I can’t claim to have photographed in all the wedding venues in Kerry, but in the past 10 years I have worked in most of them and here are my Top 5 Kerry Wedding Venues
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Ballyseede Castle Weddings
1. Ballyseede Castle in Tralee is a superb location for your wedding ceremony and reception. It is a stately home, set in beautiful gardens, with battlements around the roof, which give it the appearance of a castle, even though it is very cosy and comfortable inside.
The hotel has been tastefully extended to include a beautiful orangery for your drinks reception before you go through to the medieval banqueting hall for dinner.
My favourite locations here are the gardens with the manicured pathways and the beautiful roman temple. The stone steps at the front of the hotel are also excellent for photographs.
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Ballygarry House Hotel Weddings
2. The other hotel I like in Tralee is Ballygarry House Hotel. It is more modern than Ballyseede Castle, but it also has wonderful gardens and a huge foyer where your guests can enjoy their drinks reception. My favourite location here is the small bridge in the garden, which makes a great backdrop for a creative night shoot before the first dance.
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Sneem Hotel Weddings
3. The Sneem Hotel on the shores of Kenmare Bay is a modern hotel set in unspoilt parkland that runs down to the sea.
There is a separate house on the grounds overlooking the water that can be used for bridal preparations on the morning of the wedding.
My favourite features in this hotel is the terrace overlooking the bay, the pier and the rugged landscape of the grounds.
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Killarney Wedding Venues
Killarney must have at least 20 wedding venues, but I have chosen two that I particularly enjoy working in. Killarney also have some of the best scenery in Ireland and I have picked two locations that are easily accessible and that are great for wedding photography.
All hotels are set up now to hold civil ceremonies, but if you want to have a church wedding in Kerry, Killarney Catherdal is a beautiful and impressive venue for your ceremony. It’s open stone gothic interior and it’s huge altar make it a memorable location to get married in.
Killarney Cathedral
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Great Southern Hotel Killarney
4. The Great Southern Hotel in the centre of Killarney town first opened in 1845 and even had a visit from Queen Victoria in 1861.
There are several banqueting rooms in the hotel, and they can cater for parties from 40 to 600. The features that I love about this hotel are the amazing tiled entrance and reception area, the glass corridor, the gardens and the bridal suite.
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Muckross Park Hotel
5. Muckross Park Hotel is located about 10 minutes outside Killarney Town, opposite the gates into Muckross Abbey and Killarney National Park.
The hotel has two banqueting suites and can hold up to 270 in either room. The key features for me here are the gardens and the ground floor room for the drinks receptions, the spa, which is great for photographs, the huge stone entrance and the bridal suite.
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Killarney Wedding Photo Locations
There are two locations in Killarney that I love to take wedding parties to, for a 30 minute shoot on the way to their drinks reception.
Ross Castle
The first is Ross Castle, which is located on the edge of Killarney town. It is a well maintained castle and grounds on a lake, which works well as a backdrop for wedding photographs. The only issue I have with it is that it can be very busy with tourists, so I tend to avoid it during the summer months.
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Killarney Golf and Fishing Club
My all time favourite Killarney wedding photography location is the Golf and Fishing Club about 10 minutes from the centre of town, on the N72 towards Killorglin.
There are lakes and mountains, there are windswept trees and a humpback bridge and there is a picture perfect pier that runs out into the lake with a huge sky behind it.
It is fantastic in the summer and it is also fantastic at Christmas. It is a one stop 30 minute photo opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
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Click here to see a Killarney wedding in full
Click here to see some of my favourite 2019 wedding photographs