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A year in Australia cured one young couple’s wanderlust who decided to get engaged when they returned to Northern Ireland.
Sinead Robb married Paul Heffron on May 27 in St MacNissi’s chapel in Randalstown, Co Antrim.
The couple first met six years ago in a bar in the town. “I was working behind the bar and Paul was drinking,” Sinead said.
Coincidentally, the couple started to go out together at a leaving do for a friend who was going to Australia.
Sinead, now 30, and Paul (26), who are both from Randalstown, found they shared a common interest in travelling.
They decided to go to Australia for a year to work and travel. They worked their way around the country, Sinead in administrative jobs and Paul testing gaming machines for a company.
Sinead realised he was the one for her when she was thousands of miles from home.
“We were together for that full year working and travelling,” Sinead said.
“When I got homesick he was very caring and protective. We had both talked about getting married and when we came home he proposed.”
Paul said it — literally — with flowers, presenting Sinead with a big bunch of red roses with a card saying ‘Marry me!’.
That was in December 2009 and in order to have her dream wedding the couple had to find jobs at home and save up for their big day. “There were 200 guests at the wedding. We both come from big families, so we had a lot of saving up to do,” said Sinead, who had three bridesmaids.
The reception was held in the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena which the couple knew had a good reputation for food.
“I was very nervous before the wedding, but I found I enjoyed the Mass and was able to take it all in. After that the day just whizzed by,” Sinead said.
They danced the night away to their favourite song, Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’, and then the newly-weds headed to the USA for their dream honeymoon where they spent three nights in New York followed by a week in Las Vegas.
“We spent our days in Las Vegas by the hotel pool and at night it really came alive with everyone out in the casinos,” added Sinead.
The young couple may have gambled all their cash, but Sinead is excited about embarking on her new adventure of married life with Paul.
