Deirdre & Mark's Wedding in Two Mile House, Co. Kildare and Mt. Wolseley, Co. Carlow

  I spent a lovely Friday two weeks ago photographing Deirdre and Mark's wedding at the church in Two Mile House, Co. Kildare and the reception at Mt. Wolseley, Co. Carlow. Deirdre and Mark are really nice, genuinely friendly people and made me feel really welcome during the day. Everyone could see how in love they were with each other, and this shows in their photographs.

    Here are a couple from the church where you can see how much of a fun couple they are. And what a beautiful little church in Two Mile House.

The gardens at Mt. Wolseley in Co. Carlow are absolutely made for weddings. Private and romantic, and we were thrilled that we had escaped the rain throughout the day. I love these shots by the gazebo. I think Deidre and Mark look so natural and happy.

Aren't the flowers gorgeous? Have to get the name of the florist!

And I think it was Deidre's Aunt who made the beautiful cakes? How lucky is Deirdre!

The best of luck to Deirdre and Mark!!!
Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the festivities!

Photojojo.com, Instructions For Making Your Mobile Phone Look Like a Vintage Camera

I've started a new hobby recently. Vintage cameras that use film! Yes, that's right...FILM. I love the look of cameras from before the 80s. And the look of film prints is pretty awesome. Hate the developing bit though.

Anyway, found a cool tutorial on how to make a skin for your phone using pics of your own vintage cameras or the ones the author made (including a Leica). Have fun!!!

 http://content.photojojo.com/diy/make-your-phone-look-like-a-camera/

Beautiful Chenille Irish Baby Blankets From Dargle Design, County Wicklow

    I'm at an age now where everyone seems to be having babies. There is a  challenge of finding original, unique, well-made gifts at a decent price. When my new little nephew Ben was born two weeks ago, I needed to send a present quick. I wanted it to be a heirloom, but useful too.
    I searched Ebay first for handmade personalised blankets, but the designs all seemed to be uninteresting and I'd have to buy outside of Ireland. After googling a bit, I found handmade chenille blankets at Dargle Design in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

You can choose from several designs and colours as seen on their webpage here http://www.dargledesign.ie/

The blanket is plush old-fashioned chenille and they can personalise according to your wishes. It's great to be able to order something handmade in Ireland, and something that LOOKS Irish too! And they had it done and sent to my nephew the day after I ordered.
I wish I would have known about them years ago when my sister in Colorado had her babies. Don't hesitate to try them out when you need a unique baby gift. These blankets are super quality.

And Ben loves his!

And the Bride Wore a Minidress... to a Fabulous Wedding at Fallon & Byrne, Dublin

When I first met Tanya and Joel this winter, I knew their wedding would be fun, modern and unconventional. Tanya is Irish from County Meath and Joel is American from New Mexico. They met while working at Google in Dublin a few years back. Now they live in New York where they continue to work at Google. They are a super cute couple and I was really excited about shooting their wedding this past May.

We started the day at The Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar, Dublin. What a fabulous place to take photos! Loads of natural light, neutral-coloured walls, and quirky fun furnishings. Tanya's room was huge and even had a red, antique, cast iron bath in the middle!

And check out Joel chilling like Morpheus in the swanky gold throne! 

From the Morgan, it was only a 5-minute walk down to Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer St. Fallon & Byrne is well-known for its glorious food hall and restaurant, but I had no idea that they now have a room for receptions as well. This place is absolutely wonderful to take photographs in. Like the Morgan, the walls of Fallon & Byrne are a light neutral and there is loads of sunlight coming in through the huge windows. For a modern city-centre wedding, I think Fallon & Byrne is absolutely wonderful. I can't imagine why some couples would want to travel outside of Dublin when they could have a beautiful civil-ceremony here (the registry office in Dublin could take some tips from F&B on interior design). 

Tanya and Joel obviously put a lot of thought into their beautiful civil ceremony. This was one of the most romantic and heart-moving ceremonies that I have ever been to. People who think that they should get married in a church in order to have a beautiful wedding should think twice. Tanya and Joel had friends and family of theirs give advice on marriage, which provided much laughter. Everyone was relaxed and felt comfortable here. There was a whole lotta love in the air.

From there we went to a couple of locations in Dublin to take pictures. Here are a handful of faves from the day.

Dublin Castle

 

Outside Fallon & Byrne on the free bikes and in a comic shop!

At the Grand Canal in Dublin

On the Luas tram and at St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street. Notice how I did a mock-up of a famous Life magazine photo from the 1940s.

While the wedding party was out in the hot Irish sun posing like supermodels, the rest of the guests were enjoying Guinness at the victorian Stag's Head Pub down the street from F&B. There is a function room above the main bar at the Stag's Head, and this where the real party started. Have a look here for some history of the pub http://www.louisfitzgerald.com/stagshead/

      Then on to the reception at Fallon & Byrne where the food was amazing. Really unique, gourmet, high-quality dishes so untypical of weddings. Starters were tapas of crusty bread and cured meats, olives, cheese, and artichokes. Mains of Morrocan lamb tagine, vegetable couscous, pan-fried fish, and the most beautiful salads I've ever seen. Dessert was a sampling of mini cakes and tarts. Yummy!!! 

     The speeches were heartfelt and funny, with lots of hugs and kisses. Then on into the wee hours of the night dancing up a storm!

To Tanya and Joel and everyone at their wedding, thank you for including me in such a wonderful day!!!