A Westwife at last

Published on 10 May 2009

A Westwife at last -- but only by the skin of Kian's teeth; How dental disaster and downpours nearly ruined their big day.

Byline: Joanne Hegarty SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

IT SEEMED the fates were conspiring to ruin Kian Egan and Jodi Albert's big day just 24 hours before they were due to get married.

Jodi can't have been too impressed with Kian on the eve of their wedding when he chipped a tooth while snorkelling. Ensconced in the paradise-like setting of Barbados, the groom ended up going for a most unromantic session of emergency dental treatment.

On the same nerve-wracking day, a torrential downpour threatened to turn the wedding into a wash-out, and the wedding organiser had to find extra awnings for the outdoor reception area.

Worst of all, Kian's proud dad Kevin, who is suffering from cancer, couldn't make it as he was too ill to travel. And although his ex-Westlife bandmate Brian McFadden and fiancee Delta Goodrem were invited to the wedding, the couple didn't manage to make the trip.

Kian, 29, and Jodi, 25, got married on on Friday afternoon in the Great House Villa on the West Coast of Barbados.

A local minister carried out the civil ceremony and then the couple and 100 guests were ferried to the reception in a similar venue a few miles down the beach.

Jodi, 25, wore an off-white gown which will be revealed in OK! magazine in a couple of weeks. However, we do know that it was simple in design, figurehugging, made from chiffon to counter the heat and had some intricate detailing around the waist. Instead of a veil, Jodi opted to wear her hair down in curls, off-set with hair jewellery.

Older sister Kelly served as her bridesmaid and she wore a gown in a caramel colour while the Westlife groom wore a white suit. The bride flew in her own hairdresser and make-up artist who stepped in several times to 'touch up' Jodi's flawless features as temperatures rose over the day.

Both Kian and Jodi wrote their own vows in which they promised to cherish each other every single day - even when they were in a bad mood - as well as including the traditional pledges to 'love honour, and obey'.

Following the ceremony, the couple disappeared with their Irish PR agent Joanne Byrne and the team from OK! magazine, to complete the photoshoot for the celebrity magazine.

And, not withstanding Kian's misadventures of the previous day, the happy couple had plenty to smile about.

As their guests were served cocktails, champagne and canapes in their lush surroundings, Kian and Jodi smiled for the OK! photographers before joining their guests at the reception, where they feasted on a buffet of salmon, pasta, chicken dishes and a variety of salads.

But amid all the joy of the occasion, there was one poignant moment moment: a heartrending letter from Kian's cancer-stricken father had several of the guests welling up.

In addition Kian made a special reference to Westlife and the group's one-time bandmate Brian McFadden who never made it.

Kian's brother Tom and Jodi's father George all paid tribute to the couple who were said to be remarkably relaxed on the day.

Their friends and family were particularly impressed with how the groom was taking it all in his stride. But then the couple did have almost a week of lounging on golden beaches to endure before their big day.

In keeping with the group's tradition of not performing at any of the members' nuptials, Westlife did not take to the stage. Instead a local band band and a DJ entertained the crowd.

The guests, including Louis Walsh, and all the members of Jodi's new girlband - Sarah Condon, Corrina Durran, Leigh Learmont, and Casey Smith - all toasted the happy couple.

Most of the couple's guests, apart from one member who wore black, were dressed in casual colourful summer dresses and linen suits.

Hollyoaks actress Sarah Dunn, who worked with Jodi on the Channel 4 soap, also made the journey. She joined in the celebrations which continued until 6am the following day - though the X Factor's Louis Walsh made an early night of it by turning in at 2am.

After a week in Barbados, most of Kian and Jodi's friends and family are due to fly back across the Atlantic today. They will bring home their own memories of a unique occasion.

It emerged that when they arrived, they had been presented with a detailed agenda of what events, ranging from trips to a local spa to a jaunt on a catamaran.

Yesterday, it is understood that most of the guests didn't rise until after lunch and were being treated to a beach barbecue.

And for their honeymoon, the newlyweds will not be jetting off to yet another exotic location. Instead, they will spend a further five days in Barbados - this time, alone.

joanne.hegarty@mailonsunday.ie

Source: Irish Mail On Sunday
Credit:Dazzling Westlife