I love when the wonderful world of word of mouth means you end up photographing a wedding for a couple who met you at a previous wedding, and so it was with Suzanne and Paul. It’s always a reassuring feeling to be certain that your clients know and love your work in advance of you actually photographing for them, and that you have their trust to approach their day as you wish.
The wedding was at Castleknock Hotel, which I’d been in before to photograph groom prep, but never for a full wedding day. Ceremony and reception were on site, with Suzanne and Paul getting ready at home first. I started my day with Suzanne where she was in the safe hands of Adrienne Brennan from Powder Room Girls who was doing the hair, and Rhona Cullinan, who was doing the makeup. There was a great buzz in the house, helped along by some neighbours and friends calling to the garden for some socially distant well wishes before we departed for the ceremony.
On arrival at Castleknock Suzanne was surprised by friends from the Porterstown Panthers, a running club that she and her dad and joined over lockdown to keep fit. They formed a guard of honour outside the hotel as the bride and her father entered for the wedding ceremony.
Aoife Bolger was the celebrant for a beautiful ceremony in a very nicely decorated room in the hotel, after which guests moved outside for drinks while we took some family photos and popped around to the rear of the hotel for some couple and bridal party portraits, with the excellent Ana Conlon capturing video for the day.
Dinner was followed by a slideshow that Suzanne had compiled (and I had produced for her) to surprise Paul, featuring photos of them growing up and beginning and developing their relationship. Over dinner I snuck in a few photos from the day itself as a surprise to close out the slideshow. There were also video messages from friends and family who couldn’t make it on the day. A lull after the meal allowed me the chance to capture A Shot In The Dark before a first dance and a father-daughter dance brought the celebrations to a close.
I really enjoyed working with Suzanne and Paul for the day, and we had a lot of fun right through. All suppliers worked well to keep things on time, and in the end the guests had plenty of mingling time with the happy couple, which is as it should be.
Well, what can I say – I literally cannot say enough about this man and his photographic talent! Ronan has the ideal personality for his job and clicks with everyone that’s around on the morning of the wedding. I’ll never forget the fun, laughs and chats we had with Ronan on the wedding day. Such a quiet, gentleman with amazing talent! If you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding, I would highly recommend that you look no further than Ronan Palliser – the man’s a legend and you will NOT be disappointed!” – Suzanne via Google reviews
