin sisters were two of the four bridesmaids.

Helen Gygax was the only grandparent at the wedding and a favourite song of hers, Frank Sinatra's The Way You Look Tonight, was the one the newlyweds chose for their first dance.

Local band Twin Flames kept the crowd dancing until 6am.

Laura and Ian, son of John and Brenda Cherry, stayed in Portugal for a week following the wedding, travelling to Lagos for a few days and then they spent two weeks in Croatia before settling back at home in Blanchardstown.

Photographs: Nickie Davis, Blush Photography Algarve, blushphotographyalgarve.com