It’s the groom you have to worry about.
“I was very nervous,” said Alex, 31, just after a wedding ceremony among the crashing waves of Doonbeg beach in Co Clare. “It was a bit nippy but the nerves kept me warm.”
It’s not like he hasn’t done this before. He and Lisa, 29, from Manchester in England, have been travelling the world experiencing different types of weddings.
This was their 41st.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” he said, after exchanging vows in a Celtic ceremony. “In fact, it gets worse every time when you think about the fact that you are making a lifetime commitment to love and cherish someone for the rest of your days.”
Lisa, meanwhile, was having a fit of the giggles, just before she got all blubbery.
“I couldn’t help it,” she said. “It was nervous laughter at first, but then the beauty of the ceremony made me cry. Our hands were tied together in a traditional Celtic hand-fasting ceremony and then we were anointed with oils.”
Hand-fasting is an ancient Celtic tradition in which each partner holds the hands of the other with their wrists crossed. A ribbon is then wound around the wrists over the top of one and under and around the other, creating the infinity symbol. The practice led to the expression “tying the knot”.
“It was an amazing experience and it perfectly summed up our commitment to one another,” said Lisa.
That commitment has so far seen them traverse a continent or two and have 41 wedding ceremonies in 20 countries.
They sold off all their possessions two years ago, quit their jobs, and set off on a worldwide tour to get married in every place they visit as part of their plan to raise money for Unicef.
Everywhere they go, vendors donate their services, from dresses to music, food, and venues. This time round, wedding planner Lindsay Moynagh did the organising while Sean Curtin took the photos.
The beach ceremony was conducted by Ireland’s best known Celtic priest, Dara Molloy.
Their first ceremony was held in Manchester, where they live, and although the couple keep getting hitched, they are not legally married. They say their journey to wedded bliss will end when they pick their favourite spot of all the places visited and make their union official.
Next stop is Amsterdam — and they are torn between a houseboat service and a ceremony in the city’s famous Red Light district.
Speaking after yesterday’s ceremony, Alex said: “When we left Manchester we didn’t have a plan as such and didn’t expect at all that we’d end up in Ireland. Lindsay has been amazing and we had a great day. It was windy but the rain held off and we incorporated many old Irish traditions into the ceremony.”
After this, anything goes.
“We already have 55 countries wanting us to visit and have a wedding ceremony there,” said Alex. “If we make them all, that would be great.”