Caroline and Jim's Trim Castle Hotel Wedding / April 20, 2016 by Aidan Oliver Weldon

Caroline ands Jim’s August 2015 wedding was a real treat to photograph. Caroline comes from a rural picturesque village called Donaghpatrick which is a few miles outside Navan town. We had the bridal preparations in her parents house, which is an extended red brick schoolhouse dating back to 1883. Her dad had added on to this fine property some years back and looking at it you would not think it was done as such. My assistant for the day was Eamonn and we watched and observed as the morning unfolded - a very relaxed affair. Her Dad, a hardworking farmer is very proud of his refurbished and painted farm machinery which he proudly exhibits in the side garden of the house; we could not resist a shot of of him alongside this restored equipment. Caroline’s uncle runs the grocery shop next door so I dropped in and grabbed a photo of the good man himself with his wares was a backdrop. It all added to the day. Eamonn brought along his instamatic camera and handed over some wonderfully candid shots to guests as we went about documenting the day.

Caroline was soon ready, appearing in her beautiful designer dress and I caught a couple of photos of both mother and daughter as they chatted both delighted and excited. We observed, capturing peoples interaction and snapping shots of family and friends as they went about preparing for the day ahead, from loading their cars, to ticking off their lists, some light conversation, everyone anticipating looking forward to this wedding celebration..

The ceremony took place in Kilberry Church, a few miles away. On the way back to her parents house (for a drink and a few photos in the garden) we had to stop to let the cows cross the road - this provided an ample opportunity for a rural shot, something different and another photo to add to the wedding story.

On we went to Trim Castle Hotel for the reception and a walk around the castle. Jim is big into Elvis so I suggested he bring a few albums along and we feature these in a couple of shots. The craic was mighty here. We let the bridal party head off and headed across the river Boyne to St Mary’s Abbey & the Yellow Steeple backdrops for a few shots that the couple had envisaged prior to their wedding day. You could smell the late summer air and the reeds along the hill provided a wonderful texture to the shots.

Back we went for the meal, for Tropical Storm’s wonderful renditions of Elvis’s songs as they serenaded each table of smiling guests. Instead of a first dance, the couple sang a tune, then danced late into the night.

I wish Caroline and Jim the very best for their future together and thank them for taking me on to capture their unique wedding.

Anita and Conor's August Wedding in Castle Durrow / December 8, 2015 by Aidan Oliver Weldon

Anita and Conor were married in Durrow this August just gone. Anybody who is familiar with Durrow knows that not just is it a quaint little village with a wonderful castle right smack in the middle of its centre - but that it hosts equally wonderful creative Scarecrow Festival every year. I though it fitting to start and finish with a shot from this festivals entries as a tribute to what you see when you enter and leave. I also made a little trip to the Church as I normal like to get the lie of the land if it has been a while since I've been there last.

Photographing the bridal preparations is made much easier when you have a large room with plenty of light and the natural backdrop of the castle gardens always provide great scenery to muse over, loose a minute or two. It was a very relaxed affair, and I even managed to nip over to Conor's room to grab a few photos of himself to tie all it in nicely.

The lovely couple were married locally in Cullahill Church by the wonderful father Tom McGree who by all accounts was a lively priest for his 75 years of age. The ceremony was celebrated with smiles and genial laughter. A quick greet post ceremony and we all headed back to Durrow for an outside reception in the blistering sun. I love watching people, having a laugh, a joke and just generally interacting. We took some informal photos of the families and bridal party then headed in when called for the meal, through the garden pavilion and to the banqueting hall.

Speaking of food, much of the castles organically grown produce is used for their weddings fare and the very same gardens are a joy to see in seasonal bloom, August being no different. Food is their speciality here so it is important to see everyone sat in time as it can be a long day.

Grace was said and my day was done. I had a tasty bite to eat in the main bar and back off to Dublin I went, delighted and honoured to be able to have captured Anita and Conor's wedding. I wish them the very best for their future together.

Michelle and Conor - Summer Wedding / October 1, 2015 by Aidan Oliver Weldon

Michelle and Conor were married in July this year in St Mary's Church Barrowhouse. Michelle had her bridal preparations in Portmarnock and headed off to Barrowhouse for the ceremony. The reception was in the Clanard Court Hotel which a few miles from the venue through the picturesque & busy town of Athy.

This booking came as a result of photographic friends of theirs wedding last year, i.e, Eva and Gavin. I'll be posting this wedding soon as I was waiting for the ability to post a video inside the blog.

All I can reiterate here is that this wedding was fun, absolute and utter fun, two people made for each other and so full of life.

I particularly love the series of images that were taken on top of the bridge near the canal as. Conor saw a branch which was caught up in Michelle's dress which he removed. Being a tall lad and both being absolute characters the he removed this branch but not without this moment being translated into a fun scene - it made for the series of photos, a kind gesture turned into a photographic opportunity. This is what we as photographers see, opportunities at every corner, observing and documenting, the whole shebang. During our pre-wedding talks Conor mentioned to me that there was a field full of grain at the back of the hotel which was aching to be used for a couple of shots so fingers crossed we set out for a look and it was dry, phew...

Have a look at a selection of images of the day below to get a feel for the day as it unfolded.

Supplier list:

Venue: Clanard Court Hotel
Photographer: Aidan Oliver Photography
Church: St Marys Barrowhouse

Jaime and David's Engagement Shoot and Wedding / August 10, 2012 by Conor Palin-Stewart Photography

There has been a bit of a hiatus lately with our blog updates but we are delighted to have the time to continue with said updates and particularly a few weddings that have particularly stood out. Jaime and David's recent engagement shoot/wedding was no exception, both were captured within a month of each other (due to the increasingly inclement Irish weather). It was hoped that the engagement shoot be taken a tad earlier but such as life in these meteorologically erratic times.

It was a pleasure to work with both Jaime and David and you could see how close they are to each other and good together starting with the engagement shoot. It took the normal fifteen minutes to introduce both Jaime and David (it had been a year since we initially met) to the camera and after that, well, we had some simple fun doing some creative photography.

We have started with the couples engagement shoot first and then some wedding photos. The engagement or pre wedding shoot took place on Eastwall which is incidentially both David and my favourite place in the city to visit. It was also the place where I partook in the Spencer Tunick shoot in June 2008. This time I was the other side of the camera!. Jaime and David's Wedding took place in Castle Leslie which is simply an amazing wedding venue to photograph both inside and out.

Here is the exact quote from Jaime sent by text when she received her wedding images for review: "Hi Aidan, thanks again for such FAB pictures, we love them. We never expected them to be that good". We wish them the best for their future together.

Jaime & David's Pre Wedding Shoot