Aoife O’Sullivan says GAA ties and family drove wedding guest numbers

Former Miss Ireland Aoife O’Sullivan recently detailed her large-scale June 21, 2024 wedding in Kilkenny, where she married husband Colm Spillane despite having no prior ties to the region.

Couple Chooses Mount Juliet and Inistioge for Wedding

Neither O’Sullivan nor Spillane holds any personal connection to County Kilkenny. She hails from Ballinadee in West Cork, while her husband is from Castle Lyons near Fermoy. However, the couple selected the Mount Juliet Estate after a visit left them completely captivated. Once we visited the Mount Juliet Estate we fell in love with it and couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else, O’Sullivan explained.

Their religious ceremony took place at St Colmcille’s Church in Inistioge, a scenic Kilkenny village recognized as the filming location for the movie Circle of Friends. The church features a river just outside its doors and sits a short distance from Mount Juliet. Guest attendance reached 220 people, hitting the hotel’s maximum capacity. The large head count stemmed partly from Spillane’s extensive GAA playing career across multiple teams alongside O’Sullivan’s large extended family network, which includes her father being one of ten siblings.

Planning, Attire, and Weather Realities

O’Sullivan managed all the wedding planning independently, utilizing online platforms like Pinterest. Having worked as a bridal show model since age 19 and collaborated with Kinsale’s White and Gold boutique, she estimated trying on hundreds of gowns prior to her own shopping trip. Accompanied by her mother and a friend to White and Gold, she announced, I’m getting my dress today, securing a Bardot-style fitted gown featuring a removable dramatic overskirt for walking down the aisle.

Weather conditions presented unexpected challenges on the wedding date. While the preceding day and the day following featured scorching sunshine, steady rain fell throughout June 21. Rather than panicking, the bride found calm indoors at Mount Juliet. It doesn’t matter, I’m just so happy to be marrying Colm and that all my family are here, she recalled thinking while watching the weather from her window.

Opera Singer and Live Music Feature in Celebrations

Musical performances formed a core element of the multi-day celebration. The reception featured the Swing Cats, while the church ceremony showcased male opera singer Glen Murphy—known for appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and performing with Adele. O’Sullivan noted that she had messaged Murphy regarding weddings immediately after her engagement.

For the second day of celebrations, the bride secured live music after spotting an artist named Neolithic performing in a small tent at Electric Picnic the previous summer. The drinks reception took place at The Manor House within Mount Juliet, accompanied by a jazz musician. Following dinner and speeches, the couple shared their first dance to Stephen Sanchez’s Until I Found You, a track that frequently played around the time of their engagement.

One of my favourite memories of the day was when we came into the room for the meal, you know the bride and groom entrance. I just remember it was almost in slow motion, just walking through and seeing everyone we are so close to and everyone you love in the same room. It was so special,
Aoife O’Sullivan

Evening celebrations extended late into the night with packed dance floors and bar sing-songs featuring tracks by Cher and numbers from High School Musical, with festivities concluding around 4 a.m. Outside of wedding planning, O’Sullivan operates her own special occasion dress rental enterprise titled Orbit by Aoife.