Wedding Photography

A&E - Wedding Photography at the Maryborough Hotel /  by Jan

I enjoyed photographing this wedding so much, I split it up into two blog posts. So, click here if you want to see the wedding preparation photos of the bride and groom beforehand. They’re lovely photos that were so much fun to photograph with the architecture of the hotel. I’m such a sucker for tall windows! Haha!

With this wedding, I had a second shooter with me, Nic, who was a fantastic addition to the day. She was able to capture extra photos of the ceremony from another angle, which added so much to the final results of the photos. Having a second shooter might not be in everybody’s budget, but I would heavily recommend couples using this option!

Usually when I write these wedding blogs, I hone in on my three favourite parts or aspects of the wedding. And with this wedding, I will continue that tradition.

Reason 1 - Magic

I think one of my favourite parts of the wedding was the setting: the Orangery at The Maryborough. For those who don’t know, the Orangery in Cork is a venue with expansive glass walls, lush greenery, and cascading natural light. It’s a fantastic wedding venue as it let’s in so much light and has a magical botanical look to it.

It almost looks like the couple had a destination wedding with how exotic the Orangery looks. I am not aware of any other wedding venue in Cork that looks like that – and would recommend it for its views of the greenery and gardens outside

Reason 2 – Heart

Heart

“…my second favourite part of the wedding was the best man’s speech during the ceremony.”

On a more personal note, to the couple, my second favourite part of the wedding was the best man’s speech during the ceremony. He absolutely knocked it out of the park with what he said: it was a perfect balance of hilarious banter, that made everyone laugh, and heartfelt moments. That’s exactly the way it should be.

Reason 3 – A photographer’s obsession

And my third favourite thing, not that these are in any order at all, has to be the staircases! This is a wedding photographer’s dream. Both the indoor and main outdoor stairs that lead up to the main entrance. These staircases were great as they add height, interest, and architecture to the shoot.

It’s funny as well, both Aisling and Emmett are both relaxed and easy-going people, but the one demand Aisling did have was that we had to do the couple shoot on the staircase! In black and white! Haha, don’t worry Aisling, that was my thought too!

Thanks for letting me photograph your wedding!

Have a look here at my wedding photography packages for 2023/2024.

5-star Google Review

Aisling and Emmett clearly enjoyed the photos and the whole wedding day with us as well. They left me this lovely Google review:

“We used Save The Journey as our wedding photographer for our wedding in May. We have only great things to say about them.

From the first point of contact to the day of the wedding Jannik was so helpful, informative and overall just a lovely person to deal with.
On the day of the wedding Jannik and Nikki were fantastic, super professional while still making the whole experience fun and relaxed. We both said afterwards how much fun we had getting the couples photos taken!

We are absolutely thrilled with how our photos turned out, they are exactly what we had asked for! If you are considering using Save the Journey as your wedding photographer 100% go for it!! Thanks again for everything Jannik and Nikki! 😊”

If you’d like me to photograph your proposal, say hi to me here. I’d love to hear from you!

And remember, besides proposal photography, I also photograph the following:

• Adventure Couple Shoots in Cork

• Proposal Photography in Cork

• Event Photography in Cork

• and more!

Getting Ready - Wedding Preparations Photography /  by Jan

We find ourselves at the Maryborough Hotel in Douglas for a wedding. The weather is surprisingly good, compared to the last week or two, and later on in the day, we’ll actually have beautiful sunlight and our first taste of summer.

The wedding couple, Aisling and Emmet, are in their separate hotel rooms. Having stayed at the hotel since the previous night, they are having very different experiences right now. Aisling is nervously excited, drinking champagne with her girls, music is on in the background, with the make-up and hair stylist doing their rounds.

Emmet is bricking it. From his balcony they can see the room his future wife is in, but they can not see her. He gets out a bottle of whiskey, pours himself and his boys a bit of courage, and then himself a little bit more. Generous is the word I’m looking for, I think.

We’ll get to the rest of this wedding on another day with a follow up wedding post, but I wanted to focus in on just theses wedding preparation moments here, as I had such a great time photographing this part of the wedding. Getting those detail shots of the wedding ring, the wedding dress, and all the important bits for a wedding was such a joy. Aisling and the girls were so relaxed and fun, I managed to capture so many lovely little moments.

The room itself was gorgeous as well, and I took full advantage of those tall windows letting in so much natural light. It made for some fantastically dramatic and dreamy wedding photos. It was especially great for these mother and daughter moments.

And talking about the parents, what about when Aisling’s father got to see her in her wedding dress for the first time? What a moment! It’s so sweet.

As the bridal party is heading towards the ceremony which is in the Maryborough’s Orangery, a conservatory style wedding venue, here is Emmet seeing his bride for the first time!

Maryborough Hotel Wedding

“…here is Emmet seeing his bride for the first time!”

In the next blog post, you will get to see the full wedding ceremony, the wedding couple photo shoot and the afters! I will link it here once it has been posted. So make sure to come back in a couple of days to see those photos.

If you want to see more wedding photography blog posts, you can view those here, including the couple photo shoots I do in and around Cork.

Looking for a wedding photographer and wondering about different wedding packages? Please see these pages and give me a call with any questions or say hello here. We can chat about pricing/price list and availability and all about your wedding plans!

Edit: Here is the second blog post with the remaining wedding photos at the Maryborough Hotel.

Wedding ceremony and couple shoot

My Favourite Wedding Photography Moments, Part 1 /  by Jan

I always pinch myself on wedding days. I can’t believe I get to be a photographer and work with so many great wedding couples, like all the ones I’ve met over the years! It’s a dream come true for me.

I’ve started this series of wedding photography blog posts, an opportunity to hone in on specific moments that sometimes get lost in the other wedding blog posts about each individual wedding with the photos of the whole day.

This series is not particular order but with today’s blog post, I’m starting out strong. I absolutely love photographing the couple shoots on the wedding day! And Cork’s nature is great for it!

Nature Couple Shoots

I grew up loving nature. I spent a lot of time in the water, in the forests, hiking and climbing, exploring and having adventures. I think my upbringing really reflects in my photography. Photographing outdoors with these amazing backdrops that we are spoiled with in Ireland, make the photos so much more special. From mountains to the coast and beaches, there are so many beautiful spots in Cork for some wedding couple photography.

A nice side effect of doing the couple shoot is that it gives the couple a moment to have a breather from the rest of the wedding day. It’s in those moments that it’s beautiful to capture those intimate couple photos.

Nature Is Great but Indoors Is Cool Too

This wedding took place at the FOTA House, just outside Cork city. The couple in this case requested something different. So an indoor couple shoot it was!

My Approach – Couple Shoot Locations

When I do the couple photo shoots, I plan the locations thoroughly. I research and visit the spots beforehand, so that nothing is left to chance.

As a wedding photographer I’m looking for:

• a great location that’s easy to get to

• preferably good weather or alternatively somewhere sheltered

• the height of the sun and the sun direction

• always have a back up plan!

Besides keeping an eye on the weather report, not just temperature but wind and wind direction as well, I even research the direction and height of the sun. It’s vital information to take that into account in conjunction with the day’s programme to find the perfect time frame and spot to do the couple shoot! The light is so important!

It’s also important to be realistic with the location. A small break away from the wedding party is great, but we also don’t want to leave everyone waiting for hours, or take away from your special day and have you, the couple, missing out on fun moments.

I always do my best to find a nearby spot which is both beautiful and not difficult to get to. Especially with the bride’s dress and shoes! Talking about shoes, depending on the dress, I like to advice the bride to wear more comfortable shoes for the more adventurous couple shoots. They can then slip back into the proper wedding shoes for the party again.

Each Wedding is Unique

The great thing about weddings is that each one is unique and each wedding couple is unique. Coming from different families, different experiences and expectations, each couple has different wants and needs when it comes to their wedding. I take this very seriously as wedding photographer, and make sure to highlight the important parts and minimize or even skip the less important parts. And it’s the same when it comes to the couple shoot. Some couples might just want to be gone for a few minutes, then head back to the wedding party to not miss out on the fun, while other couples might look for a longer couples shoot at several different locations. It’s that customization of my wedding photography that I always like to emphasize to couples.

But whatever the shoot is, if it’s at an exotic location or in the hotel gardens, it’s got to look great, and I always like to think, “How would this look framed on their wall?” It has to be like a fantastic album cover, it should be striking.

Keep a look out for my next ‘Part 2’ post to find out my next favourite moment of the wedding day. Not that they are in any particular order.

Contact Me

And if you’d like to enquire about availability or my wedding packages, you can contact me here. I look forward to meeting you and to hopefully be a part of your wedding day!