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Markree Castle Wedding RTE My Big Day Home or Away.

My Big Day: Home or Away is the RTE wedding series and I was lucky enough to shoot the Markree Castle episode. The couple in question were Brenda and Liam along with their two beautiful children Roisin & Suzi. Tara Fay put me in touch with the couple as they were looking for a very relaxed, natural and candid photography approach to their wedding day.

The wedding took place at Markree Castle. An amazing place. In fact, photos do not do it justice. You really have to go and get a feel for the scale of the narrow rooms with high ceilings. The Chapel itself is spectacular and the entrance hall has to be one of the most impressive entrances to any Irish Castle I've seen.

The cameras were going to be very prominent on the day and even though the CoCo Productions film crew wanted to stay low-key I thought it would be great to bring their presence into the story of the day. They popped up everywhere and anywhere, I thought the boom looked hilarious so I tried to include where possible. There were some set-ups for the camera too but even they were fun. Brenda and Liam for the large part just got on with the day, it was impressive to see how they were able to switch off and forget they were being filmed for TV. They mingled with their guests while I captured the events as discreetly as possible.

We had to quickly scramble to get the family photos right at the end of the drinks reception. The handiest usable spot was the smoking area! Like I said before, it is a very pretty castle!

I stayed late to photograph the speeches and dancing. The speeches were hilarious at times and very poignant with Liam needing a little love to get through a particularly tough piece on his late mother. You get a really great insight into the couple's personalities, I really enjoy them.

The dancing kicked off and I stayed on to shoot the madness for about a half-hour then it was time to go. Tara is one of the hardest working wedding planners I know and sure enough, she and Bruce were still pottering away in the background as I was leaving. It wasn't all show for the cameras! They really put a shift in and deserve a lot of praise.

After delivering the slideshow, Breda told me: "I would like to say a massive thank you for being a part of our day. It was like we had known you for years! Everything went so well and you were a big part of that."

Delighted to be part of it all too!

Photography by Shane O'Neill https://www.instagram.com/aspect.photography/

Wedding Planners https://www.waterlilyweddings.com/

Location: https://www.gregans.ie

Hair by Val O'Dea: https://www.hairbyval.ie/

Flowers https://www.anthesisfloral.com/h

Celebrant https://www.daramolloy.com/

What a day. What a venue. Eileen and Adnan couldn't have planned it any better. A Civil Wedding Ceremony at the fantastic newly refurbished Adare Manor in County Limerick.

The day kicked off with Eileen and her bridesmaids getting ready at the Manor. The room looked like it was a custom built hair and make up studio. Adnan, eased into things with a stroll on the golf course. Two of his groomsmen played a few holes but Adnan was a content spectator. They met up later and enjoyed a glass of Guinness. The ceremony itself took place int he Grand Ballroom, a spectacular location. Having had a brief Nikkah ceremony the day previous, they were very relaxed about it all. Willie Collins did the ceremony while Eileen had some friends playing instruments throughout the ceremony adding a personal touch.

After the ceremony we sped away to the Walled Gardens for some quick family photos followed by a few arty ones in front of the Adare Manor. Their emphasis was very much on the part, and we got back to the drinks reception as quickly as we could. It was a super party. Champagne flowed and before you knew it, it was time for dinner call. I took a stroll around the fabulous grounds while they were seated and witnessed a pretty spectacular sunset over the lake on the golf course. Pity there was no bride and groom with me to make the most of it! The speeches were great. The highlight was Eileen's Limerick to Adnan. It was seriously witty and she deservedly brought the house down. Then off-kicked the dancing.

As I left, the most spectacular full moon hung in the night sky. Outside was flat calm. In stark contrast to inside where the party raged on as I headed for the hills.

printed on Archival Matte photo paper.

Ballymaloe Wedding.

When Mags & Paul contacted me, they told me about the wedding day they hoped to have at Ballymaloe House. They were looking to keep it modest and understated yet give their sixty guests a day they will never forget. A perfect match for Ballymaloe House and for me its always a pleasure to shoot there. Walking the halls of the House is like walking around an Art Gallery. Then the surroundings are pretty spectacular. It's a very inspiring place to work. I was delighted they chose me as their wedding photographer.

They wanted a low-key approach, just to record it all as I experienced it. Of course, not forgetting their baby Kate who was also the flower girl, who proved to be a perfect model!

What an experience it was too. They chose to get ready separately with a 4 pm humanist ceremony with Norma McElligott in the conservatory. Its fair to say the emotions got a little better of them both but they rode it very well!

We took a little stroll around the magnificent grounds after the ceremony. Just to catch their breaths and spend a little quality time together after tieing the knot. Meanwhile, the guests tucked into some of the most amazing interactive canopies at the drinks receptions. Did I mention Ballymaloe do good food??! We grabbed a few quick family shots but this day was about them and their family and friends. It was a pleasure to shoot and be part of the occasion.