AISLING McENTEE-RYAN and Roberto Pagano-Rizzo were married on July 4th in the Duomo Cathedral in the seaside town of Cefalù, Sicily, where the groom’s parents were married. The wedding was conducted by Fr Marmino, with readings in both Italian and English.
Aisling grew up in Trim, Co Meath, and is the daughter of Deirdre McEntee and Joseph Ryan. She has two brothers, Joseph and Lawrence. A trained milliner, she specialises in fibre art and is currently teaching in Palermo. She designed and made the headpieces for her bridesmaids and flower girls, as well as herself.
Roberto comes from Palermo, and studied economics and statistics at the University of Palermo. He worked in Unipol insurance in Milan for three years, before meeting Aisling. The couple met in Rome in the summer of 2004, when Aisling was travelling. It was Aisling’s first night in Rome, and they spent several hours by the Trevi fountain. She returned to Ireland, and for 18 months they had a long-distance relationship. Eventually, in 2006, Aisling moved to Sicily, where they have been living together for three and a half years. The couple got engaged in Marsala, Sicily, at Christmas 2007.
Friends and family from Ireland and elsewhere attended the wedding and enjoyed the Mediterranean climate and all the festivities leading up to the wedding day.
After the ceremony in the 15th-century cathedral, the couple surprised their guests by arriving at the Hotel Le Calette by boat. A buffet-style feast later ensured that everyone met one another in between courses throughout the reception. There was a Sicilian jazz band, complete with costumes, which finished up with swing dancing.
The couple went to Mexico and spent a month backpacking, before returning home to Palermo.