MELANIE WRIGHT and Enda Dolan were married in a civil ceremony at BrookLodge Hotel in Macreddin, Co Wicklow on November 27th. They chose the venue after visiting a farmers’ market there a few years ago.
The bride grew up in Wheathampstead, a small village in Hertfordshire, and is the daughter of Les and Theadora Wright. She has one younger brother, David. She went to school in St Alban’s and graduated with a BA in theatre from St Mary’s University in Twickenham before moving to Dublin for a year with her college friend and subsequent bridesmaid, Fiona McVeigh. What was to be a one-year stay turned into a much longer one as she found work in event management, including involvement in the Special Olympics World Games in 2003 and the Irish Film and Television Awards. She now works as marketing and audience development manager at the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar.
Enda grew up in Glasnevin, Dublin, the eldest of four children, with two brothers, Niall and Eoin, and one sister, Anne Marie. His mother, Linda, is originally from Mayo, and his father, Gerry, is from Cavan. He attended St Kevin’s in Glasnevin and studied engineering in DIT, Bolton Street. Since graduating, Enda has worked as an engineer for HA O’Neil and is currently working on the development of the Point Village in Dublin. A keen sportsman, he plays football with Ballymun Kickhams and has been involved in the club from childhood.
They met when Melanie joined a ladies’ GAA team. “Joining the team was the best thing I ever did. We may not have won much, in fact we didn’t even win one match in the first year, but I ended up with an amazing bunch of friends and I also met my husband. Enda was playing for the senior team at the time. I noticed him coming up to watch the ladies’ matches – I figured he must really be a dedicated club man because we were useless and still he kept coming to watch.
“At the time, Enda had broken his collarbone playing football and had his arm in a sling. Two weeks later I broke my hand playing football and also ended up in a sling. We spent the first couple of weeks together looking like we’d been in a car accident and not even able to hold hands due to our injuries.
“We had been living together for a couple of years when Enda booked a short break for us in Venice – and that’s where he proposed.”
There was torrential rain for days before the wedding, but, she says, they woke up on the morning to a beautiful dry and bright day. “One of the most memorable moments was Enda fluffing his lines during the ceremony. Instead of saying ‘lawful’ he said ‘unlawful’ and the poor registrar had to make him say the line three times before he got it right.”
They spent the month of December in New Zealand, on a holiday which included sea kayaking, white-water rafting and quad biking. “But one of the most memorable parts was our six-hour hike over the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which has some of the most incredible scenery we’ve ever seen. There is also something really satisfying about completing a challenging walk like that together.”
They now live in Glasnevin.
