XIANG LI AND Gary Coleman were married at two ceremonies last August, first in Ireland and then in China. They were married in the Registrar’s Office in Lower Grand Canal Street, Dublin, by Ms Anne Bradley, and then invited their very international group of guests to a reception in Clontarf Castle. In China, they wore both traditional and modern dress as part of their wedding celebrations in the northern city of Harbin.
Xiang Li, or Lisa, is the daughter of Mrs Shu Qing Liu and Mr Zhao Pan Li. She grew up in Harbin, where she studied law and international trade. She came to Dublin in 2000 to study accounting and is now a chartered accountant working for the Bank of Ireland group.
Gary is the son of Mrs Bridget Coleman and Mr Michael Coleman. He has two sisters, Michelle and Brigid, and grew up in Clonsilla. He attended St Declan’s Christian Brothers School before completing a BSc in engineering and mathematics at Trinity College. He is a civil engineer and works for Knockmanagh Consulting Ltd. He is also studying to qualify as a chartered accountant.
The couple met at a friend’s wedding more than two years ago. “I was the best man and Lisa was a friend of the bride, Alice Hui Yu Faherty,” Gary explains. “My family were at the wedding as well and Lisa was sitting at their table. Luckily she thought my best man’s speech was very good and we got talking soon after the meal finished. The groom on that day was subsequently my own best man last August.”
They spent their honeymoon travelling around China, and returned to Clonsilla, where they live near Gary’s family.
