Our Wedding Story: It all started with a blind date

Backpacking in Brisbane, a blind date and a New York Halloween party all made bells ring FOR Kevin Comerford and Ruth Byrne

Kevin Comerford and Ruth Byrne Kevin (29) who works for Northern Trust and primary school teacher Ruth (29) were set up on a blind date by friends at a Leinster rugby match in 2008. That summer the Co Kildare natives travelled to the US together on a J1 visa.

They got engaged in Nice, France, last year.

On June 27th, 2015, they were married in Lady Chapel Church, Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Ruth, wearing a dress from Ciara Rose Bridal, was walked up the aisle by her Uncle Fran and mother Maureen. Her father Brendan Byrne passed away 11 years ago.

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Friends of the couple provided music during the ceremony, including Pamela Geraghty of the Girsa Traditional Irish Music group from New York; Elaine Clarke of Beartla Ó Flatharta Céilí Band and Andrew Creevy who sang Eve the Apple of Eye by BellX1 and You Belong to Me by Jason Wade.

The newlyweds left the church to Marry You by Bruno Mars and were driven to Barberstown Castle in Straffan by the groom's Uncle Ben.

Kevin's parents are Larry and Yvonne Comerford and his grandparents, Paddy and Maura Taylor, are credited as "chief timekeepers" in the lead-up to the wedding day.

His aunt Linda painted the Up house for each guest to fingerprint a balloon.

Hey Day Florists supplied the flowers and The Bentley Boys were after-dinner entertainment.

Ruth's mother closed her speech with a quote from the Seamus Heaney poem, Lapse of Time: "A love that's proved by steady gazing/Not at each other but in the same direction".

Photographer: Susan Jefferies Photography, sjphotography.ie