Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Now for the Lion, the Witch ..and the Wardrobe disaster
Don’t Tell The Bride’s Narnia dress drama
A WEDDING nearly turned from fairytale to nightmare when a bride announced she hated the “princessy” dress her fiance chose for her.
David Kielty, 29, picked the sparkly gown for a Narnia-themed ceremony for 35-year-old his bride Conna Nagle.
But the New Zealand hairdresser was hoping for something vintage rather than “blingy”.
When she tried on the dress David bought she said: “It is so big and puffy, so princcessy. I know it’s bride-ly but I didn’t want to be bride-ly. I hate this.
“He got it so wrong! It’s a beautiful dress, just not very me. I hate it. It’s not me.
“David is very traditionalist but it is so far from me. I thought he knew me better.”
The drama can be seen on tonight’s Don’t Tell The Bride on RTE Two.
Narnia, the magical land from the book The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by CS Lewis, has been a children’s favourite for decades and was the theme for the couple’s reception.
David, from Newry, Co Down, said: “I’m planning a magical, fairytale wedding because we are kids at heart.
“Narnia would be perfect for us as CS Lewis was born in Northern Ireland and the last movie was filmed in New Zealand.”
“Conna is easy to please so regardless of what I do, I feel I can’t go wrong.”
TROUBLE
But he could have been in deep trouble after planning their big day on a pub patio as Conna said she definitely didn’t want to wed outside with the Irish weather. Fortunately, with just four days to go, David changes his mind, books Belfast’s music and comedy venue The Empire Music Hall, and turns it into a fantasy land. He snaps up a £35 second-hand wardrobe for the wedding party to walk though as in the children’s books a wardrobe is the secret entrance to the magical land.
And David gets massive bonus points for arranging for Conna’s best pal Olivia, nicknamed Trouble, to fly all the way from New Zealand in secret for the wedding. The bride-to-be bursts into tears when Olivia knocks on her door as she is preparing for the ceremony in Belfast City Hall.
Later Conna is brought into the reception on a throne carried by an entourage dressed in medieval costumes.
Once she walks through the wardrobe she is greeted with a blizzard of fake snow.
She ends up being really impressed with David’s efforts and says: “He’s done really good to organise all this in three weeks. He has been under severe pressure and I am really proud of him.”