2017 In Review!

It’s hard to believe that 2017 has drawn to a close already, but what an amazing year it was! These are a few of my highlights from the year, some of my favourite photos, memorable moments and scroll down to the bottom to see my favourite wedding of the year!

Thank you so much to everyone who was a part of my 2017 and who invited me to photograph their family or their wedding. I can’t wait to join all the couples for 2018 and meet so many more new people and their families! I’d love to tell your story in 2018 and beyond so please check out my wedding and portrait galleries on my website and get in contact!

Cake smashes have been growing in popularity and it is clear to see why! I photographed Jack’s big brother a few years ago and he had the same happy-go-lucky personality as his sibling and loved making a mess of both the cake and his parents’ clothes! Little Morgan was full of fantastic expressions that had myself and her parents giggling throughout the shoot, while the studio has yet to recover from the whirlwind of energy that was the twins Thomas-Og & Tamsyn-Rose for their joint cake smash!

It’s a highlight that is hard to show through the photos but, with the except of one 10 minute drizzle, I didn’t have one rainy day for my Holy Communion and Confirmation shoots, I really hope my luck lasts for 2018 as well!

With so many photoshoots throughout the year it would be expected to have the occasional hiccup, and none more so than during Clodagh & Hayley’s engagement session at the stunning Murder Hole beach in Donegal. As we started to head back to the cars we had to make a rush across part of the beach to get back to the other side and ended up with the result below! (Don’t worry, I had gone first and was equally as soaked as they were!) And in Belfast, Kellie and Shane were photobombed by the cutest little girl who just wanted to enjoy her ice-pop by the river!

The image below from Rebekah and George’s engagement shoot is the perfect example of why I always aim to take photos just before sunset, the low sun always creates a stunning light that is ideal for dramatic photos!

I was fortunate to be asked to photograph so many unique and beautiful weddings this year that is was hard to choose my favourites, every wedding had elements that I loved so much. There were moments of so much emotion, the Irish landscape created the perfect background and dramatic sunsets would bring another amazing day to a close. It was a privilege to create these photos and so many more that couples and families will treasure for decades ahead.

Words fail me to describe Caroline & Ryan’s cake, the level of detail was astounding and even more surprising that it wasn’t created by a professional cake-maker but by Caroline’s mum, who certainly has missed her calling! This work of art was the centrepiece of a reception filled with details that were clearly a labour of love in themselves. Each table had a centrepiece with hand-decorated bottles with a photo of the happy couple while each person on the top table had a photograph of themself with either the bride or groom from their lives together.

Sandy couldn’t believe her luck when not only did the wallpaper in the bridal suite perfectly complement her flowers and her style, but she fell in love with this MGB sportscar hidden behind her venue although she was quickly whisked away by her new hubbie Kieran when the hotel owner told her it was up for sale!

 

I couldn’t have a review of 2017 without mentioning my first wedding in a Scottish castle. After starting the day with some clay pigeon shooting, Adele + Tony tied the knot in the Great Hall in the stunning 15th Century Comlongon Castle before their grand banquet and partying into the wee small hours!

A gorgeous twilight portrait is the perfect end to your wedding album as well as the perfect finale to this gallery. It was so hard to whittle the choices down to only two images but these show that even once the sun has set there is plenty of opportunity for your dream photos!

There is only one wedding that could possibly have been my favourite of 2017 and that is, of course, my own wedding to my amazing Vanessa! We had such a perfect day with our friends and family and it was amazing (and eye-opening!) to experience the emotions and excitement that my couples encounter throughout the planning and during the big day itself! Rome was a beautiful backdrop to our wedding and the day itself flew by in a whirlwind of excitement, laughter and Prosecco!