True Love Tuesday...Kelly and Keith... - Getting Married in Northern Ireland Magazine

FAMILY FAIRYTALE

With four beautiful children together, Kelly and Keith couldn’t have wished for more, but then they said their ‘I Dos’ and their lives were truly complete…

Childhood sweethearts Kelly Dunlop and Keith Deehan married in Saint Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry after 15 happy years and four children together. Kelly, 34, remembers the proposal with fondness: “It came about on a normal weekend at the end of May in 2015; we were in the house with our children and they all came into the room and said, ‘Daddy has something to ask you’. Keith produced the ring and asked the big question as all four faces sat behind him staring at me.” Needless to say, Kelly said, ‘yes’ and after a moving ceremony, the couple hosted a reception at The Redcastle Hotel, near Moville in Donegal for 180 guests.

Kelly, a stay at home mum, found her dress in Forever Bridal in Upper Lisburn road Belfast and fell in love with it. She said: “The whole experience was different in real life compared to how had imagined it would be. I am five foot, one inch in height, so some of the wedding dresses made me feel swamped and I panicked thinking I wasn’t going to find a dress. However, once I tried on my dress I just knew it was for me, it suited my frame well and I felt like a ‘bride’ in it.” Kelly was accompanied by chief bridesmaid and sister Leanne Dunlop, three other sisters; Kiera Grant, Nicola Chambers and Terri Dunlop, along with Keith’s sister Mairead Deehan and cousin Elizabeth McDonald.

The groom and his groomsmen were dressed by the Black Tie Showroom in Derry and Kelly can’t praise them enough. “Craig and the staff were very professional and helped us out ensuring Keith got exactly what he wanted. They really went out of their way to help with this,” said Kelly. Four groomsmen stood proudly beside Keith, 33, at the altar – best man and cousin Brian Deehan, with brother Eoin Deehan and cousins John Paul O’Connell and James McGilloway.

“The best part about planning a wedding was getting to involve the kids in it,” said Kelly, mum to Kelce, 13, Aoife, nine, Eimhear, seven and Darcie, 20-months-old. “They helped pick out their own dresses and weren’t shy in putting forward ideas of things to have on the day. The most stressful thing about planning is getting the right numbers, waiting on RSVP’s and then trying to put a table plan together can be stressful.”

The couple kept the look of the reception room classic and simple so as not to take away from the breathtaking view, but when it came to the night do, they pulled out all the stops with an LED dance floor and big, light up initials of their names. Kelly and Keith’s reception was a lively affair with Irish dancers (including their eldest daughter) along with an ice-cream cart and a photo booth. On arrival to the reception, guests were greeted by entertainer Dougie Breslin.

Keith enjoyed every second of his wedding day and said it was hard to pinpoint a highlight but for Kelly, her day was made all the more perfect with their presence of her children. “Saying my vows in front of our children was very special.”

When it comes to planning a wedding, Kelly said: “Do what makes you happy not what other people think you should do. Plan it out in good time don’t let the pressure of it get to you. Enjoy your day because it goes far too quickly.” The couple took their children to Majorca for a sunshine honeymoon after the wedding but are planning another trip away together to mark their first anniversary. In the meantime, the newlyweds and their gorgeous family are enjoying married life in their happy home.