Three Truths From an Irish Wedding Photographer
Yes, that’s right. No clickbait here. I have managed to distilled it all down to three most invaluable pieces of wisdom. I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings in a ‘documentary wedding” style all over Ireland over the past 10 years or so and I here’s everything you need to know in 3 easy to digest bullet points. Spoiler: There’s no technical in here and nothing about timelines. I mean three deeper truths that really get into it.
1. The Irish Weather Will Do What the Irish Weather Will Do.
Last September, Niamh and Conor had planned an outdoor ceremony in Wicklow. The forecast had guaranteed sunshine. As guests arrived, so did the rain and not the soft misty rain we sometimes get over here but that proper Irish torrential heavy drops that hurt kind of rain. Rain which prompts zero discussion about “should we stay or should we go?” Everyone just bolted for the indoors.
Niamh was initially devastated but when we popped outside during a break in the weather, the light was unreal. It was that post-rain luminescence that us photographers dream about the odd time. The sky was pure drama with charcoal clouds and the estate gardens were glistening. The photos from those ten minutes remain some of my favorites ever taken.
So, trust me when I say this: Embrace whatever weather comes. The unpredictability of our skies can create a canvas that can't be replicated. Those changing clouds, the dramatic skies and yep even the rain, create a uniquely Irish backdrop. Your willingness to dance in a sudden shower or run through through a puddle will create not just beautiful images but memories of how your day felt to you at the time.
2. Your Family Stories Matter More Than Pinterest Perfection.
Another story… I remember having a Zoom call with Aoife and James and they explained that their venue wasn't particularly "photogenic" and they “hate being in front of a camera with a passion”. Their reception would be in the small community hall in a small town in Kildare where his parents had married forty years earlier. No castle. No fairy lights. Just nice simple decorations and generations of family history.
Obviously, this was music to my ears. All I could see was the lovely gift of that community & connection. On their wedding day, I photographed James standing in exactly the same spot where his father had stood with his granny watching from the same chair she'd sat in decades earlier. The story in that image carries a weight that no carefully curated Pinterest backdrop ever could.
The weddings that stay with me aren't the ones with perfect details. They're the ones rich with heritage—the grandfather who plays the fiddle for the first dance, the handkerchief that's been carried by brides in the family for generations, the butterfly landing on Brenda’s flowers (IYKYK). These elements tell your actual story, not someone else's idea of what a wedding should be.
When you're planning or thinking through your day, ask yourselves what makes our families unique? What traditions, objects, or places carry meaning for us? These threads are connections and are so much more meanginful than a copy/paste of something the algorithm showed you along the way.
3. The In-between Spaces Hold the Most Precious Moments.
Enjoy the transitions. The walk between the ceremony and reception. The walk from the drinks reception to the dinner hall, those types of ‘transitions” but also, not just with each other. Enjoy them with hyour guests too… The few minutes you might get to have with your parents right before the ceremony kicks off. The quiet minute with your best man rehearsing your speeches. The wait with your dad for the ceremony door to open for you to walk down the aisle for the first time or even the split second after a formal photo when you think I've stopped shooting. These are all in-between moments and are really important to photograph but also to live through.
These unscripted moments will happen if you let them and in years to come, they’ll be the ones that transport you back to your day and not to just how it looked but to how it felt..
My best advice? Create space in your day for these moments to unfold. Don't rush from one thing to the next. Allow for quiet minutes, for impromptu conversations, for simply being present.
Your wedding will be beautiful because it's yours. The rain, the family & friends, the inbetweenie bits - these aren't obstacles to perfect photographs, they’re the the very elements that make your story unique and worth telling.