Our Wedding Story: ‘Initially cringey’ blind date leads to love

Kerri Duffy and Ben Gilmore

From Monaghan and Cavan, Kerri and Ben met seven years ago on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend.

After “overcoming the cringiness of the situation pretty quickly”, they have been together ever since and on September 11th, 2016, married in a church ceremony in Frigiliana, a small village close to Nerja in Spain.

“Ben’s family have been going to Nerja since the 60s,” says Kerri.

“We go there almost every year and knew what church we wanted to get married in if we ever were to get married . . . long before we even got engaged!”

After the ceremony, 130 guests celebrated with Champagne in the village square before heading on to the reception at Casa de los Bates in Motril where dinner, speeches and dancing took place outdoors.

“For both of us, the highlight was walking out on to the balcony to wave out at all our guests sitting down for dinner in the ‘secret garden’.

The sun was starting to set, the intense heat had died down and Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay was playing. We were just so relaxed and happy at that point of the day . . . it was perfect."

The following evening, most of the guests joined the newlyweds for dinner on the beach organised by Ben’s parents, Ken and Katie. Kerri’s parents are Donal and Anne.

Kerri and Ben live in Kingscourt, Co Cavan, and are excited about renovating Ben’s old family home which they bought together last year.

Photograph: Sandra Gallardo