A shore thing – this beach ‘rings' a bell!

IT was a wedding proposal that certainly caught the imagination of onlookers as well as the bride-to-be, when Australian Steve Capilli proposed to Elaine Fitzpatrick from Reenascreena last April. 

With the help of Matthew Hart and his West Cork Sand Circle team, Steve’s sandy wedding proposal on Inchydoney beach caught Elaine by surprise when she was visiting home for the weekend. 

Steve had come in under the radar to arrange the intricate sandy proposal and it was only when he and Elaine were walking along the clifftop that she saw the words ‘Elaine - Will you marry me?’ written in sand below.

Of course, she said ‘yes’ to Steve’s proposal.

One year on, the happy couple recently returned to West Cork to get married and even posed on the same beach which was the scene of their unique marriage proposal.

‘We had an amazing wedding day with family and friends from Australia, London and Kildare and all over West Cork all making it down for the day,’ Steve told The Southern Star.

‘We got married in Elaine’s home church of St Fachtna’s in Rosscarbery and we had the reception at Dunmore House Hotel, opposite Inchydoney beach,’ Steve explained. ‘It meant a lot to us to come back to West Cork as it holds a special place for both of us. It was the perfect start for our future lives together.’

The happy couple are currently on their honeymoon and say they look forward to visiting West Cork once again.