Here is a sneak peek selection of photographs from Catherina and Jason’s Skibbereen, Castlefreke and Fernhill Wedding…
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Click here to see some of my favourite wedding photographs of 2019
Click here to see a wedding dress photoshoot in Fernhill House Gardens
Skibbereen Castlefreke Fernhill Wedding
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Fiona and Kieran were married in Belgooley Church near Kinsale in West Cork. We were really worried about the weather prior to the day as the Mini Beast From The East had been predicted but on the day we had lovely warm sunshine right through the afternoon.
There was a GAA theme to the wedding with a guard of honour from Kieran’s hurling team at the church. After the ceremony we took a quick stop for photographs at the railway bridge near Fiona’s house and then went on to Clonakilty town.
Clonakilty is a fantastic town for photography, with lots of pubs and shopfronts that can be used as backdrops. This time we were in a bit of a rush to get up to Fernhill House and Gardens so we took our photographs at An Teach Beag with the wedding party and then in Spillers Lane with Fiona and Kieran.
We arrived at Fernhill House at 4.30 (bang on schedule!) and were greeted by Neil O’Neill and his mother Teresa. We took a tour of the fantastic function room and did some photographs with their wedding cake before getting onto the golf cart on steroids and driving down to the marquee in the gardens for the drinks reception.
We had planned to take our formal family photographs inside the marquee but as the weather was so good we were able to do the in the gardens and then we had lots of casual photographs with their family and friends. At around 5.30, the bell for dinner was rung and as the guests were making their way up to the hotel we did some nice photographs in the gardens with the wedding party and with Fiona and Kieran to finish off the day.
I sent Fiona and Kieran a sneak peek of around 120 photographs around 36 hours after their wedding so that they could share them with their families and friends before they went on honeymoon, here is what Fiona texted me when she saw her photos…
Hi Dermot. Thanks so much… They look absolutely amazing. The lighting and mix of them all is stunning. You did a fantastic job, couldn’t ask for more!!
Click here to see my best of 2017 wedding photographs, you never know who you might recognise!!
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Irene and Chris had their early springtime wedding in the beautiful St. Fachtna’s Church in Rosscarbery. The weather was chilly and showery but we managed to avoid the rain throughout the day.
Chris brought a lot of his Scottish heritage and culture to the wedding. There were thistles in the bouquets, a bagpiper at the church and to lead them into dinner. There was a beautiful Thistle and Shamrock entwined pin in Chris’s kilt and a huge amount of men in kilts attending the celebration.
After the ceremony we went down the Pier Road in Rosscarbery for photographs with the wedding party. Irene had spent a lot of her childhood summers playing down along this road so this location had relevance and significance for Irene and her sisters.
After the Pier Road photos, we let the bridesmaids and groomsmen head on to the hotel and Irene, Chris and I went to a stunningly romantic location in Castlefreke Woods that I had found on a recce earlier that morning. The trees along the pathway formed a arch that enclosed us and created a tunnel of green and dappled light. I knew that this would be a perfect spot for some timeless backlit portraits that would compliment Irene’s stunning dress and Chris’s traditional Scottish outfit.
I like to work fast so that my photographs appear casual and that the bride and groom don’t get bored and fed up with too much delay, so we were back in the car in about 10 minutes and on our way to the drink reception in Fernhill House Hotel in Clonakilty.
We arrived at Fernhill at about 4.30 which allowed a good hour for the drinks reception and the formal family photographs. At around 6pm, the sound of the bagpipes were heard echoing around the corridors of the hotel as Irene and Chris followed their piper through the dining room and on to the top table.
I had a sneak peek selection of 100 photographs ready to send to Irene and Chris by lunchtime on the day after the wedding, here is what Irene txted me in reply…
Dermot, I just don’t think there are words to thank you enough for doing such a wonderful job on Friday. You kept the whole ship running so smoothly and the magnificent photos were worth the bracing cold!! I absolutely love the photos and cannot wait to see the rest. Thanks a million, Irene and Chris!
Click here to see a post about why wedding albums are so important in this digital age
I post lots my my wedding photographs on my Instagram Page
Fantastic Wedding Venue Fernhill House Hotel
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Maria and Alan were married in the North Cathedral in Cork and had their wedding reception at Fernhill House Hotel in Clonakilty. Even though it was the 1st of December, we had fantastic weather. Bright and chilly but dry and not windy, perfect for wedding photography as long as the bride and bridesmaids had something to keep their shoulders warm, which they did!
Top tip for photographers and wedding guests, get to the North Cathedral early, parking can be difficult there, especially if the bridesmaids are arriving in a stretch limo.
We managed to beat the Cork city traffic and get to Fernhill House in Clonakilty by 4.30, which left lots of time for mingling with guests before the dinner bell was rung. We took 10 minutes in the gardens before dinner to get some nighttime shots, and then it was straight into the function room for speeches, dinner and dancing. What a brilliant day!!
Click here to see the photographs that Cork brides really like
I post a lot more of my wedding photographs on my instagram page
How to manage time on a wedding day…
Wedding day mornings can be stressful for everyone, but especially if you are the bride!
There is the early start with the hair dresser and make-up artist for yourself and your wedding party. Then getting fitted into your wedding dress, attaching your veil and making sure that you have everything essential packed before you leave for your ceremony, as well as finding time to have something to eat. (Most Important!)
To make sure all the important moments in this special day are fully captured, you will need to set some time aside for photography.
Picture it… your hair is perfect, your make-up is perfect, your dress is perfect, everybody is looking great and ceremony ready. That is the perfect time for bridal portraits, photographs with your parents and bridesmaids, and any family members that are at the house.
In my experience, most people underestimate how long everything takes and that can make the last 30 minutes at home before you leave a bit of a panic.
The last thing you need in the build up to your wedding ceremony is to feel flustered and stressed out.
I have been shooting weddings for more than 10 years and over this time I have developed a wedding day timeline that can be applied to any wedding and which allows plenty of time for the preparations, for the photography and, most importantly, time for a bit of a breather with your bridesmaids and a glass of Prosecco before you leave.
All photographers have different priorities and ways of working, but I have found that this system ensures that all the photographs that a bride would want get taken in a relaxed way, and my past couples really appreciate having an organised schedule for their day.
Let’s look at The Morning first…
Bridal hair can take anything up to an hour and make-up usually takes around 45 minutes. You should request that your hairdresser to give you a realistic time estimate, based on how many bridesmaids you have. Don’t forget to include your mum in the timing as well. I recommend that the bride goes second or third for hair and make-up and we fit everyone else around her.
Allow yourself 30 to 40 minutes, after hair and make-up, to get into your wedding dress and veil. It may seem like a long time, but trust me, wedding dresses are fiddley to button or lace up, and veils can be tricky to fit properly. Ensure that your mum and one bridesmaid dressed and ready ahead of you, so that they can help you into your dress and look good in the photographs you being buttoned up.
By the time that the bride is ready for the Photographer, her parents, bridesmaids and any flower girls / pageboys who are at the house should be ready as well. If the bride wants any other family members in the photos at this point, they should also be ready.
I set aside 30 minutes for photographs in the house when everyone is ready and then I go to the church or ceremony location.
The Ceremony…
I like to arrive at the church 30 minutes before the ceremony is due to begin. I will have arranged for the groom, the grooms parents and groomsmen to be at the church waiting for me.
I will spend 10 to 15 minutes photographing the grooms party before the guests start arriving and then I will photograph the flowers and details in the church and introduce myself to the celebrant.
I recommend that brides arrive at the church or ceremony venue at the time that their ceremony is due to begin, if you arrive any earlier, nobody is ready for you!
By the time we have taken some photographs in the wedding car, got the bridesmaids lined up, started the music and had the procession down the aisle, it is usually 10 or 15 minutes after the official start time, which is perfect for everybody.
Try not to stress about walking up the aisle. Nearly every bride I have worked with has felt nervious about that part of the day, but in reality, you will be at up the altar, kissing your husband to be, about 30 seconds after you start. The whole thing will be a wonderful, exciting blur!
If you have an Irish catholic church wedding with 150 guests and you decide to have your formal family photographs at the church before you go to the hotel, it will take two and a quarter hours altogether.
If you have a one o’clock wedding, you will be leaving the church in your car at about 3.15. If you have more guests it will take a bit longer and if you have a civil ceremony, knock about 30 minutes off the time.
The location shoot…
This is my favourite part of the wedding day. All the stressful bits are over and now all you have to do is enjoy yourself.
We would decide in advance where and how long we want to stop for photographs on the way to the drinks reception. Beaches, forests, castles and gardens all work well and we would need around 30 minutes to get what we need.
Ideally, I want to get you to your hotel for around 4.30 so that you can have a good hour with your guests before they ring the bell for dinner.
When we arrive back at the hotel, it’s nice for the couple to take a look at their dining room all laid out and ready for their guests. We usually take a shot with the wedding cake at this time as well.
When the venue rings the bell for dinner, the couple have around 20 -30 minutes before they are announced into the room, and that is a good time for a few relaxed photos in the bridal suite and it gives the couple the chance for a few minutes alone before they head down to dinner, the speeches and the dancing.
Sometimes couples finish the photography when dinner starts, but it is popular now to have a creative night shoot in the grounds of your wedding venue when the sun goes down after dinner. Backlit photographs and sparkler shots with your gang of pals can help fill in the time while the band is getting set up.
At around 10.00 – 10.15, the band should be ready to rock. I shoot the first dance and about three songs from the band before saying my goodbyes to everyone and I’m tucked up in bed, fast asleep when you are singing rebel songs in the residents bar at 4am!!
Here is a typical wedding schedule that I will have agreed with my couple and that we try and stick to throughout the day.
10.30 I arrive at The Brides house to begin the photography
11.00 The Bride’s hair and make up finished, mum and bridesmaid dressed and ready for photography
11.10 The Bride’s starts into her wedding dress, mum and bridesmaid assisting
11.40 The Bride + her parents, bridesmaids and flower girl dressed and ready for photography
12.10 I leave The Bride’s house and go to the Church
12.30 Photos at the Church with The Groom + his parents, groomsmen and pageboy
01.00 The Bride arrives and the ceremony begins
02.15 Greeting line with the guests after the ceremony
03.00 Formal family photographs at the church,
03.15 Leave Church and go to the location
04.10 Leave the location and go to the hotel
04.30 Arrive at hotel, photo with wedding cake and drinks reception casual photos with friends
05.30 Ring bell for dinner, photographs in the bridal suire
06.00 Enter dining room, speeches after the starter.
I hope that this post gives you an insight into how to manage time on a wedding day, if you would like any more info or a chat about your own wedding day, give me a call on 086 806 4613 or
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I post a lot of my wedding photographs on my instagram page
Take a look at the photographs that Cork Brides really like
GAA Winter Wedding Photographs At Fernhill House Hotel Cork
Despite the rain which put a damper on our original plans to go to Wisemans Carraig Abhainn Garden’s in Durrus West Cork for photographs, we managed to get some great shots in Clonakilty. Just before dinner, Linda and Pio braved the misty weather conditions to do some night time photographs in Fernhill House Hotel’s gardens.We even managed to get some sparklers lit!
I post lots of my wedding photographs on my Instagram Page
Check out which photographs Cork Brides like best…
They say that there are two things left after a wedding, the rings and the photographs. Well, your rings are pretty hardy and can look after themselves, but your photographs need some special care and attention. That is why wedding albums are so important in this digital age.
If you just have your wedding photographs on a disc or a USB drive, they are very vulnerable. Discs get damaged and lost, operating systems change and files can no longer be read or opened.
How many VHS tapes have you got gathering dust, and how many wedding videos are no longer watchable without being transferred onto a disc, which can be damaged or lost…
If you take the time after your wedding to go through your photographs to choose your favourites and then get your photographer to create an album for you, you are creating a historical document for your family.
You may not look through it too many times after you first get it, but I guarantee that as the years roll on and especially if you have children, your wedding album will become a treasured family heirloom.
With the modern storybook albums, your photographer isn’t just putting pictures into a book, they are creating a visual story of your day. Many modern photographers also have excellent graphic design skills and the computer software to design layouts and spreads to compliment your images and bring your wedding day to life.
Scroll down to see some of the layouts I have done for my recent wedding clients. I try to make each page a mini story of a particular part of the day, from the grooms and brides preparations in the morning to the speeches and dancing in the evening and I like to make some of the epic and dramatic shots into double page spreads.
Click here to see the range of wedding albums I can provide…
To enjoy your wedding day and to have great photographs to treasure afterwards, my two pieces of advice to any couple who are planning their wedding are… Pick a photographer that you can get on with, as they will be with you for most of the day and most importantly, get a wedding album!!
I was delighted to receive the Wedding Photograph Of The Month award from photographers.ie for this photograph which was taken at Rosemarie and Raymond’s wedding at Fernhill House Hotel last month.
Jennifer and Traolach were married in The Honan Chapel in the grounds of UCC in Cork. We used to beautiful grounds and buildings on the campus as a backdrop for our photographs and then went on to the wonderful Fernhill House Hotel for the reception.
Michelle and Colm were married in Barryroe Church in beautiful West Cork and following their ceremony, we went to Dunworley beach for photographs. Their reception was held in Fernhill House Hotel, and we stopped off in Clonakilty to take advantage of the fantastic photo opportunities available in the town.
