Life & Style

Our Wedding Story: bride and groom played harp and bodhrán

Irish music and Italian culture came together at Catriona Cannon and Stefano Odorico’s wedding

Sarah Geraghty's face
Sarah Geraghty
Sat May 30 2015 - 05:00

[ irishtimes.com/weddings ]

Catriona Cannon from Galway and Stefano Odorico from Lignano Sabbiadoro in Italy met at UCC in 2009 where she was taking an MA in Italian and he a PhD in Film Studies.

On April 11th, Catriona and Stefano were married in St Patrick’s Church in Dromahair by Fr Brendan Comerford (a former teacher of Catriona’s and family friend) with a reception afterwards in nearby Markree Castle.

143 guests – from Ireland, Italy, Australia, Vietnam, the US, France and Germany – played essential roles on the day.

Friends JP Hartnett and Catherine Tomkins designed the invitations, wine labels (the wine was shipped from Stefano’s region of Italy) and mass booklets.

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Catriona’s brother Paul and his girlfriend Holly made signs representing things important to the couple, such as their campervan, Wilhemina, which they reluctantly sold when they moved to Germany in 2012. Friend Veronica’s mother, Florence Dick, made the bouquets and button-holes; bridesmaid Liz’s mother Teresa Concannon baked cupcakes and Stefano’s mother made the wedding favours..

Catriona’s friend Patricia Murray, a hairdresser, flew from Innsbruck. Her sister-in-law Breda sang and played music during the ceremony with her husband, the bride’s brother Cormac, cousins Maeve and Orna Gilchrist, uncle Paul Cannon, Martin Hughes and family friend Sean Ryan.

A highlight of the bride's day - "apart from marrying Stefano, of course" - was playing a 17th century harping tune, The Jointure, with her mother Kathleen Loughnane during the ceremony. She also loved seeing Stefano playing the bodhrán with her whole family at the end of the ceremony.

The newlyweds live in London where Catriona is an archivist in the Royal Opera House. Stefano lectures in film and media for the University of Bremen.

Photographs: Conor Doherty, http://www.conordoherty.com/

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

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