West Hartford Wedding: Deirdre Graham & Shane Kennedy - We-Ha

West Hartford Magazine celebrates local weddings in its printed pages and is pleased to showcase them on We-Ha.com as well. Congratulations to Deirdre and Shane. Please enjoy this feature, including bonus photos.

Photos by Blueflash Photography, blueflashphotography.com

Deirdre (Graham) Kennedy surprised Shane Patrick Kennedy with Irish bagpipes before and after their Newport, RI, wedding ceremony at Saint Joseph’s Church. As their names may indicate, they come from Irish heritage, so the music was perfectly fitting on their perfect day.

Music was also an important part of the wedding ceremony. “We are both blessed to have some amazing musicians in our lives, so we asked Diana, a bridesmaid, and Edward, the groom’s brother, to perform the communion hymn during the ceremony,” said Deirdre. “Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church by the end of the ceremony.”

The reception took place in The Bohlin in downtown Newport, with a view of the water, gorgeous yachts, sailboats, and a perfect sunset on Narragansett Bay.

After heartfelt speeches by the father of the bride, best men (Shane’s two brothers), and maid of honor, the party got started with high energy music and dancing courtesy of DJ Action Jackson of Scratch Weddings.

The bride’s parents, Dr. Tracy Brennan and Dr. Neville Graham of West Hartford, are OBGYN physicians at Hartford Hospital. Among other awards, both have been recognized as a “Top Doc” in their field by Connecticut Magazine, and Brennan was featured on the cover of the magazine in 2002.

The groom’s father and stepmother are Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kennedy IV; the groom’s mother and stepfather are Nancy Renner Clear and The Reverend Bruce Clear. All of the groom’s parents live in Indiana.

Deirdre and Shane honeymooned at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa on the Big Island of Hawaii. They live in New York City, where Deirdre works as a literacy specialist at East Harlem Scholars Academy and Shane is a vice president, account supervisor for DDB Health (Healthcare Marketing).

Thank you to Oscars Tux and Argelia Novias Bridal for sponsoring these pages in the magazine. To submit your own wedding, please see the instructions and form at this LINK. Originally published in our sister publication, West Hartford Magazine, 2018. To subscribe, please click here.