This week marked the first same sex weddings taking place in Ireland.
However, it wasn’t a happy ending for every couple hoping to tie the knot, as one Cork pair know all too well.
Dolores Murphy and Mabel Stoop-Murphy were all set to become one of the first same sex couples to wed on Tuesday (17th November) under the Marriage Act 2015.
The couple on their way to wed, before they learned their wedding would be postponed.
The couple were due to wed in front of family and friends, including their two-year-old son James, at the Cork Registry Office.
However, they were informed on arrival that their wedding could not take place because the necessary 24 hours had not elapsed since they signed the notification forms.
The couple insist that they were previously told they could sign the forms and marry on the same day with no issues.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Dolores revealed the pair’s disappointment.
She said: “We just don’t know – we don’t know.
“I am heartbroken. We are absolutely devastated by this.
“This was supposed to be the best day of our lives.
“But once again the Government has let us down. I’m sorry – I can’t say anything more.”
Dolores and Mabel with their son James (2).
The marriage ceremony will grant Dolores legal rights to the couple’s son James.
She explained: “All we ever wanted was to be treated like every other Irish couple that loves each other.
“We both met when we were working in Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre in Cork in 2002.
“Mabel was working upstairs, we met one day and the rest is history.”
While the couple are free to wed from Wednesday (18th November), it is not clear whether or not they will now proceed with the ceremony.
UPDATE:
@Herdotie They are now happily married as of this morning 🙂
— Alex (@AlexinCork) November 18, 2015
