Quirky.... Inspired.... Original.... So many words....
 


 Within minutes of arriving I was so excited for the day ahead, a pageboy with converse, a completely individual dress, a flower girl with a quirky here comes the bride sign, so much to work with...








 And then came Michael Schumacher who was so kind to look after the veil for the couple of weeks prior to the wedding!



A school teacher with a dad who looked like he might possibly be the most intelligent person I have come across, Niamh is perfection, simple elegance through and through, she was so excited to be marrying her man of dreams that she had her special stash of tissues to hand all day.
 





 When the heavens opened upon exiting the church even the inches of rain couldnt dampen the mood, whilst sheltered indoors for the few minutes there was laughter and joy.

We enjoyed an afternoon of racing, girly twirls, jumping contests and I am sure after I left the fun just went on and on.





So to Niamh and Peter, the biggest few weeks of your lives have gone by, filled with sadness and joy, ups and downs. Those weeks have finished off making you man and wife and as you stood together before your wedding holding each other up, I hope you continue to do so for the rest of your lives, all of my love to you both and best wishes for your future xx

The Newest Addition - Wedding Memory Key

The sample memory key arrived this week.  In the moment I signed for it I never loved anybody more than I loved my postman!  As I tore open the package with anticipation I thought right I have gone crazy, this is what my life has come to, the best moment of my week, receiving a work sample haha.




I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.  In fact, I beamed all day long and thankfully it was not only me who was excited.  As I walked into the school yard I was collared by Susan, a recent bride who said Rachel, please can I have one, please? 







And after all that, here it is, make your own mind up about how crazy I am but I adore this!

Heather & Colin - Wedding Photography St. Marys Lucan and Leixlip Manor

 I was so excited about this wedding. As soon as Colin mentioned the yellow pick up truck I just thought, yes this is going to be fun.

As is the norm for me, whilst discussing the truck I mentioned to Colin that my dad bought his trucks through that garage and of course, yes there was some recognition there, I can't go anywhere...... 

Putting that aside and focussing on the day itself, entering the bridal suite this morning I was greeted by 3 gorgeous little girls and the handsome baby Conor. I love kids at weddings, they give so much opportunity for photographs and these ones certainly did not disappoint. From the gorgeous flowers in the girls hair to baby Conors smiling face these kiddies were the height of cuteness. Junior bridesmaid Emma really was sure she was the most beautiful girl in the world, but then Heather put on her dress and sure don't we all know, there is nothing in this world that makes a girl look so fabulous as the bridal glow, the glint in the eye, the excitement, the emotion and the months of planning coming into fruition and well, yes, Heather truly was absolutely stunning.
  Colin had an air of giddyness (if that is really a word) about him when I met him and the boys at the church. His eyes watered as he first saw his gorgeous daughter Rebecca but he held himself together like a true man and looked lovingly upon his bride walking down the aisle. The ceremony itself was a delight, the sly whispers here and there, the smiles and laughter, like little schoolkids messing when they weren't supposed to....
 
 I could not fault this pair in any way at all, having chosen my locality to celebrate their big day, St. Marys in Lucan village is a highly sought after church and the Leixlip Manor is a hidden gem with a very country chic feel about it. After an enjoyable day photographing Heather & Colin, or should I say, Mr & Mrs Fairbrother, I sat down to enjoy the most beautiful bowl of soup I have had in a long time which was presented perfectly in a bowl matching my first impressions of the Leixlip Manor house, country chic to the core......

Congratulations to both of you, I had a fantastic day with you and cannot wait to meet up very very soon to go over all of these gorgeous pics I have waiting for you.

Engagement shoots - wedding invitations featuring photography

I really do enjoy engagement shoots, I wish all brides would want an engagement shoot as it really gives time to bond and enjoy both that shoot and the wedding day.

Take Adel & Joe for example, I really love this couple, a word I do not use often but uber friendly!!!  Seriously!  We had so much fun getting the shots for the engagement shoot that when it came to the wedding day these guys were unbelievably comfortable, ready and willing for everything, even wanting more and more, as they had seen the results from a 30 minute session they were more than willing to give that little bit more time to me than usual on their wedding day.  In the end we had indoor pics, outdoor pics, bedroom pics, cake pics, gym pics, tonnes of pics which is JUST the way I like it!

Another option with engagement photos is to have personalised wedding invites made with them.  A simple relaxed photo with caption on a nice 6x4 card is an affordable way to invite guests to a wedding without having to spend a fortune.  Cards are often ordered as thank you cards with images on the front so why not invite cards too?  A set of 100 cards with white envelopes comes in at €120.

There is food for thought for you, speaking of food ........ brekkie!

Wedding Photography Blog - New found dedication

It is quite unfortunate that I do allow my blog to fall to the wayside from time to time - well no more I say!  Yes I do update daily on facebook but lets face it, facebook is not for everyone so for those of you who are not interested in social networking, I hereby promise to update regularly to the blog and feature weddings, thoughts, photos and so much more.

So from me to the world of internet - I apologise, this is it, I mean it now - HERE I AM, wedding photographer blogger extraordinaire!!!!!!

Different ideas for photography

Photos can be so much, a single photo can be so important to someone it might be the most valued thing they own!  I often think photography can be underappreciated, I don't mea that in a selfish way, I actually mean it.  We can do so much with photos, we can portray a feeling by capturing an image of a flower, we can remind someone of the emotion they felt on their wedding day by capturing that one stray tear or the huge bear hugs from friends but what else can we do.....

I love cuteness, I love attention to detail and ok, I may not be the most artistic person in the world but I have a terrible habit of making a fuss of family occasions.  It mainly began when my dear old dad ;) (dad I know you're not really old, sorry) turned 50, an uncle had written a poem about him years before and I decided to use it, I designed a folded card with old images and verses inside and left them at each table.  After that I decided, well I can do this more often, so I did it for another family friend, this time writing my own poem, then for my mam, then for my dads wedding blessing and so on and so on. 

Anyway, the point is, I have realised a simple and easy way to make the kids feel special, and here it is:

A personalised invite, designed by myself through photoshop and printed at the local photo lab giving me cost effective personalised invitations for my kids parties.

Happy Birthday Baby, love you lots and lots like jelly tots xxxxxx

Susan & Daniel - Army wedding at the Spa Hotel, Lucan - Wedding Photography

When Siobhan first contacted me I was already jealous, a bride who did not even have to arranger her own wedding as it was not Siobhan getting married but Susan, her sister.

Meeting the girls at the hotel to discuss how the day would go I was excited about it from the start, come on girls, you would all be excited to photograph an army wedding with guard of honour, i.e. hunky men in uniforms....

From the very start of the day I knew I was in for some fun, photographing the guys in the hotel getting ready I was in my element, this was my first army wedding and as I photographed the medals and patches on the uniform I was told what each stood for, also being informed that the best man would be the highest ranking soldier there, which worked great to my advantage! Why you ask? How much fun did I have photographing the guard of honour with the best man on my side shouting orders, the lads had to obey, standing to order on command. Pity though, no matter how much I asked they would not salute me, but salute Susan they did and sure why the hell not, from the moment she put her dress on she felt like a princess. Beaming ear to ear, this was her day, this was her dress and he was her man! So to Mr. & Mrs. Hooper, congratulations I wish you all the best in life, let every day be as happy as your wedding day xxx