Wedding Tourmakeady Co Mayo and reception in Ocean Sands Hotel Enniscrone

I had the good fortune of working with Amanda and Adrian recently in Tourmakeady Co Mayo, one of the most majestic and scenic locations you could wish to come across.
When I arrived at Amanda's home on the morning of the wedding, I was taken aback at the wonderful views that her home offered......pure class. Just look beyond the beautiful Amanda in the image below and you'll see what I mean.



Amanda's house was a jovial home on the morning of the wedding and I have to thank her chief bridesmaid Donna for her warm welcome and indeed showing me where everything was happening!

I enjoyed chatting and having the crack with Amanda's father Jerome while Amanda's other Bridesmaids Wanda and Ann were busy helping Amanda with her preparations.








Jerome studies his speech for later in the evening and was oblivious to me taking some shots of him. Shortly after this Amanda arrived and gave her father his first glimpse of her in her wedding dress.....I was in the corner of the room running off some shots and it was pretty cool to witness how proud both Jerome and Amanda's mum Julie were of how their daughter looked.....I love my job when you get to witness and capture real moments like this.

After arriving at Finney Chuch, I grabbed some shots of Adrian and his merry men (Kevin, james and Brian) and within seconds of meeting them, it was apparant that they were a shower of messers and mad for a bit of fun....my kinda guys!!




Amanda and Jerome seconds before they walk up the aisle







I often write about how I enjoy these moments when the Bride arrives up at the top of the aisle.....quite a lot of the time the bride can be emotional, struggling to hold back the tears (....which can be "happy" tears as opposed to sad ones!!) and the groom is always the man who tries to be the "alpha male" and showing no fear. I think when Jerome hands Amanda over to Adrian however, the big man does what he can to suppress some of the emotions that aren't too far away...... a good sign for my two cents worth, great awareness!!







After the ceremony, we headed back towards the forest in Tourmakeady to grab some Bridal portraits, but not before we grabbed some shots showing off the stunning country side while we were en route.







The waterfall in Tourmakeady is a beautiful setting for Bridal portraits and the colors during the summer months are so vibrant.







I forgot to mention flowergirl Elana who was such a pleasure to work with on the day....so well mannered and just a happy little girl!

You can see a rock in the background in the photo above.....well Adrian had told me earlier in the day that he planned on getting Amanda out there for a photo. I genuinely thought he was joking as there was a lot of water between the dry ground of where we were and the large rock out in the middle of the falls!! Anyway, to cut a long story short, the happy bride donned a pair of wellingtons, hacked up her dress and made the trek to dry ground through the falls.......even now writing about it, it really was such a big thing for the bride to do on her wedding day....I had visions of us being on youtube for all the wrong reasons!!





After our time in the forest, we made the journey to Enniscrone in Co Sligo. It was a sunny day but winds were high when we arrived at the coastal village and we took all of the family portraits by the pier. 

Amanda and Adrians reception was in the Ocean Sands Hotel Enniscrone and we didn't have too much time after arriving before guests were called for the evening meal. During the speeches, one of my cameras went astray.....the lady below was running off some killer shots with it!!






Proud dad Jerome looks on as his daughter gets in on the speeches too!



To Adrian, Amanda, bridal party and both families.....thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding day. Your Bridal party were very focused on having a good time and it was great to be working in such a pleasant and joyful environment. I wish you both the very best and I hope our paths cross again in the future!

Wedding Kilronan Castle

I had the privilege of shooting Mike Denver and Liz Gannon's recent wedding in Keadue Village Co.Roscommon followed by a reception in Kilronan Castle nearby.
I was delighted when I received the call from Mike regarding his big day with Liz…..I have got to know both of them in recent years and their great people to be around. 

Liz was a treat to call to the morning of the wedding, music playing away on her iPhone, incense burning in the corner of the room and totally relaxed as her hair and make up were being touched up. She was totally aware of what was happening and enjoying every moment of it....quite special to witness really! Indeed, Liz even allowed me to “steal” her wedding dreess for a few moments and take it to another room where we hung it from a chandelier….thanks Liz!







After Liz's preparations, we headed off to the church to catch up with Mike and his groomsmen. Mike is used to being in front of the camera and is always a treat to work with so his shots can be taken fairly swiftly. I was lucky to have Natalie Greer working with me and she was able to run off the incidental shots inside the church while I was capturing Liz's arrival.





Fr Brian Darcy was the chief celebrant for the ceremony and the relaxed atmosphere that was dominant during Liz’s preparations in the morning continued throughout the ceremony. I was surprised at the amount of Mike’s fans (some who had made long journeys) that made the journey to Keadue Village to wish Mike and Liz well. One thing that didn’t surprise me however was the time that Mike & Liz gave to each fan who wanted photos taken with the couple at the church, ensuring every one went home happy with a photo.


(One of my favorite "moment captures" this year. The Bridesmaids have made their entrance at the start of the ceremony, and normally this can be an anxious moment for the Bride as she's about to make her own entrance.....Liz however emanates serenity and absorbs the whole occasion...I love it!)




(Comedian Conal Gallen gets a smile out of both Mike and Fr Brian Darcy during the ceremony)




After the family portraits were taken in the church grounds, we headed to a lovely Pier about a mile from the church that lent itself to some beautiful bridal portraits. Mike’s best man Graham was in a lively mood by the pier….a lot livelier than he was for his own wedding day which I was lucky enough to capture last year….he ensured we were “standing on shaky ground” while taking some photos on the jetty! Thanks to Rosanna, Laura, Dawn, Graham, Seán John and of course the trooper Jack who were great to work with for the Bridal Portraits.






We headed back to Kilronan Castle….a majestic spot…plenty of photo opportunities for a photographer! As if the grounds of the hotel didn’t offer up enough opportunities, we also had a spectacular fireworks display before guests were entertained by the music of the Late Late Show House Band, The Camembert Quartet. As excellent as they were, nobody filled the floor like Mike did when he went up and sang a few songs.









Without doubt, this was one of the most enjoyable weddings that I have had the pleasure of working at. As a result of VIP magazine doing a 10 page feature on the wedding, I probably asked more of Liz and Mike with regards to the photography than I have any other couple, and on each occasion their response to my requests were so positive and enthusiastic that it was simply a treat to be working with them. Thanks so much lads!



Make Up by Caroline Coyne, Video by Complete Wedding Videos and flowers by Calla Flower Design