Whimsical, Dark & Romantic Wedding Styling Inspiration/ Northern Ireland Wedding Photographer
As a destination wedding photographer, I like to provide my clients with bridal inspiration and build relationships with other creatives in the wedding industry so that when my clients ask me for recommendations I am able to point them in the right direction. This shoot was by far the biggest and best to date!
As a destination wedding photographer, I like to provide my clients with bridal inspiration and build relationships with other creatives in the wedding industry so that when my clients ask me for recommendations I am able to point them in the right direction. This shoot was by far the biggest and best to date!
The shoot was held at the Mill Studio, a natural light studio based in Belfast. We focused on creating an elegant, whimsical wedding inspiration with lots of foliage, dramatic table setting and unique details. So often my brides would look for vendors who can think outside of the box, think big and be able to deliver some stunning creations that get people talking. A crimson cake made by Carly (Away with the Mixer) screams passion and romance. The ceremony backdrop made by Steph from This Old Home and stunning foliage from Lindsay (We are the Wildflower) is a true showstopper, that is going to look amazing on your ceremony photos and portraits and give your wedding a unique vibe. We also worked with Laura from Two Little Words Design Studio to create the invitation suite like never before. Hairstylist (Kellyann Jackson) created soft waves that flattered our model, Sarah. Sinead from Maid by Sinead, as usual, gave our model a dewy, flawless, romantic makeup look. Stunning dress from Ivy & White complimented the whole concept & suit from Reiss gave it a nice, relaxed touch.
Organising these shoots is always a big challenge for me and I never take these vendors relationships for granted. It has helped me develop so many social skills like coordinating for example, which is an essential part of every wedding's family photos. It has allowed me to get better in organising elopements in Ireland and helping my couples find the right vendors and plan the day adequately.
If you're a photographer or vendor who's thinking of joining me in organising another shoot, please join our Facebook group.
Vintage Inspired, Romantic Lissanoure Castle Wedding // Northern Ireland Wedding Photographer
This super romantic Lissanoure Castle wedding has finally hit the blog! Although I’ve been teasing about it on my Instagram, you just have to see the full gallery - it's a mix of documentary wedding photography, romantic, airy images, candid family shots and beautiful wedding portraits at a stunning Irish Castle. It's a great combination of traditional Irish wedding and a modern approach to it - an old venue but a super relaxed couple up for anything. The kind of weddings I love to photograph!
This super romantic Lissanoure Castle wedding has finally hit the blog! Although I’ve been teasing about it on my Instagram, you just have to see the full gallery - it's a mix of documentary wedding photography, romantic, airy images, candid family shots and beautiful wedding portraits at a stunning Irish Castle. It's a great combination of traditional Irish wedding and a modern approach to it - an old venue but a super relaxed couple up for anything. The kind of weddings I love to photograph!
Our morning prep began at a small Irish cottage a few miles from the castle, where Bethany's family had breakfast and prepared outfits & flowers for the ceremony later. The groom, Stephen, popped in to pick up his buttonholes and some final pieces for the ceremony. Bethany's mum arranged the wedding flowers herself & the bride made invitations and order of the ceremony. A beautiful, personal touch to the whole wedding decor.
After makeup and hair, we left for the second stage of the prep at Lissanoure Castle. We were placed at one of the bridal suites (the red one) and after some final touches, it was time to put the dress on, kiss goodbye and leave for the ceremony.
The ceremony was probably the most moving part of this wedding - I was barely holding back my tears and I can still remember the songs we sang and the vows Bethany and Stephen exchanged. It was a beautiful moment.
The reception began and following the usual plan I left my newlyweds alone for 10 minutes so they can greet their guests and say hello. Not entirely alone of course, as I was in the back photographing smiles and kisses. Later we left to take some family photos at the courtyard, photos of the bridal party and bridal photos. On the day I usually follow the lead of the couple and play it by ear - we can't always predict the weather & other elements, so I photograph them as long as they are happy to be photographed, for about 15-30 min.
The reception is another favourite moment of mine - I just adore photographing candid wedding moments, people smiling and acting natural, not knowing there's a camera that catches their smiles. During that time I'd also photograph dinner set up and cake.
The speeches are another great moment to capture natural reactions from guests. I loved how funny and sweet they were and how emotional it made everyone feel. It's not an easy task to write a meaningful speech, but once it's delivered I can assure you it all pays off! During the speeches, I stepped back not to block anyone view, but thanks to my 85mm lens I was able to capture close-ups and all the details from the distance.
Bethany & Stephen's wedding at Lissanoure Castle was one of my favourite weddings in 2018 - it was just a pure romantic, colourful Irish wedding of two madly in love people. I appreciate the opportunity and the trust they placed in me and I absolutely loved every second of it. Thank you!
Planning your wedding photos for Golden Hour
Golden hour light looks magical in any place whether it’s a wedding in the Irish countryside or in Morocco. It’s often called ‘magic hour’ because of its ability to create stunning portraits and makes a whole lot of difference to any images. It’s when the light is the softest, the most flattering and the most romantic and super easy to work with.
Golden Hour is a term used to describe the light during the last
hour before the sunset.
Golden hour light looks magical in any place whether it’s a wedding in the Irish countryside or in Morocco. It’s often called ‘magic hour’ because of its ability to create stunning portraits and makes a whole lot of difference to any images. It’s when the light is the softest, the most flattering and the most romantic and super easy to work with. Planning your wedding day timeline for Golden Hour Photos is vital - many couples wouldn’t realise this and arrange their timeline around cake cutting and first dance in the middle of the best light of the day.
Golden Hour can be tricky. UK and Ireland are very specific when it comes to sunsets - sometimes on a cloudy or rainy day, a golden hour isn’t guaranteed. I always check sunset times for all my weddings and engagements online at www.golden-hour.com or Google ‘golden hour’. I make sure to let my couples know there’s a good chance for sunset on their wedding day and make them aware of possible photos during that time.
Another thing is how different sunset happens at different times of the year. In January Golden Hour will come at 3 pm while in May it will be closer to 8 pm. Keep that in mind while planning out your timeline.
On the wedding day, Golden Hour portraits wouldn’t take longer than 30 min. I encourage my couples to have their engagement photos during that time and take a little longer than that - usually an hour, just in case we’re unlucky on the wedding day ;)
Take a look at some examples of Golden Hour wedding photography below.
An example of Golden Hour during sunrise at 7 am in New York City on the Brooklyn Bridge
Autumn Themed Wedding At The Carriage Rooms, Montalto Estate
This autumnal wedding shoot at the fabulous Carriage Rooms, Montalto, is all about lush, deep colours, textures, vibrant and natural wedding photography and the joy and endless inspiration that the most perfect, cosy season brings into the table.
Autumn inspired Wedding shoot At The rustic glam barn wedding venue in Northern Ireland - the Carriage Rooms
This autumnal wedding shoot at the fabulous Carriage Rooms, Montalto, is all about lush, deep colours, textures, vibrant and natural wedding photography and the joy and endless inspiration that the most perfect, cosy season brings into the table.
A few weeks ago my boyfriend Neil and I attended a family wedding at The Carriage Rooms, one of the most stunning wedding venues in Northern Ireland. While I loved being a guest for once and enjoyed the day, I was mostly swept away with how seamless the day went, how much care and attention was put into every detail by the fabulous team at The Carriage Rooms and how many hidden gems and photo opportunities this rustic and glamorous, Northern Irish wedding venue offers. I then quickly decided to put together an autumnal editorial shoot there and invite my favourite vendors and a few other photographers along to spend a day at the Montalto Estate exploring the grounds. The end goal is always to show you the venue, the cool things you can do on your wedding day, new styling ideas and of course, working again with my favourite people just so I have great recommendations for my couples. Still can’t believe this amazing shoot really happened and I’m in constant awe by the support of the little community of photographers and vendors I created in such a short time.
If you're an autumn bride you will surely agree there are endless options for decor and styling at this time of year. Pumpkins, rustic gold, wood, deep purples, reds, oranges, through the whole palette of autumnal leaves for your bridal posy and fresh produce to decorate your tables. I particularly enjoyed working on it with the styling team from This Old Home, Matt & Steph, who brought their super-talented woodworking skills and created an alternative and cool space at The Carriage Rooms. The macrame backdrop is a collaboration between This Old Home and The Copper Otter who made it. Their old-fashioned garden games and styling focused on utilising the existing space were a just perfect addition to the 'glam barn' vibe of the venue. We wanted to create an epitome of Autumn, a perfectly styled inspiration for all brides getting married through September, October and November.
The couple, Dee & Paddy were just amazing. They are naturally playful with each other and we couldn't go long without smiling and getting them to compete against each other during the garden games. Absolutely loved how open they were about the photos and how positive they stayed through the whole shoot ;)
Dee was wearing a stunning dress from Ivy and White, a newly opened bridal boutique in Lisburn specialising in luxurious, bohemian pieces by the brands like Made with Love or Bo & Luca. I truly adore Kerry and her sense of whimsy, fun and modern style! This is our second time working together (see first here) and definitely not the last. The dress, Mimi, was designed by Made with Love, which is an Australian brand creating contemporary pieces for unique brides which again, I had a chance to see on beautiful Charlotte (see on my Instagram feed).
The whole idea for Dee's makeup came from uber talented Sinead (Maid by Sinead) whose vision included dark lips, soft eye makeup, dewy, sunkissed and seamless finish on the skin. This is the third time I'm working with Sinead and I could honestly trust her with my own makeup one day when I'm ready to get married. We specifically wanted Dee's hair to feel bridal, Nicola who was our hair stylist did a fabulous job creating 2 styles - all the hair up and a half up half down. Dee was also wearing jewellery and two amazing hairpiece designs by Deborah K Design. Again, I can't put into words how lucky we are to have such amazing wedding vendors in Northern Ireland!
The wedding bouquet was created by Emma from Honeybee Blooms and as usual with her designs, she completely blew us away with how much thought was put into the piece. To create the volume and texture she used leaves and branches, poppy seed heads, chrysanthemum, all very seasonal and rustical. We also incorporated fresh, seasonal figs, grapes, physalis and berries for the table and cake design, creating an indulgent experience just to stand next to it. Carly (Away with the mixer) baked 2 semi-naked cakes, one with chocolate and red fruit and the second one with spiced apple and caramel. Both absolutely delicious and versatile to style within our theme. A great addition to any wedding table. We also wanted to showcase a huge possibility for a pop of colour on the autumnal stationery design. Avril from Freckles and Fern created a whole suite focused on the shades of purple and gold, which worked cohesively with the table styling, cake design, autumnal mood of the wedding shoot and the colours. The suite looks elegant, modern, bold and fresh. I'm always encouraging brides to have fun when planning the wedding and stay true to themselves and the time of the year their wedding takes place - after all, when a better chance to showcase your and your partner's personality than on your wedding day?
Vendors:
Photography @hellosugar_photography Models @dee_papermon @paddyjaki Hair @nmhairandbrows Makeup @maidbysineadbridalmakeup Styling and Backdrops @thisoldhome Macrame @thecopperotter Dress @ivyandwhitebride Venue @thecarriagerooms Flowers @honeybee_blooms Cake @helloawaywiththemixer Stationery @frecklesandferndesign Hairpiece @deborahkdesign Dress design @madewithlovebridal