Wedding Songs

This is one thing that brides definitely stress about.  From music for the church, the dvd to the first dance, the band etc etc. 

These days though, couples are becoming increasingly aware that their choice of music is what can set their wedding apart from others.  Music is way to ensure that your wedding is tailored to your tastes, be it the band choice, the church music, even just the background music in the hotel.

People are quickly moving away from bands doing the likes of Abba and looking for something with a rockier edgy feel.  Many pub bands are breaking into weddings because of this, take for instance Kev, my husband, who never thought he would do weddings with his band yet they are getting more and more requests.  There is a simple explanation for it, we have moved on a generation, many of the couples getting married today were kids of the 80's and 90's, come on, we have to admit it, the best night dancing we ever have is when it is the music of our teens so the likes of Guns n Roses is now acceptable  to be played at a wedding (we had November Rain play as we walked in to the reception) Bon Jovi is very popular also.  With today's music reverting back to a rock genre this gives the rock bands the opportunity to stick in some new songs into their set also so everybody is happy. 

The big question though for most, is the first dance.  First we would think about songs we love, I for one LOVE Adele but lets face it, her songs are about broken romance, sadness etc so straight away they are out, it is very important to remember the lyrics should be relevant and the song does not need to be a slow soppy song, you can go for something upbeat, I went for Queen and you're my best friend but they have many options you can go for, U2's beautiful day is another, here is something crazy though, for our wedding dvd we used Adam Sandler (the wedding singer) singing I wanna grow old with you and to me, this is possibly one of my favoutire choices of songs to suit us, having said that we also used Highway to hell ;)

Just remember, the songs you choose are to suit you, not to keep others happy, yes you want a band that caters for all but when you choose songs for your dvd and your first dance make sure they relate to you both as a couple and to your taste in music.

Good luck with it, if you have any suggestions please do comment below as I am sure other brides would love to hear them.

The stresses of modern Ireland

So this may not be completely wedding related, ok not at all,  but it may be something some of my clients, past, future or present, are experiencing. 

Yesterday I came across a site (http://antievictiontaskforce.com/), complete with video of a deputy sheriff being denied access to repossess a house in Co. Laois.  It goes to say people power can work.  There are so many arguments to say how we the people should be given some form of debt forgiveness considering the bank bailout.  Should we? 

Going through the site there are plenty of true stories, people in trouble and I sympathise greatly.  I believe the banks should be re-structuring the loans, they played a huge part in the mess up, we bailed them out so they should be helping us control our finances.

I bought my first house in 2003, I was a single mother working part time and I was extremely lucky to get a mortgage at all, but I could afford it, I was used to living on the bread line and despite being advised by a state employee to quit work, go on the list and claim rent allowance I thought no, if I can put a roof over my childs head myself, I will.  Only 3 months later I met the love of my life and after another couple of years we bought another house.  The mortgage was twice as big and we struggled greatly.  After selling we intended building our dream house in the country but one thing after another prevented that and for the first time I joined the rental market.  We are the lucky ones, we were given the support we needed when my husband was out of work, unlike friends who were only offered amounts to cover interest on their mortgages all the while receiving threatening letters from the bank.  It is a stressful situation, although we recently had 2 months back with him out of work, when he is working we are ok, we pay our way and get the odd night out.  Had we not sold that second house, well let me just say I would not be where I am, I would never have been able to afford to live the dream of becoming a wedding photographer, I would probably be doing some job that I hate and be so debt ridden my hair would be falling out. 

My point is, reading some of these stories I often think, that could be us and although many people told us we were crazy for selling when we did, looking back the house was worth twice what it is now, I only hope those who own it now are not suffering.  I often thank God that we made that decision, although there were times when we regretted it, we feel so lucky now.

Sacrificing is hard to do, be it your tv subscription, heat, even just a routine night out, it is hard to change your way of life when the bank balance drops and the bills increase.  It is even harder when you see that many of the bankers who earned through your hardship are still driving fancy cars and enjoying life.  I remember though watching the video and for a moment I sympathised with the deputy sheriff, he seemed like a genuinely nice man, he was doing his job, I suppose as we all would do int hese times, probably feeling lucky for the fact he had a job.  Our whole system is messed up and that is not his fault, thankfully he wasn't dealing with an angry mob but an educated man who posed no threat to him. 

We, in the traditional human way, feel angered by our misfortune and we like to find someone to place the blame on, be it the sheriff, the judge, the bank teller or manager.  The truth is though, in this country we know who we can put the blame on and it is our whole political  system.  Our Taoiseach says the people of Ireland got greedy, well I believe the government led the greed, starting with a fame hungry Taoiseach, we were led to believe that our boom was forever, buy now or you never will.  There was a sudden snobbery that became so overwhelming many of us felt we had to live up to the standards of our neighbours, otherwise suffer the laughter of others if we did not drive the right car or have the right size tv.  I succumbed to it, I had the house, I had the fancy car I couldn't afford, I pretty much had it all.  Did it make a difference?  Ok so I would love the fancy car again but I am a lot happier now and less stressed without an ever increasing mortgage and trying to keep up with the Jones' as they say.  Thing is I have hindsight, I made that decision to sell at the perfect time, I am lucky, how many of me are there?  The pitiful thing is, I actually do not know of anyone else in my position, all I know is there are people out there who are in such dire straits they have been broken beyond repair.

The question I have though is this, should the houses be re-valued and the loans reduced? Ok there are few things I look at in this world in a black and white view but this is one. We made the decisions to purchase, to take a specific amount in the loan, an informed decision, looking at our finances etc and we went ahead and did it.  So we stupidly believed that our politicians were Gods but is it right to assume that the loans should be recalculated?  I mean if one family is in trouble with their mortgage so their loan is revalued shouldn't the loans of all people be revalued, even those who are not in trouble.  How much worse off do we want our country? To me the only fair way to go ahead is re-structure the loans.  The only problem is there are reports the banks are not willing to do this, they want what they want and if they don't get it then tough luck. 

I say fair play to those who are working to help people who are in need through no fault of their own.  We as people should not feel ashamed that we need help, there are people there willing to give the help needed, to work alongside us and help us figure out a way through the mess.

The Nanny and her prince Charming

Sounds like a fairytale right?  All I can say is, if the tears are anything to go by, Christina really did marry her prince charming. 

I started the day bright and early, the sun beaming through the blue sky.  Cold, fresh air waking me up and getting me ready for the day ahead.  Arriving at the house I was led into a bright sun room where the girls were having their makeup done, excited but quiet, anticipating the day, the future, the rest of Christina's life. 

Guests were treated to some stunning music at the church, a quaint old country parish in Co. Wicklow.  I met Ann a few years back, believe it or not at the local swimming pool where our kids had lessons together.  She continues to impress me with her immense talent and really is the perfect addition for any wedding.  Christina walked down the aisle beaming, her eyes streaming tears of joy with Quentin completely mesmerised by her beauty.  They stepped forward together, as they would for the rest of their lives.



To me, Quentin and Christina fit, there is nothing seperate about them, they are one of those couples where I feel no matter what life throws at them they will stand together, as one. 




I pulled up at the hotel and had a brief chat with Martin, the videographer (www.myweddinginhd.ie) both of us amazed that we had made the 1 hour 40mn journey before any of the bridal party, when we saw a car pull up to the entrance.  Seeing the ribbon we assumed it was family so made our way to the door to await the arrival of our couple only to be shocked that in fact, Quentin had decided that he wanted to drive to the venue with Christina, spending some time alone, rather than travel in the wedding car.  It was a lovely idea and even though I had never come across it before I thought to myself, why not, on the one day of your lives where you completely give yourselves to one another, declare life long love, trust and devotion, why not take any opportunity to spend some time alone together.

Although surrounded by loving family and friends, I am sure both of you will find plenty of time in your lives to devote solely to one another and reflect on your journey, not just your trip from church to hotel but your whole journey from the very beginning, I wish for you that on those occasions you feel the happiness, warmth and closeness you felt on that one journey. 

All of my love to you both, Rachxxx

Wedding photography and why I LOVE it....

A picture like this is worth a thousand words, right?  Yes there are weddings where to me, one pic above all others stands out.  Others where I have 5 favourites, 10, 20 and so on but for me it is not only the image, it is the story behind the image, the story encased in the album and the memories of the experience.  From the very first meeting to the last, occasionally the continued relationships that stand afterwards. For me, wedding photography is not a job, I know I say it all the time but it is a way of life. 



I have a few clients who I retain regular contact, be it through continued work (hi Adel) or the odd email saying hello(Fidelma that is you!), a facebook chat pop up(you knew it was you Fiona) or just passing by locally at the school (hi Susan) but there are also clients who I may never meet again that hold special memories.

Here is a list of non photography things I have done in the last few years when covering a wedding, off the top of my head:
- Bringing luggage to the hotel
- Driving the mother to the church
- Fixing flowers
- Sewing buttons
- Fixing hair
- Doing make up
- Minding babies
- Cleaning tan marks
- Soft talking a priest for a late bride

The list goes on, the thing is though, these things are among those that make my job what it is, I'm not just the wedding photographer, I am the go to on the day if something goes wrong because after all at any wedding it is usually the photographer with the most experience.  Wedding day stress??? What stress, lol, here is to many many many many many more items to add to the list and to 2012, my busiest year, looking forward to many more fun experiences with all of my brides and grooms!

When life gets in the way.

I made a commitment to update the blog and facebook regularily.  I know that....  My intentions were well meant, you know that and I have kept the facebook side quite well but sometimes life just gets in the way. I feel very lucky though that over the weekend I had 1 very productive day giving me a few album designs, especially since the last few days I have suffered awful insomnia. 

Christmas is long gone now, even though my lovely husband refuses to take down his beloved rope light, love you chicken, my quiet time is coming to an end too.  Although January was wedding free there were remenants of editing and album designs to be completed so do not pity me, I was not just sitting around waiting for something to do but I have enjoyed down time yet I am rearing to get going again, best under pressure I LOVE a heavy workload.

One thing I do have to say though is this, when life gets in the way of well meant intentions, isn't it great when life can look like this: