From the moment I booked Olga and Johnny’s wedding, I knew it was going to be memorable. I love marquee weddings, and I’ve always wanted to do a wedding with a festival feel. Their wedding ticked both boxes, with a fantastic setup on their farm in Kilternan and the added bonus of amazing views of Dublin city (it must be in the running for the title of “Farm with the best view ever”).
It was, first and foremost, a celebration of Olga and Johnny, and it delivered in spades in this respect. As well as the marquee on the farm, we were treated to a visit from Olga’s horse Sponge, miniature donkeys, a pyramid of hay bales for a very brave bride to climb onto alongside the bridal party, a shebeen in a trailer, a cocktail bar in a horse box, fantastic music, great food, couches and coffee tables made of hay bales by the groom, beautiful lighting, a convoy of tractors to bring the bride and groom from the church to the farm, lots of laughs, amazing weather, and (as the city boy in me discovered), quite a bit of cow poo if you naively ventured too far into the field next to the marquee!
With all that happiness and celebration, it was also probably the most emotional wedding I’ve ever photographed – a day tinged with sadness because of who wasn’t able to be there as much as happiness for who was. Foremost in everyone’s mind was Johnny’s sister Dara who lost her life in the most tragic of circumstances a few months before the wedding. The manner in which Olga, Johnny, their families and their friends acknowledged that sadness throughout the day was memorable, heartbreaking, beautiful and loving.
It’s always a privilege to photograph a wedding, and in particular to meet, spend a day with, and be invited into the world of the families of the bride and groom. This was especially true in this case, and having expected a memorable day, indeed I will not quickly forget “Jolga Fitzharrington”‘s big day!
