A Celebrity penchant for celebrating marriage in grand Irish locations continues today when Westlife star Bryan McFadden and singer Kerry Katona take over Slane Castle in Co Meath for their wedding reception.
The Mountcharles residence, best known in recent years as a venue for rock concerts, is due to host a 300-strong wedding party for the couple, who will marry this morning at nearby Rathfeigh church.
Among those due to attend are Boyzone star Ronan Keating, who part-manages Westlife, members of Atomic Kitten, of which the bride used to be a member, and fellow boy/girl band S Club 7.
Public interest in the event is markedly lower compared to other recent celebrity weddings, such as Pierce Brosnan's at Ballintubber Abbey and Ashford Castle in Co Mayo last August, or "Posh" Spice Victoria Adams's wedding to David Beckham at Luttrellstown Castle, Co Dublin, in July 1999.
Nonetheless, today's bride and groom - both 21 - are said to have commanded a sum in the order of €300,000 from Hello! magazine for exclusive rights to the photographs.
Supt Eamon Courtney of Slane Garda station said it had a "sizeable" reserve deployment on duty for today's event. However, "without wanting to be disrespectful", he said, "they \the couple\ would not have the draw of some other people, and we're not expecting any major public order issues". He added: "Our biggest problem might prove to be the media looking for scoops" rather than teenage fans trying to get too close to the action.
Hello! has hired security personnel to control access to both the church and the castle, on the grounds of which a marquee has been erected. Former Eurovision song contest winner Paul Harrington is to provide entertainment at the reception, which is reputed to have cost €127,000.
