Couple who met while studying at CIT tie the knot 

Alan Buckley, from Ballincollig, and Carole Kelly, from Letterkenny in Donegal, first met while studying at the then Cork Institute of Technology.

At the time, Alan was pursuing a course in biomedical engineering while Carole was studying sustainable energy engineering.

The couple clicked after being set up on a double date by two of their friends that were dating. “From then on, Alan tried to prove to me that Cork is as good as Donegal so every date tried to outdo the last one,” said Carole.

Alan and Carole were married at the Church of the Assumption in Collooney. 

The couple moved to Basel in Switzerland four years ago, with Alan proposing at Oeschinensee, a glacier lake in the Swiss mountains, in 2023.

“I thought we were going on another summer hike with our friends, Luke and Sara, but there was a big plan in place,” said Carole.

The couple returned to Ireland earlier this month where they were married at the Church of the Assumption in Collooney in Sligo by Father Martin.

The bride’s gown was sourced in a boutique in Barcelona. “My something blue was a sapphire on the arch of my heels, something new were my earrings, something borrowed was my aunt’s tennis bracelet, and something old was my gran’s old kilt pin to hold up my train,” said Carole.

Alan wore a black tux with a velvet tuxedo jacket and his late grandfather’s cufflinks. He also wore a thistle to remember his late Nan who was from Scotland.

The couple were joined on the day by their parents Margaret Kelly, and Cormac and Debbie Buckley, as well as Carole’s grandmother Mary, who is 94 years old.

Cormac and Debbie Buckley, the bride and groom, Margaret Kelly. 

Friends and family from Cork and Donegal as well as London, Edinburgh, Denmark, Switzerland, Dubai, and Australia, traveled to Sligo for the occasion.

Alan and Carole’s best friends Jenna and Steve were the maid of honour and the best man. Bridesmaids and groomsmen were Laura and Gavin, Lauren and Martin, Luke and Sara, and Isla and Shane. The flower girls were Aoife and Lia, and the page boy was Tadhg.

After the ceremony, the couple held a reception for their guests at Markree Castle.

“With our friends and families mixed from Cork and Donegal, we tried to make this a memorable wedding because there probably wouldn’t be a time when everyone was all together again,” the couple said.

Alan and Carole with their bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls Aoife and Lia and page boy Tadhg. 

A highlight of the day for the couple were the speeches by their parents and bridal party which “surpassed anything we expected”.

Music at the reception was by the Late Night Radio Band while the couple’s first dance was to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Planning a wedding in Ireland from Switzerland is no easy feat and two months before the wedding, the couple engaged the services of Olivia O’Donnell from Ireland West Weddings to assist with the planning. “She was our hands and ears on the ground and crossed every ‘t’ and dotted every ‘i’ that she could,” the couple said.

Alan and Carole Buckley outside Markree Castle in Sligo. The couple first met while at college in Cork. Pictures: Gemma Dunne

Park Lane Cakes Sligo made “the most amazing gluten-free cake and cupcakes we have ever tasted”.

Photos were by Gemma Dunne @yourwildthing, the videographers were Tom and Abby Halpin @whitepheonixweddingfilms, and the content creator was Kellie @evergreen_by_kellie. “They were the dream team to capture our whole wedding. They were so calm and positive I couldn’t recommend them enough,” the couple said.

The wedding celebrations continued into the following day with guests enjoying a host of games and activities in the castle..

“After dinner, we had magnificent trad music, and the DJ took the dance floor again,” the couple said.