Our Wedding Story: We said I do after a 16-year engagement

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Paul Owens’ and Jennifer Booth’s first date on November 29th, 1998 was a blind one arranged by her sister. He picked her up at home in Blanchardstown and they went to the Harp Bar at O’Connell Bridge.

A year later, when they were both 19, Paul sold his motorbike and they went to Paris on their first holiday as a couple. Before leaving, Paul asked his girlfriend what she’d say if he asked her to marry him. “No”, she answered. He asked the same question at the top of the Eiffel Tower. “I’d have said yes, but there was no ring in sight”, laughed Jennifer. A week later they were on a date in Flanagan’s in O’Connell Street. “Paul looked ropey and I thought I was getting dumped,” recalled Jennifer, “but he had a ring, got down on one knee and popped the question.”

That was April 13th, 1999, and she said yes. Sixteen years later to the day, they were married in the Dublin registry office.

On April 17th, 2015, they had a humanist ceremony at Woodenbridge Hotel in Wicklow with the ancient Celtic tradition of hand-fasting.

“Neither of us are religious and didn’t like the idea of the big church do with the priest taking centre-stage,” explained Jennifer, “We looked up different types of ceremonies and Lorraine in Marry Me Ireland made us feel so at ease straightaway . . . we could include as much or as little religion and spirituality as we liked.”

“We were married in the oldest hotel in Ireland so we chose to have the Celtic tradition carry through in a hand-fasting, which none of our guests had ever seen before and agreed it was something special. Neil of Marry Me Ireland was our celebrant on the day and was magnificent”.

The couple’s three children had important roles on the day. Daughter Lauryn (14) was a bridesmaid along with two of the bride’s four sisters, Jamie and Laura. Nathyn (11) was a groomsman with Jennifer’s brother Christopher and Paul’s brother Martin, while youngest son Ashtyn (6) was the ring-bearer.

Family friends Carol and Liam Foster took photographs and decorated the room while Jennifer’s sisters Mandy and Jacky helped with the cake and the handmade favours, gold embellished champagne flutes. Flowers on the day were by Roses in Arklow.

The happy family of five live in Whitehall Dublin 9.

Photographs: Carol and Liam Foster

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