Our Wedding Story: A beautiful birthday proposal by a moonlit lake

Wayne Anthony Gough and David James (DJ) O’Hanlon used the Irish tricolour in their ceremony to reflect the historic year the Irish people voted for full equality


Wayne Anthony Gough and David James (DJ) O’Hanlon

David James (DJ), a financial accountant from Lordship, Co Louth, met Wayne, a station manager for a ground handling company at Dublin Airport, over nine years ago on a night out in Wayne's native Belfast.

On November 29th, 2014, the couple were celebrating DJ's birthday in Harvey's Point, Donegal, when Wayne proposed during an after-dinner stroll around the lake.

“We celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne and sitting at the end of the pier and calling our parents, family and friends to tell them our great news with the beautiful moon reflecting over the lake.”

READ MORE

Their parents are Terence and Patricia Gough and David and Kathleen O'Hanlon.

Wayne and DJ had a civil partnership ceremony on September 25th, 2015, in front of 170 family members and friends at Harvey’s Point Hotel, Lough Eske, Donegal.

Following the passage of the Marriage Equality Act 2015, they married in a more intimate ceremony on November 17th, 2015.

Both ceremonies were conducted by registrar Siobhan Duffy-Browne.

The men's sisters – Karen Morrison and Linda Duffy – were groomsmaids and their nieces and nephews were flower girls, page boys and ushers.

The couple wanted to “mark this historic year and our own journey, and to do so we used the Irish tricolour to reflect the year the Irish people voted for full equality, and the rainbow flag as a symbol of hope and love, whilst reflecting on the difficult journey many of the LGBT community have suffered in this country and still do in many places around the world [where they are] looking for equal rights.”

Conor Duffy and Ryan Duffy carried the two flags into the ceremony as the Dublin Gospel Choir sang Labi Siffre's Something Inside So Strong.

The newlyweds' first dance was to Etta James's At Last, covered by the band Dreamday.

They honeymooned in Florida and the Caribbean.

Photos: Stephen Mac Photography and Paul McGinty/Ghorm Studio Photography