Sharon's wedding
From an unkown source
After chatting to Sharon Corr for only a few minutes, you feel that you are gossiping with your best friend rather than an international pop star about her wedding day. She is incredibly down to earth and more than happy to talk about her big day at length.
As the violin player in one of Ireland's most successful bands, The Corrs, Sharon is a huge star. Part of her charm, however, is that she appears to be completely unaffected by it. In many ways, she is like every other newlywed who is keen to relive their wedding day at every chance they get.
When she recalls the moment she first laid eyes on her husband Gavin Bonnar, Sharon can't hide the thrill in her voice. "I met Gavin in a nightclub the day after we shot the video for our first single Runaway in 1995. I had just broken up with my previous boyfriend and had absolutely no interest in going out with anyone, it just wasn't on my agenda" she says "but then Gavin walked up to me, and that was it. It was instantaneous. I always used to ask my friends how I'd know when I was in love, then I met Gavin and I just knew."
Now Sharon is famous she had to protect her privacy, but when she met Gavin, the Corrs were unknown. "We kind of got used to fame together. As it started happening to me, it happened to him too."
Sharon knew she'd marry Gavin right from the beginning: "He proposed to me on holiday in 1999. We were in Normandy-France, where we had gone to see the eclipse. Just as the sun disappeared, Gavin handed me a package. After tearing through several layers of wrapping, I eventually got to this beautiful ring. The proposal was everything I could have wanted."
Sharon & Gavin planned to get married in 2000, but work commitments had to take priority. "Gavin has probably had to sacrifice more than I have for our relationship, but he has always been very understanding. I didn't start making arrangements for the wedding until July of that year. I was helped by my wedding co-ordinator Marjory, who was recommended to me by my manager's wife. Although I am a very hands-on-person, she was invaluable to me because she gave me a lot of guidance."
When it came to deciding about her wedding dress, Sharon initially visited a number of designer shops in New York, but didn't fall in love with any of the gowns. "A wedding dress should be timeless. I have never considered myself a very trendy person, I wear what I like", she says. "A friend of mine recommended fashion designer Elspeth Gibson, and when I met her I knew instantly that she was the right person to design my wedding dress." Elspeth created Sharon a stunning halterneck-style dress made of a very sheer ivory silk tulle & silk georgette. "Twenty people worked on the design, and it took 2000 hours to make", says Elspeth, "The gown was inspired by Irish wild flowers and has tiny sea pearls scattered all over it. She wanted something quite delicate and feminine, and I was flattered to be asked to make it."
On July 7 2001, when Sharon was on her way to get married at the church of St John in Cratloe, County Clare mid west Ireland, she admits she felt strange. "It was a bit like going onstage, and I started to really shake". When Sharon walked down the aisle on her father's arm she began to feel very emotional because her mother had passed away a year & a half before. "I wanted the priest who had said the mass at my mother's funeral to marry me and Gavin because I felt that it would make her part of everything, it was a very relaxed ceremony, and the priest had the whole congregation in stitches. At out wedding rehearsal, Gavin asked the priest, 'So when do we get to snog?'. So at the end of the ceremony, he told Gavin 'You can snog her now'!"
Sharon & Gavin had their reception at Dromoland castle, a venue that they knew would be perfect from the moment they saw it. The couple also spent their wedding night there and then went off on their honeymoon the following day. "We started our honeymoon in Cannes and also visited Mauritius, Mnemba Island in Zanzibar and Tanzania. We went on safari. We were away for six weeks, because for the six years we had dated before we got married we'd constantly been apart and felt we'd earned the time together", explains Sharon.
Sharon is the first of the Corrs to marry, and says that both she and her sisters can still hardly believe it - it's just all so grown up! "It feels lovely being married. It's a bit like when you're a kid dressing up in your mum's high heels! I know I'm 31, but I still think of myself as a child who couldn't possibly get married." Although Sharon is excited as ever about touring and performing with the Corrs she says that her number one priority is now her husband Gavin. "I have thought about having kids, and I definitely want them, I think children are a wonderful gift, when they come, they come."
Sharon & Gavin's big day stats:
Date: July 7th, 2001
Dress: Ivory silk tulle & georgette halterneck dress made by top designer Elspeth Gibson, Sharon bought her shoes from Jimmy Choo a week before her wedding.
Gavin's suit: Traditional suit & tails by Italian designer Canali.
Bridesmaids: stunning lilac chiffon dresses by Irish designer Brid Nihilli. All of Sharon's sisters were bridesmaids. "They are beautiful girls, so I didn't need to put them in over the top dresses", says Sharon.
Reception: Dromoland castle with 208 family & friends
Menu: Crab, Rack of Lamb, and a wedding cake made of different tiers, including rich chocolate & fresh fruit & cream, instead of putting a bride & groom on the top of the wedding cake, they perched a wig (as Gavin's a barrister) and a violin instead.
Entertainment: a classic Beatles cover band who played Norwegian Wood for their first dance
Honeymoon: 6 weeks in Mauritius, Tanzania, Cannes, and Mnemba island & Zanzibar
Name Change: Sharon is keeping her maiden name professionally, but in everyday life she will be known by her married name, Sharon Bonnar
Sharon's Wedding Day Advice: "I recommend that couples go away the weekend before their wedding, which Gavin & I did. No matter what you have to do, it can wait! You need time to gather your thoughts. A lot of brides reach their wedding day having hardly thought about the fact that they are getting married. It's like being a wedding co-ordinator for a year, and after that, you get married."
From Showbizireland
Sharon Corr finally tied the knot with her boyfriend of six years barrister Gavin Bonnar in a tiny church in county Clare followed by a reception in Dromoland Castle on Saturday. She is the first of the Dundalk Supergroup, The Corrs, to tie the knot.
The wedding ceremony was held in the 19th century St John's church in Cratloe, County Clare in front of 200 friends and family Arriving just after 12am in a navy Bentley with her father Gerry.
Sharon said she was not nervous about the wedding until earlier that morning. Speaking to ShowBizIreland.com on her way into the church the bride said "I wasn't nervous at first. But, I am now." The bride continued, "We've been together for six years. We would have married within six days but for our careers. We are so happy."
Sharon's groom, a barrister from Belfast also had a tad of last minute nerves. "I'm very nervous" he laughed. "No body's told me what happening."
Sharon's sisters Andrea and Caroline were bridesmaids at the ceremony along with Sharon's two best-friends from her home town of Dundalk Gillian Callan and Caroline McDonald.
The groomsmen were all Gavin's friends from his home town of Belfast. An hour and half later the bride and groom emerged saying the whole event was very emotional.
Sharon told us "the whole event was very emotional but it was lovely. I was fine after the nerves disappeared."
When asked why the couple chose the Clare church Sharon replied. "Just look at it, it's so beautiful."
It also emerged yesterday that the violinist turned down a six figure sum from a UK glossy magazine ahead of the wedding to allow the Irish press and Corr fans to get access to the event to thank them for their help over the years.
A spokesperson for Sharon said of the magazine deal that "anyone who knows Sharon Corr knows she is the type of lady who would even contemplate doing deal for one magazine, when the Irish press have been so good to the band over the years."