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In November 2009, David Power, from Lucan, Co Dublin started working at the Old Castle Pub in Manhattan. At the same time, Caitlin Kirkland from Kansas City had moved into the apartment upstairs with the pub's owner Fiona Rooney.
They met when Caitlin, then a fashion buyer for Bloomingdale’s, was having dinner at the bar. “He spent a good part of the evening showcasing his wit,” she says. It worked. They had a dance-off the next weekend at Fiona’s birthday and that was that.
In March 2011, they moved to Hamburg for David’s job. When Caitlin moved to London the following September and back to New York in July 2013, the transatlantic tests began in earnest.
Engaged since December 12th, 2012, David left Germany in May 2014 and finally landed back in the US in November.
“I can honestly say that I prefer living in the same country as my boyfriend/fiancé/husband,” says a beaming Caitlin.
On the balmy evening of September 4th, 2014, Dave and Caitlin got married on the rooftop of the Ravel Hotel on New York's East River in front of 125 guests including the groom's mother Veronica Power, the bride's mother Pam and step-father George Kolath and father Tom Kirkland.
David's childhood friends Bazz O'Reilly and Ciaran Nestor played acoustic versions of My Girl, Cupid, Falling Slowly and Wonderful World throughout the ceremony and the couple's first dance as '#PairofPowers' (Instagram hashtag) was to Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
After dinner, the bride changed from a Monique Lhuillier creation into a black-and-white number by Anne Barge.
“I loved the idea of a costume change and wanted a party dress too, so I could do as much dancing as possible.”
Earlier that day, the wedding party, comprising two matrons of honour, three bridesmaids, one junior bridesmaid and five Irish groomsmen, had spent three hours in Central Park – in 28 degree heat – having photos taken. This included a “first look” shot: a moment staged by the photographer for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony.
Everyone regrouped the next day, which was again very hot, at the Frying Pan, a barge-turned-bar on the Hudson. The third day was at Yankee Stadium for an impeccably timed baseball game between the bride's home-team, Kansas City Royals, and the groom's adopted one, the New York Yankees.
They now live, where it all began, in the apartment above the Old Castle.
We’d love to hear your wedding story. If you’d like to share it with our readers email weddings@irishtimes.com with a photograph and a little information about your big day
Photographs: dkcollection.com
