The young Croatian couple who had to host their wedding party in a one-bedroom flat in Galway because of the lack of a community space sealed their vows in a civil ceremony yesterday.
The couple, who could not afford a hotel or the insurance demanded by community centres and church halls, invited some 35 friends and family to celebrations yesterday afternoon in their tiny apartment.
The party took place immediately after a civil marriage in the city's registry office.
Ms Davorka Milic (26), from Sisak, near Zagreb in Croatia, and her partner, Mr Gorge Vukalovich (26), who is from a small village near Vukovar, were both teenagers when their families were forced to quit Croatia in the early 1990s.
Being of Greek Orthodox persuasion, they were targets of the "ethnic cleansing" policy adopted by former president Franjo Tudman, which was applied to over a million people of the minority religious persuasion.
Ms Milic's family had mixed fortunes in the former Yugoslavia, and she developed diabetes during that period. She came to Ireland 19 months ago to make a fresh start. She is currently undertaking a computer course.
However, neither she nor her partner are currently in full-time employment, and could not afford a hotel for their wedding. They failed to find a community centre or church hall with the help of the Galway Refugee Support Group. Most of the premises approached requested additional insurance to cover the event.
Several of the premises insisted that the event be both alcohol- and nicotine-free, and that it be finished by 8 p.m.
"Some even said that there should be no children there," Ms Milic told The Irish Times.
The couple's difficulties were compounded by the fact that there is no Greek Orthodox church in Galway.
The couple hope to have their union blessed by a Greek Orthodox priest from Dublin, once the advent fast period is over on January 7th.
