Teen traveller bride marries first cousin in huge wedding with 73 best men

A teenage bride married her first cousin in a huge wedding ceremony where her groom had 73 best men - and the whole thing was caught on TV cameras.

Chantelle Kielly was 18 when she tied the knot with Jim in a lavish event that saw virtually her entire hometown of Rathkeale, Co Limerick, invited to join in the celebrations.

Traditional travelling families spend up to 10 months of each year on the road and return in December for the wedding season, where there can be as many as 10 ceremonies a week, Daily Star reports.

In December 2021, Chantelle and her cousin Jim were at the heart of one of those celebrations, and their big day featured in an episode of Channel 4's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding in spring 2022. The marriage was secured by her family paying his loved ones a dowry of between £41,000 and £99,000.

While marrying a cousin may raise eyebrows in most circles, it is perfectly legal in the UK and Ireland and is quite common within traveller communities.

Chantelle's white dress was embellished with 20,000 crystals, a design favoured by travellers, as she and Jim aimed to host a wedding that everyone would remember.

Chantelle had at least seven bridesmaids, while groom Jim went above and beyond, including a staggering 73 best men in their wedding party. The couple had a custom Barbie cake as part of their town-wide celebrations.

Thelma Madine, a dressmaker known for her regular appearances on My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, commented: "They are really nice people, the girls are very respectable.

"We always say the Irish travellers are like going back 50 years but the Rathkeale girls are like going back 100 years. They're all family and I think that's how they keep the wealth in Rathkeale because they just don't let it go out."

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