Alanna & Malcolm got married this time last year and I’ve been dying to show off their wedding in all it’s glory. Autumn weddings are gorgeous events with the mix of autumnal colours mixed with the soft light that happens around that time of year. Alanna & Malcolm’s wedding was just that . . . gorgeous!
I knew that this wedding was going to be all shades of amazing and I was right. I don’t know this for absolute certain, but I suspect that Alanna had many spreadsheets details the preparations for this wedding. There migh even have been gantt charts! Everything was planned to perfection. Accountancy training has many perks in everyday life and I would think it would help out greatly when planning a wedding.
Wedding planning usually starts with the invitations and the invitations by Appleberry press were so elegant and practically a work of art. I’d say they still grace many mantle-places in County Monaghan. Onto the style of the day . . . The dress! Alanna’s dress was a stu-nnnnning Catherine Deane dress. A delicate lace dress with sleeves. Hurray for sleeves in Autumn!
If you ever went to school in County Monaghan, chances are that you bought your uniform in the Fabric Centre in Monaghan Town. It’s an institution in it’s own right and it’s Alanna’s mother’s shop. No surprise then that everything fabric related was presented perfectly. Alanna’s dress had it’s own mannequin on the wedding morning and it made photographing her dress so easy. What an amazing idea!!
After the snapping some photos of the girls, I hot tailed it over to photograph the guys getting ready. What a cool bunch they were. Not a drop of rescue remedy needed as they were as chilled as could be. Another amazing detail of the day was to witness Malcolm opening his gift from Alanna. She bought him a dog . . . not any old dog . . . a Bernese Mountain Dog!! To symbolise the dog she bought him a miniature model of the dog. So cute! You’ll see it down in the photos! If there is a top ten list of gifts for grooms . . . I think this might be up there with the best of them!
Following the wedding ceremony in St. Macartan’s Cathedral in Monaghan and a quick coffee stop in Applegreen (keep the caffeine levels up = better wedding days I say) . . . we travelled across the county lines to the beautiful venue of; Virginia Park Lodge. Alanna & Malcolm’s bridal party were so much fun and up for anything I suggested. The colour scheme of Navy and autumnal tones were stunning to photograph, but nothing photographs better than happy joyful people and those happy faces were in abundance on this day.
Before dinner, we took a quick trip down to the lake at Virginia Park Lodge for some photographs of Alanna & Malcolm together. They obviously think the world of each other and photographing their quiet moments together quite special. There is something magical about water, a brisk Autumn breeze and newlyweds. This quiet part of the day is very often my favourite, as it’s one of the few times when the couple get a chance to look around them and at each other and take in the magnitude of what just happen. “We just got married!!!”
The post-dinner activities included some of the following; serious hip shaking, jiving like your life depended on it and running around with sparklers outside in the brisk night air. The best type of antics!!
We finished off the night with a few quiet moments in the main house of Virginia Park Lodge where the fire was blazing and candles were twinkling in the corners. I love photographing the hustle and bustle of wedding days . . . but photographing the quiet end of day moments in front of the fire . . . well that is my absolute favourite. Those unscripted photos are so full of emotion and tell a story all of their own.
Thanks so much Alanna & Malcolm for the pleasure in photographing your magical day xx
- Venue: Virginia Park Lodge
- Dress: Brand Catherine Deane from Alice May Bridal Boutique
- Hair: Kristin Ortiz (Moxie Hair Studio)
- Makeup: Austra Lauren
- Flowers: The Flower Room Belfast (Janet Browne Bradley)
- Bridesmaids: La Bella Sposa (Dublin)
- Suits: Statement Menswear (Portadown), Tavey’s (Monaghan)
- Invites: Appleberry Press
- Videographer: Leon Costello
