On Saturday 17 August we headed to West Cork for Eileen and Declan's wedding. We arrived in beautiful Durrus in great time from Cork and headed to The Gateway before the ceremony for a coffee. We headed back to the Church and set up, and here's the music we played for the ceremony:
Entrance: Canon in D
Lighting of Separate Candles: Inis Oirr
Lighting of Marriage Candle: Falling Slowly
Offertory: All You Need Is Love
Sign of Peace: Married Life from Up
Communion:    Make You Feel My Love
                      Your Song
Signing of the Register:  Rule The World
                                  Don't Stop Believing
Recessional: Hoppipolla
They had the cutest Mass Booklet with a photo of them taken at their debs! Their little girl also acted as flower girl for the day, and wandered up and down between the front pew with the bridesmaid, and the very front, handing her mum and dad mass booklets and just being generally adorable! Their priest was really good at involving the congregation in the Mass and striking a perfect balance between respect for the sacrament of marriage and having a modern understanding about life, love and marriage today, mixed in with plenty of jokes of course! It really was a lovely ceremony.

After the ceremony we headed to the Maritime Hotel in Bantry for the drinks reception. We played a mix of classical and popular (mostly popular!) and it definitely added to the atmosphere! We got a chance to talk to the couple after we finished playing and they waited to enter the reception, two really down to earth people (but sure we knew that already from the ceremony)! All the best to the three of you on your new chapter!

On Friday 16 August we headed to Ballinadee outside Kinsale for Deirdre and Finbar's wedding ceremony. Deirdre heard us at an open rehearsal we held in March this year, and booked us after that (hearing is believing, remember?). As one of us lives in Kinsale, we met up with her in person to discuss the ceremony music, and here is how it went on the day:

Entrance: All I want is you
Separate Candles: Shining Light
Psalm: On Eagles Wings
Marriage Candle: Shining Light
Offertory: Ag Criost an Siol
Sign of Peace: Hallelujiah
Communion:     Dawning of the Day
                      You Fill Up My Senses
Signing of Register:     The Voyage (with Deirdre's cousin Diarmuid singing)
                              I'll Love You Til The End (with Deirdre's friend Claire playing guitar and singing)
Recessional: One Day Like This

It was a lovely mix of Irish and popular tunes, as Deirdre's not a fan of classical music haha! Afterwards they headed to a relative's pub for a round of drinks and then Blackwater Castle for the party. It was particularly nice having met twice to finally get around to playing for the big day, so at long last: Congratulations Deirdre and Finbar!

On Saturday 10 August we returned to Ballycotton to play for film-fanatic Aoife and Rowan's wedding. We had met with Aoife, Rowan and Rowan's mother in June in Limerick to go through the music for the ceremony, and spent a lovely sunny evening in the back garden with cordial and YouTube! They packed all the music they could into the ceremony which we were delighted with, and here's what they chose:

Bridesmaids Entrance: Gabriel's Oboe
Aoife's Entrance: Pachelbel's Canon
Lighting of the Separate Candles: She Moved Through The Fair
Between Readings: Mo Ghrá Thú (Instrumental)
Lighting of the Marriage Candle: Kissing You
Offertory: Sweet Heart of Jesus
Sign of Peace: Ag Críost an Síol
Communion:     Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Israel Kamakawawo'ole version)
                        I Say A Little Prayer
                        Flower Duet
Communion Reflection:     Air on a G String (in the background to Seamus Heaney's "Scaffolding")
Song after Communion:     To Make You Feel My Love (with Aoife's friend Muireann as vocalist)
Signing of the Register:     Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
                                     Don't Stop Believing
Recessional: Indiana Jones theme tune

They also chose to have the theme music from "The Great Escape" as a little pre-ceremony musical joke which went down really well with the guests, it was such a funny moment! To add to their movie theme, before walking down the aisle they also shared a "Hollywood Kiss"!!

The church looked amazing with flowers by Wonderous Weddings. The newlyweds and their guests spent the evening then in Castlemartyr Resort, partying the night away to Final Touch band.  They had amazing weather on the day so we hope they had a fabulous day and night, congratulations!