Louise Cooney and her fiancé Mark Sweeney are preparing to say I Do but how did they first cross paths?
The couple announced their engagement in August 2024, months after they welcomed their little boy Jude.
Ahead of their wedding day, and as they celebrate one year since Mark popped the question, we've had a look back at their love story...
How they met
Over the last few years, many people have turned to the internet to find love, and Louise and Mark did just that!
The content creator, who met Mark in 2020, had just moved home from New York, but the couple kept their relationship quiet for some time.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail's You Mag, Louise confirmed she was in a relationship but explained that her partner was very private and she was happy to honour that.
'I have a boyfriend, yes, he’s private, so I respect that,' she told the publication. 'It’s not a secret, but there is no reason to share him with the world.’
Then, in 2021, Louise made their romance official online. In an interview with The Irish Sun, she said: 'We met online. It was Covid, and it was that weird thing where you meet for a walk...
'We just clicked and it's worked out really well. It was nice to have that lockdown time where there was no frills or restaurants or trips away, or hotels or anything like that - it was very low key.'
Moving In
In the summer of 2023, the couple took another big step in their relationship.
The Irish influencer revealed on Instagram that she's in 'such a good mood' lately and one thing that was likely to be influencing the feel-good vibes was the fact that she'd bought an apartment with Mark.
Baby Jude
While announcing their new place, they also had other good news to share - they were expecting a baby!
In a heartwarming clip, they could be seen handing their parents specially labelled grandparents' wine bottles while their siblings received aunt and uncle chocolate bars.
Their dogs were also roped in to be the bearers of baby news, and one touching moment shows one of them wearing a jumper with the words baby Sweeney and their due date written on it.
On the 9th of November 2023, baby Jude arrived and posting pictures online, Louise said, 'You have changed our world forever. We are so in love.'
Sweetly, Mark and Jude will always be close as the two boys share the same birthday, so twice as much cake in the future.
Engagement
In August 2024, Mark got down on one knee to pop the question, asking Louise to marry him while they were at the beach with Jude.
Wedding
With the big day getting closer and closer, the couple is ticking things off their to-do list, including booking the five-star Cashel Palace Hotel in Co Tipperary as their venue.
The blonde beauty shared the sweetest snap of her and her fiancé sharing a kiss in front of Cashel Palace Hotel, the location where they'll soon be sharing their first kiss as husband and wife.
Louise and Mark have had plenty of help along the way, with their parents joining them for the menu tasting.
Posting a photo of the soon-to-be merged families, Louise wrote: 'No better gang for a food and wine tasting. We had such a brilliant day and it's just gotten us all so excited!'
Cashel Palace in Tipp is an especially significant location to Louise because it’s where both her parents are from and where she spent much of her childhood.
She told EVOKE: 'We always spent so much time growing up in the church in Tipperary, so getting married there makes it extra special.'
