Aidan and Lorna - Ballymaloe House Wedding Photographer /  by Jan

Relishing Ballymaloe

Ballymaloe, not just a culinary experience but also such a beautiful wedding location! Ballymaloe House has rightfully earned its stellar reputation not only for its delectable farm-to-table cuisine and artisanal relishes but also as a stunning space to host a wedding celebration. While some popular wedding destinations don't always live up to their hype, that's certainly not the case here. Stunning gardens and the house itself make the perfect, picturesque backdrop for your special day.

But let’s start at the ceremony. Taking place at the registry office in Cork city, it still holds a special place in my heart as it’s where I got married. The nerves still kick in sometimes as I remember my own vows, and I’m always impressed how lovely the ceremonies are for being a government run entity. The officiants really do their best to make the ceremonies still feel special. You’re invited to bring any music you may want and an opportunity for speeches is given. While the ceremony itself may be brief, it's undeniably sweet and meaningful. Perfect for Aidan and Lorna, who will still have a proper wedding in France, but needed to get the paperwork done in Ireland first.

5-star Google Review

“Jannik was fantastic. Super friendly, very accommodating and he captured our day superbly. The turnaround for the photos was extremely quick. Would 100% recommend!”
— Lorna

Usually, after an elopement ceremony, I’d take the couple around the city for their couple shoot. However, with a beautiful venue like Ballymaloe waiting for us, I decided to go straight there instead, eager to capture the moment.

And it wasn’t just Ballymaloe that was gorgeous, but how about these wedding outfits? Lorna deciding to go with a custom made suit instead of a dress. We alternated the shots in terms of the blazer, taking some photos with it on, and some without. Although personally, I loved how the outfit really came together with the blazer on, just absolutely flowing.

Ditching the dress

“Lorna deciding to go with a custom made suit instead of a dress.”

I’m definitely looking forward to photographing at Ballymaloe again! So if you’re thinking of booking this venue for your wedding, say hi to me here and I’d be delighted to send you my wedding packages. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Anthony and Mairead - Kilkenny Wedding Photographer /  by Jan

It’s not often that I leave the rebel county behind! Surprisingly all of my photo shoots so far have been within County Cork. It is the biggest county after all, although I did get close to the border of Kerry several times, just a stone’s throw away. But this was officially my first time leaving the safety of Cork behind me. Save the Journey is now branching out into neighbouring counties!

Kilkenny. What a place!

I had previously met Anthony and Mairead as guests at this beautiful Sea Church wedding of Ann and David that I had photographed. So when they asked me if I could photograph their wedding, I just had to say yes. Anthony was surprised that I immediately agreed, thinking he was just chancing his arm by asking, but I was up for the travel, treating the whole wedding as a little weekend getaway. Plus it would be great to see Ann and David again - Ann this time a bridesmaid. Also, as a lovely surprise on the day, Noreen, who I did this newborn shoot with, was also a bridesmaid. What a coincidence!

We start this wedding day at Mairead’s family home. With the ‘Child of Prague’ having kept a watchful eye on the weather, we were set for a beautiful day. He really put in his overtime for this wedding as it was absolutely pouring rain the day before and would again the day after the wedding, but on the actual wedding day it was sunny and warm. Last minute preparations included hair, make-up and some prosecco. Oh yes, and some quick mechanical work to attach the ribbons to the cars.

The wedding ceremony took place just a short drive away at St Patrick’s church in Kilkenny city centre. I thought it was quite a pretty church, very striking. And was it full! Coming in at 180 guests it was the largest wedding I had ever photographed. Although I learned later on that this is considered intimate in Kilkenny. A normal sized wedding in Cork would be considered to be between 80-120 guests, so 180 was huge! I still find it funny how you don’t have to travel far in this small country for cultures and accents to change so much. I was informed later on that 250 guests is a normal size in the Marble City.

5-star Google Review

“Jannik and Nic were amazing!! They were so accommodating, enthusiastic and made the whole experience so relaxed. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. The quality of their work is fantastic! Amazing work and an amazing couple! 10/10!”
— Anthony

After the ceremony, Anthony and Mairead had requested that we go to St Kieran’s College for the couple shoot and the group photos of bridesmaids, groomsmen and all the important family members.

The stairs provided a beautiful setting with the incredible architecture of the college. I love photographing groups on these large staircases as there are so many different arrangements one can implement and it’s great to have people of different heights perfectly visible.

I also really enjoyed doing the couple shoot with these two. The setting under the tree just worked so well on such a sunny day. I feel like so many of my shoots lately have been in overcast conditions, so to have some actual summer sun was amazing. The leaves almost glowing in the background. The two were also so smitten with each other that getting these candid moments was such a breeze, and it was just so beautiful to be a part of!

The next stop for the reception was the Newpark Hotel. The Newpark Hotel is absolutely no stranger to weddings and it shows. I think this was the most organized and efficient, yet completely stress-free wedding venue that I have ever photographed at.

After some mingling and ice-cream, I took the two into the gardens for just a handful more couple photos. And before I knew it, it was time for the speeches! With these many tears and so much laughter, it was clearly a good set of speeches.

Another cultural difference that I experienced was that each table had a bet of how long the speeches would be, they were then timed and the winner of each table got a free drink I believe. This must be a Kilkenny thing because I’ve never come across this before. My bet was embarrassingly low, which I will put down as benefit for the quality of the photos. No drink for me.

If you are interested in booking me for your wedding day, be it in the county of Cork or elsewhere, say hi to me here. I’d love to hear from you! I only do a limited amount of weddings per year so make sure you get one of the final spots in my calendar.

Aisling and Stephen - Bayview Hotel Wedding /  by Jan

A coastal wedding in Cork: Aisling & Stephen's celebration

Recently, I had the privilege of photographing Aisling and Stephen's beautiful wedding in the charming coastal town of Ballycotton, Cork. A familiar wedding location for me, not so for the couple. They were both from Dublin but chose to celebrate their union in the picturesque surroundings of County Cork, embracing the area's beautiful sea views.

The day began at the Bayview Hotel, where Aisling and her bridesmaids prepared for the ceremony. The hotel room offered wide views of the harbour – a serene backdrop for the morning's events. The bride and her friends were in high spirits; music was playing as they got ready and it was such a relaxing atmosphere.

Aisling's wedding dress was striking: a champagne-coloured gown that really complemented her features. This dress photographed really well, especially in natural light and with the ocean backdrop.

The intimate ceremony, attended by 25 (mostly) family members, took place in the hotel. One of the day's highlights was capturing Aisling and her father walking down the corridor towards the ceremony room. I thought it was such a fresh take on the traditional ‘walk down the aisle’ shot.

(More ceremony photos down below)

Following the ceremony, we took advantage of the hotel's garden for group photographs. Despite not having an ocean backdrop, the blue sky and sunny skies created a warm glow that really made the photos pop.

For the couple's portrait session, we took an unconventional approach. Instead of visiting the nearby cliffs, we captured candid moments as Aisling and Stephen made their way from the Bayview Hotel to the reception venue the Sea Church. This spontaneous shoot resulted in these natural and fun photographs.

The reception at the Sea Church, famously a deconsecrated church turned event space, provided a unique and atmospheric setting for the evening. The couple opted for multiple cakes instead of a traditional wedding cake – a great personal touch for their celebration.

3 aspects that really stood out to me:

1. The pre-ceremony preparations were surprisingly relaxed and fun.

2. The bride's champagne-coloured gown, which didn’t just look great in person but also photographed so incredibly well.

3. The impromptu couple's portrait session that gave me the chance for candid and authentic images.

Aisling and Stephen's wedding was a blend of elegance, intimacy and coastal charm. It was a pleasure to document their special day and capture the love and happiness shared by the couple and their guests.

If you would like to book me as your wedding photographer, get in touch with me here. I’d love to get to know you and would be delighted to send you my wedding packages.

More ceremony photos: