Ballyvolane House: Wedding Weekend in Ireland

Dave and I found ourselves going to Ireland at the start of June, for the first time without children in fourteen years of traveling there, for his cousin Donn’s wedding.

Donn and Cathy got married at Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, County Cork. I was attending as a wedding guest, and gratefully so as I was able to dance until 3:30 a.m. (But as an aside, if you are planning on getting married at Ballyvolane House or in Ireland and are seeking a wedding photographer, I think you should reach out and talk to me!).

Most Irish weddings I have been to (and we had one ourselves!) have a two day element, and so the day after we sat by the fire outside in Donn’s family home & garden in Fermoy. This back garden is really like walking onto the pages of The Secret Garden.

To say the wedding weekend was beautiful, poignant and fun are massive understatements. I will require an entire box of tissues for any wedding that includes John O’Donohue poetry & blessings. (Take a listen to this interview with him on the podcast On Being)

For the photos, I made sure to never get in the way of the Official Photographer because that’s just a real jerk thing to do, as well as made room for being present for all the storytelling and ‘piss-taking’ that happens in Irish conversation. This means you will only see a brief, candid appearance of the actual bride and groom! However I think you’ll enjoy the visual journey of our travels.

Last call out- we’re heading out to the West Coast of Ireland for two weeks in August, if you are around and want a session, drop me a line here.

Until then, Enjoy!

Mount Stephen Wedding: Colin & Stefania

I met Stefania last November at the Elegant Weddings Show — she was working with Jennifer from Events by Cece at their booth and I had popped over to compliment them on their flowers. It took seconds for me to like both Jennifer and Stefania… and throughout the day Stefania talked to me about her plans for her wedding at The Mount Stephen in Montreal. We hit it off at the show and made plans to meet up (with her husband-to-be Colin in tow) a few days later to discuss all things wedding. And so… here we are!

We woke up on the first Saturday in May to the sun warming up our skies and generally relaxing the city of Montreal into thinking Spring had arrived. At the Mount Stephen — the staircases of flowers and decor accentuated the stainglass windows, statues, golden frescoes, wood paneling and carpeted staircases. All so beautiful with natural light pouring in from the windows outside.

Stefania & Colin’s wedding was intimate, relaxed, with a penchant for kicking the shoes off and hitting the carpeted dance floor. Here are a selection of some of my favorite photographs of their wedding day, I think it will give you a better impression than my words can of what the evening felt like.

Congratulations to Stefania & Colin — and many thanks to all their family and friends for inviting me into the fold for the evening. xo

Venue: Mount Stephen Hotel & Bar George Planning & Flowers: Events by Cece Gown: Anais Anette at Ma Cherie Bleu Suiting: Tiger of Sweden Rings: Pierre Bourgeois Hair & Makeup: Alper Sisters Cake: Family Friend Desserts: Alexandra Charlotte Cupcakes DJ: Larry Paiement

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Last Shot: Fannie & Deep Engagement

Engagement shoots are an interesting challenge with a good assortment of variables that any juggler would have a hard time keeping all up in the air.

When I look for locations I am thinking of it’s lighting, the mood the space will provide, it’s ability to provide different contexts, and also has an element of privacy.

For this particular shoot the original venue had done some drastic things to their venue for an art show… and so I quickly had to pull another venue out of my pocket that wasn’t too far away. Fortunately I remembered a building that was nearby and open to the public, just from the off chance that months ago my daughter and I had wandered in there looking for some vintage furniture. (You see, everything DOES happen for a reason!)

My point - there is one - I read the other day that a good photographer is a good problem solver. It does not matter how much you plan for something, you have to be able to handle the unexpected.

At any rate, this space proved to be a perfect backdrop on this sunny cold January Saturday and I am looking forward to showcasing the rest of these photos.

This photo was the last photo taken of the day… we had packed up, Fannie & Deep had all their winter gear back on and then we walked into this patch of sun in the stairwell.

They were game for one last photo and…

Perfect.