Blog

Cathy & Declan

Cathy and Declan are living in Perth so I didn’t get to meet them until a few days before their wedding. They were so laid back and relaxed that I knew their wedding day would be great. They were married in Raheenagh church and had their reception in the Listowel Arms. Coming home from so far away and spending a few days surrounded by everyone that is close to you must be amazing – Cathy and Delcan were beaming all day!

Even though they grew up fairly close to each other, Cathy and Declan met in Australia. Declan often gets a bit of a slagging from his friends that he had to travel half way around the world to meet a girl from down the road. His answer? “It was worth the trip!”.

Things I loved about Cathy & Declan’s wedding:

• The GAA themed invites.
• Cathy’s uncle’s Morris Minor which was used as their wedding car.
• Cathy’s mother taking out her wedding album that morning. It was so nice in the age of digital-everything to see it. Who knows, maybe Cathy and Declan will be pulling their wedding album for the same reason some time!
• The girls bunny and sheep outfits – hilarious!
• How everyone was up for a bit of fun, from walking around outside wearing nothing but a towel on the morning of the wedding to giving it socks on the dance floor!
• The lads playing football in the park during the photo session.
• Bumping into one of my best friends from primary school who I haven’t seen since 6th class!

Details

Jackie & Bruce

Jackie and Bruce are living in Glasgow, but they came home to Adare where Jackie grew up to get married. They had their wedding in the Holy Trinity Abbey Church in Adare and held their reception just down the road in the Woodlands Hotel.

When I arrived in Jackie’s house that morning I noticed a family photograph from her sister’s wedding hanging on the wall. The groom looked very familiar and it turned out he was a great friend of mine back in secondary school! What are the odds?! Not only was it great to catch up with Wil, but his daughter Kate was the flower girl and was definitely the star of the show. She’s a lucky girl to be surrounded by such a great and loving family.

Things I loved about Jackie & Bruce’s wedding:

• The land rover Bruce organised as a surprise wedding car for Jackie.
• The flowers. It’s funny, it’s not something I usually notice but the the bouquets and flowers at the church looked great.
• Fr. Chris’ sermon. The giant granny was visiting Limerick at the time which was his inspiration. I love his sermons, they are always so personal and meaningful.
• The random squeaks during the ceremony from the toy being used to keep Kate entertained.
• Having nice weather to go to the park in Adare for the family and bridal party photographs.

Some kind words from Jackie & Bruce:

“Thank you so much for your hard work on the day.  I don’t envy you trying to manage a group of over-excited adults but you made it look easy.  I can’t wait to see the photographs!”

Details

Mary & Andy

Mary’s sister Ruth was a bridesmaid for Nuala and Ger’s wedding a few years back so when we randomly bumped into each other and she mentioned her sister was getting married she practically booked her in there and then!

I usually meet up with people before their wedding for a chat but because I’d met Ruth (and I figured she couldn’t be that different from her sister) I didn’t actually meet Mary and Andy until their wedding day. The morning of the wedding I spotted a huge bag full of inflatable instruments for the dance floor that night and I knew it was going to be a great day!

Things I loved about Mary & Andy’s wedding:

• When I arrived at Mary’s house that morning her mother Bernie was probably the most excited person I’ve ever seen on a wedding day! It was contagious! That morning was a lot of fun (apart from the occasional wasp making it’s way into the kitchen and bringing everything to a halt!).
• Bernie’s reaction to seeing Mary in her wedding dress for the first time.
• Mary and Andy’s customised altar cloth. I’ve never seen anything like it before.
• While we were in Doneraile Park taking some photographs Martin, the best man, shouted over “Mary, your sisters are filthy…… I love them!”.
• The wedding cake which Mary made herself, and the cake table which was made from a tree that had fallen in the storms.
• Ruth practically proposing to her boyfriend during the speeches! 😉
• The dance floor. It was epic! I stayed way longer than usual it was so much fun!
• Edel Murphy. (She has to get a mention!)

Some kind words from Mary & Andy:

“Thank you so much for doing such a fantastic job at our wedding, we really appreciate all the hard work and effort you put in and the slideshow was a show stopper!”

Details

Niamh & Paul

A few weeks before Niamh and Paul’s wedding I got an intriguing top secret email from Niamh. It turns out Paul was a contestant on Blackboard Jungle when he was younger. Now, I know I have a lot of American readers of this blog so I must first explain what “Blackboard Jungle” is… Let’s just say in the 90s it was the biggest national televised quiz in the country. It was a pretty big deal. In fact it was such a big deal it was hosted by Ray D’Arcy (the Irish equivalent of Oprah). 🙂

Anyway…. Niamh managed to get her hands on a copy of the broadcast from the RTE archives. I edited it down to a “Best of Paul” shortened version and somehow, against all odds, it managed to stay a secret until the wedding day. It was hilarious! Luckily, Paul is a smart guy and really picked up his team in the rapid fire buzzer round. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day!

Things I loved about Niamh & Paul’s wedding:

• Working with Val and Rachelle on hair and makeup again – they’re like a dream team!
• The relaxed vibe in Niamh’s house that morning and the funny comments – when the girls were getting Niamh into her dress they were wearing a white cotton glove to keep it clean. They cracked me up with their Michael Jackson jokes!
• I’m lucky enough to be the photographer for Niamh’s brother Brian’s wedding to Ashling next year too so it was great to get to know their family a little better.
• Cratloe church. It’s such a lovely, intimate place to get married.
• The guests cheering every time Paul got an answer correct on Blackboard Jungle. It was on par with the excitement of the 1990 World Cup Ireland vs Romania penalty shoot out!

Some kind words from Niamh & Paul:

“We can’t thank you enough for everything! It was a pleasure to have you in the house that morning you were so discreet and fitted in so well throughout the day. Numerous people came up to us throughout the day and commented on how brilliant you were. Paul is thinking of starting a Kevin Murphy fan club page on Facebook you had so many fans :)”

Chantel & Dwain

After a little AM/PM confusion Chantel & Dwain arrived in Ireland from Chicago at crazy o’clock in the morning. A quick adventure in driving at the wrong side of tiny country roads and a few short hours of sleep later and I showed up at their hotel room to photograph their wedding day. What followed was one of the most fun, personal and real weddings I’ve photographed. We were joined by Romy for a beautiful ceremony beneath two ancient trees with the Sugarloaf mountain as a backdrop. It was emotional! Other than that it was just Chantel, Dwain and I hanging out and having fun.

Things I loved about Chantel & Dwain’s wedding:

• How they both pushed through the exhaustion and jet lag that they must have been feeling and didn’t even mention it.
• The ceremony. It was such a privilege to be there and not only experience their vows, but document them for their friends and family back home.
• Chantel and Dwain were up for anything. They asked me if they could climb up on the side of the big pool outside of the hotel! That’s my kind of couple! 😉 No matter what I asked of them they just did it – which led us to some amazing images.
• Chantel’s wedding dress. Amazing.
• Some of the locations we had planned didn’t work out so we had to improvise a little – the location of the ceremony was somewhere I had found the day before when scouting. The final image below at sunset was another back up location I’d found. In the end it all worked out great.

Some kind words from Chantel & Dwain:

“Thank you for being super awesome and allowing us to kidnap you for the entire day! You truly are the best at what you do. We had the greatest time ever and it was worth every thorn prick and midges’ bite (I count 8 of them so far) that I received along the way! Thank you, Thank you, & Thank you again.”

Hazel & Paul

Hazel & Paul were married in the Holy Trinity Abbey Church in Adare and had their reception just up the road in the Dunraven Arms Hotel. One of the things I love about my job is that I get to spend time with families on a hugely important day of their lives. Hazel’s family couldn’t have been more welcoming. It was such a lovely atmosphere I knew it was going to be a great day.

And it was! The only downside was the weather. When we were starting to take some bridal party photographs there was a flash of lightning followed by the low rumble of thunder. We persevered and soon after there was another flash followed even more quickly by thunder – it was getting closer! We wrapped up as the first few drops of rain began to fall and a few minutes later I was trapped in my car in one of the heaviest showers I’ve ever seen! Phew!

Things I loved about Hazel & Paul’s wedding:

• When I was in Hazel’s house that morning, I saw a quote “When a wife has a good husband, it is easily seen in her face”. That pretty much summed up the day with Hazel and Paul wearing beaming smiles for the entire day.
• The playlist of music Catriona had put together for the morning preparations.
• The little details Hazel had around the house that morning – I was like a kid in a sweet shop!
• “The Andmeister” 😉
• Going to Adare Castle to take photographs. It was cut short by the weather but it was a lot of fun!
• The details in the Dunraven. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it looking so well. The bunting, candy bar, wedding cake (that Hazel’s mother had made), table plan and centrepieces were all amazing.

Here are some of my personal favourite photographs to give you a taste of their day…

Suzie & Gary

Suzie and Gary were married in Meanus church and had their reception in the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point. The Child of Prague did a great job and everyone was in high spirits. As well as stopping on the coast for some photographs with the bridal party, Suzie and Gary also drove to a personal location for a few more photographs. The weather was really sunny and windy which made things a bit challenging – but I’ll take that over rain any day!

Things I loved about Suzie and Gary’s wedding:

• The pool table in their house. I was tempted to have a game myself but thought better of it seeing as it is surrounded by glass windows!
• Suzie and all of the girls walking to the church from her house.
• Corey’s suit and mini converse.
• The flowers were fab, as were all the other little details like the boxes for the rings, the bike outside the church and the tables in the hotel.
• Gary and Suzie driving their own wedding car. The journey between the church and the hotel is one of the few times a married couple get to spend alone so I’m sure they had a great chat.
• Going to Seafield beach where Suzie’s mother used to go as a child.
• The horse racing themed seating plan along with the form of each guest. Apparently Suzie “travels well over distance” and Gary is “in good nick”!

Some kind words from Suzie & Gary:

“Thanks again for being so amazing. You have great patience. And you are amazing at what you do!”

Here are some of my personal favourite photographs to give you a taste of their day…

Carmel & Brian

Carmel & Brian are a great couple. Every time I met them in the lead up to their wedding day I really enjoyed their company so I knew their wedding day was going to be great. They were married in Croom and had their reception in the Charleville Park Hotel. For their bridal party photographs we went to a top secret location and it was stunning! I love going to new places, it makes it so much more personal.

Things I loved about Carmel & Brian’s wedding:

• The garden at Carmel’s house, it had obviously been well prepared for the big day!
• The flower girls covering their ears when singing started in the church!
• The location for the bridal party photography. The light on the day was challenging so I didn’t get to do a few things I had planned, but it was still a beautiful place to go.
• Brian’s sense of humour. And Carmel’s endless positivity.
• CURTS!

Here are some of my personal favourite photographs to give you a taste of their day…

Áine & Jack

Aine & Jack were married in Manister Church and held their reception in the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare. These guys put the party in wedding party! It was great fun from start to finish and I really enjoyed being there to capture it all.

Things I loved about Áine & Jack’s wedding:

• The excitement that morning as the girls got ready in Revas Spa in the Woodlands. When Orla (the flowergirl) turned up she got swept off her feet in the world’s biggest hug from Áine – her feet were dangling in the air!
• Jack and his brothers’ sense of humour – it was a lot of fun once I realised they were more likely to do the exact opposite of anything I asked them to do! 😉
• The singing in the church – I love it when the family get involved.
• Going somewhere personal for the bridal party photographs. We went to “the track”, not only was it a great location with a lovely river running through it but it was also the location that Áine and Jack hung out at when they started going out which made it even more personal.
• Áine’s brother Brian’s speech. It was equally touching and hillarious. (Although he purposely made sure I had “Bonfire Heart” stuck in my head for about a week after the wedding!)
• The rest of the speeches were great too, even their priest got in on the action and had more than a few people crying with laughter!

Some kind words from Áine & Jack:

We had a ball. We loved every minute of our day. Jack and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to you for the fantastic job you did on our wedding day. We loved your relaxed approach and your sense of humour. It was lovely to see you join in with our laughs throughout the day.

Here are some of my personal favourite photographs to give you a taste of their day…