JOKE!!!The wedding of two big stars (Bryan and Kerry) means a ton of media attention...and the need for lots of security. The tiny Irish village of Rathfeigh in Co Meath was be beseiged by 250 guests, some 200 fans and all the media that hoped to get a glance of the star couple of the new year. The church was chosen after Bryan and Kerry found the remote parish church on a family outing and fell in love with its romantic location.
JOKE!!!
FACTS
The couple are believed to have signed an exclusive £300,000 photo deal with
Hello! magazine. But scores of photographers and a handful of young female fans
still shivered on the sidelines as guests arrived in cars with darkened windows.
McFadden and Katona entered the grounds in a convoy of three black Mercedes and
a four-wheel drive vehicle escorted by two police motorcyclists.
Specially-designed security screens shielded the couple as they walked into the
church. The 250 guests had been warned not to bring cameras and many were
searched as they entered the 150-year-old stone church.
OK Magazine - January 2004
Katona, who wore a £20,000 dress, was more than an hour late for the
ceremony.
The couple's four-month-old daughter, Molly, joined the congregation.
Atomic
Kitten's Natasha Hamilton was a bridesmaid.
Dane Bowers sang his hit From the
Heart during the ceremony. But contrary to rumours McFadden's Westlife bandmates
- Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Kian Egan did not perform.
Wedding
co-ordinator Joanne Byrne said: The guys are out to enjoy themselves.
The
wedding comes almost 18 months since the couple, both aged 21, first began
dating.
They live in McFadden's native Dublin.
The local police admitted
it was ultimately a B-list event despite the sizeable tabloid media presence
which had billed the event 'the celebrity wedding of the year'.
Guests:
Irish singer Ronan Keating, his
wife, Yvonne, and pop group S Club 7.
Singer, Brian Kennedy: "It was a fantastic service. It was very romantic and very
uplifting for everyone in the church. There was a lot of love in there.”
Party Coordinator, Joanne Byrne: “It is a big Irish family wedding. They are out to have a good time and
it is going to be a very late night.”
Superintendent, Eamon
Courtney: "No disrespect to the couple, but they wouldn't be the biggest
draw for crowds". (he further commented that the event had gone smoothly,
remarking that Westlife's fans weren't the type to start rioting.)
McFadden's school chaplain: Father JJ
Mullen, performed the Catholic ceremony He said: "They make a lovely couple,
everything went very well."
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CHURCH
As part of the security
operation, the single road leading to the 150 year old church (Church of the
Immaculate Conception) where the marriage took place was sealed off and police
cars and vans prowled the wet country lanes. The weather wasn't all that
pleasant as it was cool with a thick fog/mist.
RECEPTION
The
100,000 euro reception was held at the popular rock venue Slane Castle, a few
miles from the church. Guests indulged in a sumptuous buffet that was followed
by dancing until the early hours of the morning. A
kir royale reception kicked off the party, and it came to choosing what their
guests would eat, Kerry and Bryan were adamant: “I didn’t want anyone to have to
ask a waiter what anything was!” said Kerry, who remains remarkably unspoiled
after her astonishing change in lifestyle from an upbringing in a Warrington
council flat to fame with girl group Atomic Kitten and now, after leaving the
band, a TV presenter and wife of Westlife heartthrob Bryan.
Slane Castle was decked out in £6,500 worth of white lilies. Slane Castle is often used as a venue for concerts and has played host to U2, Robbie Williams and Bob Dylan. However, yesterday Westlife declined to play, preferring to enjoy a few drinks, according to a spokesperson. The castle itself was transformed into a winter wonderland by Irish society florist James Bailie. As a barbershop quartet sang a cappella in the background, the newlyweds – unable to stop smiling – greeted their guests in front of a giant Christmas tree. Paul Harrington, a former Irish Eurovision winner, provided the entertainment at the £100,000 reception where guests enjoyed a buffet lunch. Outside a magician amused the invited crowd while they queued for security checks.
The couple hired a team of security guards to patrol the grounds of Slane Castle to keep onlookers and the paparazzi, away from their reception. It is the first major function to be held at the castle - overlooking the River Boyne, nine miles from the church - since its east side was destroyed by fire in 1991.
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