RACHEL O’REILLY AND EDWARD MCKENNA were married in a Humanist ceremony directed by Brian Whiteside at Coolbawn Quay Marina on the shores of Lough Derg in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, after a civil ceremony at Nenagh Registry Office. They were joined by 150 friends and family for a weekend of celebrations.
Rachel grew up in Greystones, Co Wicklow and is the daughter of Charles and Eithne O’Reilly. She has two brothers, Justin and Gavin. She attended St David’s Secondary School in Bray, Co Wicklow, and went on to qualify at the Montessori Education Centre in North Great Georges Street in Dublin. Edward is the son of Walter and Monica McKenna of Bray, and has two sisters and three brothers. He attended Presentation College Bray and Blackrock College before joining the family business, McKenna Holdings, as a property manager.
The couple met nine years ago on a night out, when they were introduced by mutual friends. They have two children: Molly, who is eight, and Robin, aged three. “Most of our friends have children and it was great to have them at the wedding. They danced the night away and had to be peeled off the dance floor,” says Rachel.
Friends travelled from as far away as Hong Kong for the wedding. “Coolbawn was a great place for everyone to have a break, and the spa is fantastic. Jean Oldham, a friend of Rachel’s since the age of 12, acted as bridesmaid, along with Lauren McKenna, Edward’s 16-year-old daughter from his first marriage. “Jean sang that song for us: ‘You’ve got to give a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little, that’s the story of, that’s the glory of love . . .”. Sean Slattery and the Connections, a band from Galway, provided the music. The couple went to London and Paris by themselves for a holiday afterwards. They live in Bray.