On my first visit to Moyvalley Hotel a couple of years ago, I liked it a lot. On this, my second visit, I loved it. It’s now firmly on the list of favourite venues. Part of the appeal on this occasion was that as well as the wedding reception, Jane and Vinnie’s ceremony was at the venue too, and that always reveals a different aspect to a location – in this case the beautiful ceremony room in Balyna House.
The day started in Mulhuddart where Jane, and bridesmaids – sister Claire and cousin Sarah – were getting ready, while flower girl Nina did her best to steal the show! It was a relaxed morning, and it was lovely to work alongside the always-pleasant Lorraine Browne Hair once again.
With things running nicely to schedule I was able to head to Moyvalley in time to catch up with Vinnie, best man Eoin and groomsman Gavin before Jane’s arrival and a lovely ceremony under the guidance of Emma Sides of the Humanist Association of Ireland. Some of my photos from the ceremony became instant favourites, thanks to the fantastically genuine reactions and emotions from the bride and groom – a running theme during the day, actually – and thanks to the lovely light coming in through the large windows at the top of the room.
After the ceremony and receiving line we got a quick set of family photos before Jane and Vinnie mingled with guests and enjoyed the music for a while. After about 20 minutes, and with the weather threatening to change, the bridal party and I headed outside to explore the grounds and make our way towards the function room which sits off a beautiful courtyard, stopping for some photos as we walked. It was cold, so we finished the bridal party photos in the warmth of the lobby before returning to the old house for the rest of the drinks reception.
The bell for dinner was punctual, and once the old house was empty of guests we did a few more photos finding window light and showing off Jane’s fabulous dress in all its glory!
Speeches after the main course were just fantastic and I captured some great reactions. I’ve started photographing the speeches a little differently recently too, and it really paid dividends on this occasion.
With the Wales v Ireland rugby match overlapping with the meal, once dessert was fiinished some guests took the chance to catch up with the end of the first half, and at half time, thanks to very cooperative guests, I managed to use the courtyard for a very quick group photo of the entire wedding. The courtyard became my canvas one more time for a trademark night time shot before the last few photographs of the first dance brought my role in the day to a close.
