Real Weddings

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Saturday 10th December saw me heading off to the small village of Kilkerrin, Co. Galway for the wedding of Sarah & Oliver. The priest mentioned in his ceremony that they did things a little different around there and he was right. When driving from Sarahs house to the church the roadside had lots of posters, balloons wishing them luck (think Tour de France !) I was also perplexed at how neat & tidy the litter was. Outside every house on the road were little stacks of rubbish. I didn’t know at the time that when Sarah left her house these were all set alight by their neighbours for good luck. We also had some fun when a wet sheepdog joined the greeting line in the church !! A more relaxed & unfussed couple you could not meet, with a bit of rain & failing light they hit the pub instead of heading off for photos, but despite the long drive to the Lady Gregory Hotel in Gort, we had just about enough time to get a few family shots before the meal was called. Have a few pics below, just click on any for a larger version.

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Monday 31st saw me heading up the coast to Balbriggan for the wedding of Catriona & Chris. It was also a case of meeting up with old acquaintances as I knew the celebrant, Fr Eugene, from my days in the folk group in Rialto (25 years ago !!), I also teamed up with videographer Cyril Fox for the first time in nearly three years, and I met Marie & Mattie, a couple whose wedding I photographed last year.

The girls were so calm & collected when I arrived (and looked stunning thanks to the Powder Room Girls), and despite the constant threat of bad weather, I had a feeling that the day would be a great one, or, as Chris would say – 100%.

Sure enough, after the lovely ceremony in Balscadden Church, the heavens opened. We had to leg it to the cars (thanks to Cyril Fox for sharing a brolley!) and it was off to Darver Castle. I was blown away by the venue & staff, nothing was too much for them (apart from stopping the rain !). Due to the bad weather we didn’t get a chance for photos in the grounds but we did have a nice spot indoors. After a short while  the kitchen in Darver was hopping to the sounds of Tropical Storm which went on till mealtime.

After the meal & speeches there was a special treat, not only to celebrate the wedding, but also for Halloween, there was a huge & impressive fireworks display  in the castle grounds, after which the happy couple hit the floor for the first dance.

All in all it was a great day, the one problem I had was that I normally put around 12-15 shots into the blog, and I had a terrible time cutting down on pics for this one, I went a bit over my limit but  I hope I have managed to capture some of the atmosphere below, and, if you happen to know the couple feel free to leave a message for them as they will be checking in on a regular basis. (just click on any photo for a slightly larger version).

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Its hard to know where to start when describing Sinead & Jasons big day ! The heavy rain had been so persistent that I had Captain Nemo on standby to make sure I could get where I needed to be.  Sinead looked stunning in her 1920s inspired wedding dress (and super hair & make-up) and the bridemaids weren’t half bad either in their Charleston styled dresses !!! Things got a little confusing on arrival at the church as there were six of the main guests called Kevin, so, including myself, that was seven !! Every time the name was called, we all answered. After the lovely ceremony in Clondalkin church it was off to the stunning Killashee House Hotel in Naas. With the rotten weather we couldn’t use the fantastic gardens for photos but everyone was in great form and it was the little touches that made this wedding so special. Along with the 20’s theme, the reception had an 80’s vibe going through it, lifesize cutouts of Rambo & Michael Jackson stood by the dancefloor, along with a particularly scary one of the Hoff, He-Man & She-Ra guarded the loos, the placenames were among the coolest I have ever seen, the favours were little boxes of retro sweets, and the caketopper was made by Sinead. Jason told me that Sinead also made each of the placenames, favours etc. so perhaps a career in wedding planning beckons !! I have uploaded a few photos from the day below, and, if you happen to know the couple, please leave a comment as they will be checking in while away on honeymoon. Just click on any photo for a slightly larger version.

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Saturday 24th saw me heading off down to Thurles & its environs for the wedding of Brigina & Austin. I was showing my age when saying goodbye to the kids that morning I was telling them that it was a long way to Tipperary and they looked at me quizically having never heard the song (must get on to Justin Beiber to correct that !). The ceremony was in the beautiful & historic Holycross Abbey. We grabbed a few shots in and around the abbey, and then headed off to a tea party (complete with jazz band & pearl & godiva crockery) in the stunning grounds of the Cashel Palace Hotel. It was also great to have Pat Corbett Videographer near me for the day, as not only was he a local, but he was also a friend of the family so he knew all the do’s & don’ts. Have uploaded a few pics from the day below & hope you enjoy them. If you happen to know Brigina & Austine feel free to leave a comment for them as they will be checking in on a regular basis. Just click on any pic for a larger version.

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I had been looking forward to Nadine & Stephens wedding for a while, not only had I worked with Nadine previously (she had been bridesmaid at a wedding I covered last year) but the reception was at one of my favourite venues – Ballymagarvey Village. Unfortunately the weather didn’t play ball, on my arrival at the church the downpour started, continued through the ceremony in the beautiful Church of St Myra in Kinsealy and was still going when the ceremony finished. No meet & greet at the door, just a dash to the waiting car ! It was just as well that at the start of the mass, the priest told everyone to get out of their seats and to have a chat and introduce themselves to anyone & everyone nearby. This went down a storm with the congregation and set the scene for a lovely ceremony. On arrival at Ballymagarvey, the clouds parted and we were treated to glorious sunshine right up to the meal. I have uploaded a few pics from the day below, and, if you happen to know Nadine or Stephen, feel free to leave a message as they will be checking in on the blog while on honeymoon.

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Durrow in County Laois had two major events going on yesterday 28th June. Not only was the National Scarecrow Competition in full swing, but there was great excitement in the Shorthall household as Noreen was getting hitched. Following a lovely ceremony in the RiverCourt Hotel in Kilkenny it was a short hop over the river to Kilkenny Castle for a few shots where Noreen proved very popular with a group of Spanish tourists, some of whom asked for photos with her !. The weather behaved itself (despite downpours in the morning), and, when I was leaving, Noreen & Stoney (Anthony) were gearing up for what looked like was going to be a late night ! Out of my last five weddings, I have had one couple from Singapore, one from Australia & Noreen & Stoney will be heading home to Hong Kong shortly. If only I was asked to hand deliver the photos !!!

I have a few draft photos below, and, if you know the couple, why not leave them a message as they will be checking in from time to time.