Sharon & James had a lovely winter wedding coming up to Christmas so the atmosphere was special as you might expect. The ceremony was in Abbeyleix church and it looked amazing. Afterwards we went to the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise which was glowing with festive fairy lights for Christmas. A perfect day ,rounded off with a beautiful night photo outside for good measure.
Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise | Sharon & James
Martinstown House | Aine & Shane
Shane & Aine always planned a small intimate and romantic wedding with their family so Covid didn’t really change their plans. Their Winter Wedding in Martinstown House Co. KIldare just before Christmas was perfect. They really did pull off the best possible wedding in the middle of a pandemic.
The staff of Martinstown’s House went to great lengths to ensure the safety of every member of the family that attended. I’ve shot weddings in Martinstown House before but the last time was in the height of Summer so I was really looking forward to seeing the venue in Winter and especially at Christmas time. Boy they didn’t disappoint. It really has so much to use all year round.
Shane & Aine welcomed me into their family circle (as much as they could under the circumstances) and I felt really at ease all day. We got tons of great photos all in good time and they never really had to leave the party because everything was so central and easy.
Here’s just a small selection of photos from their wonderful wedding day. Hope you enjoy :)
Thanks for stopping by.
joe
Killeshin Hotel Portlaoise | Lisa & Dave
Lisa & David’s wedding was on a lovely November day in the Killeshin Hotel Portlaoise. The ceremony and reception were all within the hotel on the day so we had lots of time to concentrate on the little details that Lisa and the lovely staff put so much effort into.
Dave, being a thoroughly chilled individual, was nearly as relaxed about everything as Lisa was. Although he was getting quite nervous before the ceremony as you might expect.
We had a lovely mild day for November which mean’t we had lots of time to leave the hotel and go to get some photos in Emo Court just outside of Portlaoise.
The weather gave us ample scope to get loads of photos outside. Even late that night after the meal and before the first dance we managed to get some lovely night shots.
Here is just a small sample of the photos…Hope you enjoy.
The Midlands Park Hotel | Megan & Ray's wedding day...
Megan & Ray’s wedding day began in the most relaxed way. Everyone was so chilled I worried we might be way behind getting to the church on time! Not a bit, as it turned out everything ran like clockwork.
The sun shone and Fr. Paddy’s ceremony was short and sweet. After the mass in the lovely chapel in the Heath, we had time to go to the lake for a few pics followed by a quick trip up to the epic ruin of Dunamase Castle just outside Portlaoise.
Afterwards we went to join the rest of the guests at the reception in the Midlands Park Hotel Portlaoise (https://www.midlandsparkhotel.com/) where the fun really began.
We carried on the party all evening and even managed a few lovely night shots after I got lots of pics on the dance floor as things got funny very quickly!!!
Here’s just a small selection, hope you enjoy…
Thanks for stopping by,
joe
Racket Hall | Elaine & Tadhg's Summer Wedding...
June 23rd, the high of Summer, and Racket Hall (https://www.rackethallhotel.com/) in Roscrea was to be the venue for Elaine & Tadhg's Wedding. Weather permitting we would have the ceremony out on the lawn.
The good staff of the hotel had already set the scene inside the hotel but at the very last hour decided it was safe to go for it outside. And so, in haste and with army precision they quickly rearranged the whole event so the ceremony could go ahead out on the lawn as hoped.
Elaine and Tadhg are a very relaxed couple so none of this was a problem. The detail and planning that went into this ceremony was evident from the outset, but it happened with great ease.
My brief was simple, to capture the charm and essence of the occasion. Of the hundreds of photos I took for them that day, here are but a few, to hopefully give you a sense of the lovely day we all had.
Thanks for stopping by.
joe
Charleville Castle | Margaret & Dave's wedding...
Margaret and David (or Mags & Dave as I got to know them quickly by), have an enthusiasm that made the job of photographing their wedding day a joy. My luck continued through the day as I meet all the bridal party who made me feel like I was one of the family. As the preperations of the morning mixed with a few glasses of champagne, I moved from the calm of Mag's homeplace to the even-calmer surroundings of Dave's.
Mags had warned me that Dave wasn't keen on getting his photo taken..most blokes aren't. But if he was, he didn't take long to get over it. I immediately clicked with him and his motley crew of Groomsmen, and straight away I knew it would be a great day.
After the ceremony we made a dash for Charleville House (http://www.charlevillecastle.ie/) just outside Tullamore. It was their intention to have fun with the photos and not take it too seriously or formal. A quick glance through the pics and you can tell that was definitely the case.
Later, we returned to the Bridge House(https://www.bridgehousehoteltullamore.ie/) for more fun and games. Towards the end of an awesome day I managed to take them away from the festivities for one last pic. Outside under the arches and using a little off-camera-flash and my umbrella, I think the final pic captures their playful and infectious attitude that summed up the day nicely.
Thank you for stopping by to look, and thanks so much to Mags & Dave for a great day.
Talbot Hotel Carlow | Tracy & Noel's wedding day...
Another wonderful Winter Wedding in January this year. Noel & Tracy were blessed with the weather and the atmosphere which comes with a lovely day like this in January was electric.
The wedding ceremony was in the lovely church in Ballyroan Co. Laois. Afterwards we made a quick visit to Heywood Garden just outside Abbeyleix for some classic wedding photographs.
Then we moved swiftly along to the Talbot Hotel in Carlow (https://www.talbotcarlow.ie/) where we had the reception and even managed to get a few cracking photos.
Here's just a small selection of the photos I took for them..hope u enjoy.
Kinnity Castle | Anne & Trevor's wedding day...
On the morning of Anne & Trevor's wedding I got lost trying to find Trevor's family home in the countryside not far from Clonaslee. When I eventually found the lovely homestead, and In typical Irish fashion, I was given a warm welcome and offered lots of Tea. I found Anne's homeplace easier (even though its more remote) as I had photographed her brothers wedding a year or two back, so it was nice to see so many familiar faces.
Both Anne & Trevor had farming backgrounds (Anne works as a vet in Mountmellick) so I smiled when I got to the chapel and saw they had prepared a nice bouquet of flowers sitting in a pair of wellies at the entrance to welcome guests.
I hadn't been back to Kinnity Castle (https://www.kinnittycastlehotel.com/) for such a long time (I got married there myself, fado fado). After Anne & Trevor's lovely wedding ceremony in Clonaslee church, everyone made a bee-line for Kinnity. As we made our way through the long winding driveway to the castle, you can't help but be impressed by the uniqueness of this very old gem in the Slieve Blooms.
After a beautiful day in such lovely surroundings we made our way out to the courtyard to attempt to launch some Chinese lanterns. With the exception of one or two fires it went off really well. It was a lovely symbolic moment for the newly-weds to see their lantern light and rise up in the night sky.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to look.
joe
The Midlands Park Hotel | Oliver & Denise's Wedding Day...
I've been so lucky in my work, photographing cool couples on probably the happiest day of their lives!
Recently I had the pleasure of photographing the Wedding of Oliver Dowling and Denise Cotter at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise.(https://www.midlandsparkhotel.com/).
This wonderful couple were a joy to photograph, as they and they're lovely family, went about the business of enjoying themselves. All day, they and their children, made me feel at ease as if I was part of the family. Here, are just a few of the photos from that day..hope you enjoy.
Joe
