This Winter wedding holds a special place in my heart for two reasons. The first is that I actually photographed Josh’s sister’s wedding and it’s always an honour to be asked back into a family’s celebrations. The second reason is because I was delighted that two of my images from their stunning day made it to the final of The Irish Professional Photographers & Videographers Association (IPPVA) Wedding Documentary Photographer of the Year Awards.
Katie and Josh have impeccable taste. They had chosen to get married in Trinity College Chapel, after both studying medicine there, before travelling to Clonabreany House for their reception. I was so excited to shoot this one, and it didn’t disappoint!
I arrived at a very busy house on the morning of the wedding. Katie had five bridesmaids so there was a lot of hair and makeup happening by the talented Denise Bray and Deborah Murphy. The Christmas decorations were up which made everything feel so warm and joyful. Katie’s mum and aunt were super organised too. I love it when I get a bride’s mum like this because they are so helpful and Katie’s mum made sure everything was just right throughout the day.
Katie wore a Pronovias dress which was like a fairytale dream- perfect for a winter wedding. Her shoes were Badgely Mischka and wow were they showstoppers with crystals on the heel...I so wanted to take them home with me! Katie is such a natural beauty that the small details of sparkle looked so elegant on her. The bridesmaids complimented her perfectly in their pink full length dresses from ChiChi London.
The excitement in the house was unreal and when Katie’s look came together with her dress, hair, makeup and bouquet from Southgate Florist, you could feel the emotion in the room.
As I arrived at Trinity Chapel to photograph Josh and his groomsmen, Josh was super cool waiting at the church and greeting his guests. He had such a big smile on his face with no obvious nerves in sight. I was so happy to see that they had chosen to wear tails from Aston Formalwear. I love when the men wear suits with tails for winter weddings as it just adds to the fairytale vibe. The groomsmen accented their suits with pink ties to match the bridesmaids while Josh went for a stripe.
He moved inside when the bridesmaids arrived, and then Katie in a beautiful cream and dark red Daimler Limousine from Lawler Chauffeur Services. The surroundings of Trinity are ideal for photographs so we took a few outside before it was time for the big entrance and ceremony.
The inside of Trinity College Chapel is amazing, with stained glass windows and the unusual shape for the pews and aisle meant that everyone got a good view of the bride as she walked up the aisle towards Josh. It almost had a royal feel to it. The vows were exchanged and then there were cheers for the happy couple as they walked down the aisle and back out into the cold but clear day outside.
Now, it was time for some portraits of the new Mr and Mrs. The old stonework, architecture and wooden doors at Trinity look so cool as backdrops for photographs so we used them to our hearts content. As it was a winter wedding, there is always a fear of losing the light because it gets dark so quickly. Therefore, we did all of the formal photos at Trinity before travelling to the reception. This is a great tip for anyone getting married during the Winter months.
Then we made our way to the beautiful Clonabreany House in Kells, County Meath. I can’t think of a better venue to suit the style of Katie and Josh’s wedding day. It is an old country house with an attached permanent marquee. It is so elegant inside and the reception room looked gorgeous lit with all the twinkly fairy lights and candelabras.
The tables were dressed with pink and white flowers, eucalyptus and greenery from VP Flowers. The cake was incredible from Bernadette Kelly in Navan and as the guests mingled, they were treated to some jazz music by Two’s Company.
It was completely dark outside by this time so a sparkler photo just had to be done. We gathered up the bridal party and headed outside to have some festive fun. This shot is a lot of fun to do and one, of course, that made the final of the IPPVA Awards which made me a very happy photographer!
As I left them to continue the party, it was cold outside but there was nothing but warmth and love inside Clonabreany House that’s for sure. It was a dream photographing Katie and Josh’s wedding and I wish them so much health and happiness as they embark on married life together.
