Our Wedding Story: ‘I just had to investigate that infectious smile’

Roger Holmes and Yesenia Zea Moscosso

From Letterkenny in Co Donegal, Roger, was, he says, “the perennial bachelor.” Until 2014.

While visiting his sisters who live with their families in Co Galway, he was sent out to buy a chicken for dinner. On the way home from the shop, he called in to see his brother-in-law Desi, who runs Camp Street Cafe in Oughterard.

“A short time later, as I stepped outside, a car appeared into the alleyway. I will never forget the sight – in the passenger seat was a beautiful woman with the loveliest, biggest and most infectious smile that I have ever seen . . . I made an impulsive decision to put the chicken in the car, and return to the cafe. I just had to investigate that smile.”

Back inside, the two women from the car were drinking tea.

One was Caroline, an Irish woman who had lived in New York, where she and Yesi – “the owner of the smile” – were in college together.

The two women had spent the previous day travelling along the Wild Atlantic Way and Yesi was flying back to the United States the following day where she works as a paralegal with Solomon Blum and Heymann.

“We didn’t swap any contact details. I brought the chicken home to my sister and we had dinner.”

Facebook friends

But a week later, Roger was back in Camp Street Cafe with Catherine, Desi and their children celebrating his birthday when he saw two friend requests on Facebook: one from Caroline, “who had assumed the role of match-maker”, and one from Yesi.

The pair spent the Christmas holidays chatting online and FaceTiming and by the end of January 2015, Roger was in New York for a week’s visit.

That summer, Roger took a break from his job as a software developer and took off to New York for three months.

During this time he and Yesi visited her family in Arequipa, Peru, and during a trip to Machu Picchu, Roger proposed.

On Yesi’s last visit to the northwest – accompanied by her parents Jaime and Irma and sister Rita – she and Roger were married in Glenswilly Chapel on 28th October 28th, 2016 – where his own parents William and Bridie were married 55 years previously.

Afterwards, at the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny, “everyone discovered that an Irish-Peruvian wedding is a great recipe for a party and we danced to Johnny Gallagher and The Boxtie Band until the wee hours.”

“Letterkenny and Arequipa are almost exactly 10,000km apart,” says Roger, “We only know that after such a random encounter, we are content to let destiny decide what comes next. We’re incredibly happy, so what will be will be.”

Since meeting his wife, Roger has cycled solo across the United States to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society and is currently writing a book about the experience while launching a career as a public speaker.

Photographs: Paul Doherty Photography, pauldoherty.ie