KELLY BAIRD AND Ian Felton, both from Dublin, made their way to the Tuscan hills to celebrate their marriage on July 17th, with 50 guests in tow.
Kelly, only child of Jayne Baird and the late Patrick Doherty, attended the High School in Rathgar before taking a degree in commerce at University College Dublin. She now works in insurance.
Ian is the son of the late Una and Billy Felton, and grew up in Blackrock, Co Dublin. He is the youngest of 12 children and went to Newpark Comprehensive before studying at Cabinteely Business School. He has worked in financial services for the past 14 years.
A year after they met, in 2006, they decided to travel together for a year. On the third day of their world tour, in Bangkok, Ian proposed. While visiting the Hunter Valley in Australia, they decided a vineyard would be an ideal location for their wedding, and ultimately chose Tuscany for its accessibility. Over the course of a three-day celebration, their 50 guests, who travelled from Ireland and abroad, were invited to a wine-tasting in the Castello di Palagio in Mercatale Val de Pesa, the heart of Chianti wine country, and given a tour of its ancient wine cellars.
The ceremony took place the following day, in the town hall of Greve in Chianti. The groom and his best man, Graham Breen, arrived in the main piazza on a pair of Vespa mopeds, to the cheers of the guests, who were waiting in a nearby cafe. The bride was escorted by her uncle Bob, and bridesmaids Kate Gill and Amy Hamilton. The mayor of the town, Marco Hagge, officiated resplendent in a tricolour sash. Readings were given by Valerie Neary, Clive Douglas, Phil de Barra, and Hazel Murtagh.
After the ceremony, guests made their way to the 13th-century castle, where they were served prosecco and choux pastry stuffed with white truffles, a local delicacy. The bride and groom arrived in a white classic Fiat 500.
Una sposa bagnata è una sposa fortunata, they say in Italy, meaning that it's lucky if there is rain on a wedding day. The weather had been very hot all week, but, after the wedding cake, the guests took to the courtyard and danced to a crowd-pleasing band until 2am, when the heavens opened for a dramatic electric storm. The rain was so refreshing that everyone continued dancing, in high spirits.
On the third day there was a barbecue in the evening. Kelly and Ian then travelled to the south of France by train. Basing themselves in Nice, they drove around the Côte d’Azur, Cannes, Monaco, St Tropez and Provence, before ending their nuptial celebrations in Paris.
They live in Dublin.
Photographs: TARA AHERNE