ANNA CUNNINGHAM and Aidan Hughes were married in Santa Margherita Di Antiochia Vernazza, an Italian village in Cinque Terre, the region noted for the dry stone terraces that enclose its vineyards. The celebrant was Fr Mario German.
The bride, who grew up in Belfast, is the daughter of Bernadette and Paul Cunningham. She moved to Dublin in 2003 to study drama and theatre studies at Trinity College Dublin, and is now back in Belfast, teaching in preparation for doing a post-graduate certificate in education in Birmingham. She hopes to become a drama teacher. Aidan is also from Belfast, plays football for the local Santos team, and works in retail – at Next, in Royal Avenue. He has two brothers, two sisters, four nieces, three nephews and another two on the way. The couple met at the Botanic Inn in Belfast at Easter in 2008 and became engaged a few months later during a holiday in Turkey. They had often spoken of a “romantic, intimate wedding abroad in the sunshine” and chose Cinque Terre after Anna’s parents had spent a perfect holiday there. Anna’s parents, brother and childhood friend and bridesmaid, Sarah-Jane, travelled out with them, as did the groom’s father and brother, Glenn. After the ceremony, they shared a wedding feast at Al Castello, a restaurant high up on the cliffs of Venazzo.
They spent their honeymoon at Lake Como.