It was "wedded bliss" for one of the country's best known wedding planners, Peter Kelly - aka Franc - as his business rebounded last year to record post tax profits of €118,642.
New accounts filed by Weddings by Franc Ltd show that the company bounced back into profit in 2022 with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
The €118,642 profit followed losses of €171,654 during the prior Covid-hit year when the pandemic decimated the country’s wedding industry - a positive swing of €290,296 over the two years.
The accounts - signed off last month - state that the company is primarily engaged in the business as a wedding planning and event design company from their operations base at The Convent, Ardagh East, Rosscarbery in Co Cork.
Over 20 years in the business, Franc has organised lavish weddings and events, both at home and abroad, while in recent years he has become a TV personality, presenting popular RTÉ shows such as Yes to the Dress, Brides of Franc and Franc's DIY Brides.
During last year, the company’s cash funds declined from €191,072 to €180,955.
After the profit for the year is taken into account, the firm's accumulated loss of €14,462 at the end of June 2021 became an accumulated profit of €104,180 at the end of last June.
The company recorded a modest profit of €4,225 for the 12 months to the end of June 2020 where the last four months of that year were hit by Covid-19.
Franc's business rebounded last year after the number of marriages sky-rocketed for 2021 after reaching an historic low in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The accounts cover the second half of 2021 and Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show that there were 17,217 marriages in 2021 - an 81% increase on the 9,523 marriages in 2020.
The accounts show that the numbers employed by Weddings by Franc remained at six. Pay to directors increased from €40,858 to €76,107.
The House of Franc website states that "we design unique, fun, luxury and bespoke weddings for couples all over the world".
During last year, the company also entered into a State contract with a potential value of €622,440 to house Ukrainians fleeing the war at the Convent Garden, Roscarbery in Cork.
It was reported in 2020 that Franc bought the period building for a sum believed to be between €450,000 and €500,000.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
