August 4, 2016 – Beaufield Mews Restaurant, Stillorgan
Gillian Fagan, from Sandyford, met Dun Laoghaire native Dawn Austin on St. Patrick’s Day 1994 in the famous George Pub in our nation’s capital. The luck of the Irish was on their sides that day as they celebrated our national holiday. Despite getting along great that day they failed to swap numbers but fate was on their side. Gillian’s sister ran into Dawn a few weeks later and decided to play cupid. She subsequently had Gillian call Dawn and the rest is history. The newlyweds now live together in Dun Laoghaire along with their cat, Tabby. Marriage was always a topic they openly discussed and hoped someday they would be able to do. “It felt as natural for us to want to get married as it did for any couple, so when the country voted in favour of same-sex marriage, that’s all we needed, we were definitely going to get married,” recalls Gillian.
The couple set the date for August 4, 2016 and started planning the wedding they had so patiently waited for. The official marriage was at 9.30am that morning with Gillian’s sister Audrey and Dawn’s friend Nora as witnesses. Later that afternoon, as the sun shone in the sky, they shared their vows again in front of family and friends in the gorgeous gardens of the Beaufield Mews Restaurant in Stillorgan. Dawn’s brother, Frank and nephew, Mark sang and played the guitar for the ceremony. Frank sang ‘Welcome to my World’ as the pair walked up the aisle together. At the end of the service, Mark sang ‘I’ve Been to the Desert on a Horse with no Name’. The room erupted with cheers and newlyweds Dawn and Gillian danced down the aisle in celebration.
The girls had photos of them, their family and friends down through the years projected onto a wall at the wedding venue. “It was fantastic to see all the photographs, reminders of places we have visited and friends and family, everybody thought it was great,” recalls Gillian. The celebrant for the ceremony was Simone Walsh. Gillian’s sister Audrey was their best woman. “She made a speech, talked about us both and said some lovely things.” Their good friends Steward and Gwen made their amazing wedding cake. The day was photographed by Livia of Livia Figueiredo Photography. Gillian wore an outfit from Wallace and Dawn got her outfit from Caroline Matthew’s collection in Arnott’s.
