Our Wedding Story: Chris proposed while body-boarding in Perth

For Siobhan Mackie and Chris Murphy, the Child of Prague brought the glorious weather


Siobhan (33) was out with fellow midwives from the Rotunda Hospital in McGowans of Phibsboro in 2009 when she met property manager Chris (29) from Tullow, Co Carlow. “That was the start of the best relationship I’ve ever been in,” said Siobhan from Glasgow.

As it happened, Siobhan’s friend and bridesmaid Michelle hit it off with Chris’s friend Gary on the same night and they too are now married.

After three and a half years together, Chris proposed to Siobhan while body-boarding at Scarbourgh Beach in Perth, Australia where they were living.

They spent two days driving around Scotland looking at venues but eventually settled on Ireland and were married at Ardattin Church in Tullow, Co Carlow on May 23rd, 2015.

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Stella Bass was their church singer and The Good Guys played at the reception at Ballykealey Manor Hotel.

“We were blessed with glorious weather thanks to the child of Prague being left out out in Dublin, Carlow and even Lourdes, ” said the groom, who surprised his new wife with an ice cream van outside the church after the ceremony.

Siobhan’s mother Kathleen passed away unexpectedly nine months before the wedding and as she had planned to wear a lilac outfit at the wedding, the bride incorporated lilac roses into her bouquet.

She also attached her mum’s locket to her bouquet which had a picture of them both inside it. On the altar there was a candle and poem set up in Kathleen’s memory.

Siobhan’s friends Francis Hodge from Scotland and Michelle O’Sullivan from Dublin were bridesmaids, best man was Chris’s brother Padraig Murphy and college friend Danny McLean was groomsman. The bride’s brother Mark and cousin Kyle were ushers and the groom’s sisters Jennifer and Louise did readings during the ceremony.

The following day Chris’s parents, Catherine and Chris, hosted a barbecue at their home.

Advice from the bride? “You can get carried away with adding lots of personal touches and quirky things but this can be quite stressful so I’d advise only to choose a few things to do and stick to them. You can’t do everything.”

Siobhan and Chris live in Larbert, Scotland, and after travelling the east coast of Australia and Thailand before Christmas they mini-mooned in Tenerife for a week.

Photographs: Couple Photography, couple.ie

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