Co. Tipperary bride marries in small church ceremony due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions  

Melissa Fitzgerald from Carrick-on-Suir and Endrit Rrapaj pictured on their wedding day. 

Carrick-on-Suir bride Melissa Fitzgerald didn't let the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis stop her from marrying the love of her life at a small intimate church ceremony. 

Melissa, who is daughter of Mally and the late Lucy Walsh, wed her fiance Endrit Rrapaj at St Patrick's Church in Portlaw on Friday, March 20.

Melissa is a native of Ormond Crescent, Ballylynch in Carrick-on-Suir and has lived in Portlaw for the past number of years with  Endrit, who is orginally from Albania and runs a fastfood business in Waterford city.  

 After cancelling most of their wedding day arrangements due to the coronavirus restrictions, the couple  talked to Portlaw PP Fr Richard O'Halloran who was still willing to marry them with just their witnesses present.

Melissa's brother Colm walked her down the aisle to Endrit and his bestmen Eron (Mario) Sinaj and Armand Noxhaj.  

Also joining the couple at the ceremony were bridesmaid Emma Mullins, who is Colm's partner and their  daughter Layla, who was the flower girl.   

The wedding reception, which had been booked for the Haven Hotel in Dunmore East, had to be cancelled. 

Though the wedding was small it was “very special” said Melissa.

 She paid tribute to Fr O'Halloran for making the ceremony so romantic for them.  

"When everything is over with the coronavirus,  we will be back to the church to renew our vows and get a blessing with all our family and friends present and then we  will  celebrate together, which makes a wedding so special,” she said.