Ròisín and PJ's wedding at Tinakilly House, Wicklow, Ireland

Blog status: very long.

We first met Ròisín & PJ at a wedding we shot last year for Larah & James in Nottingham, where Ròisín was a bridesmaid. We immediately hit it off during the bridal preps and made sure it lasted the rest of the day. Even so, we didn’t expect the email we got from them a few months later, which basically said, “We’re getting married at Tinakilly House in Wicklow, Ireland. Do you want to come over and shoot it?” We obviously thought long and hard about it and replied straight away: “Of course we bloody do!”

So, after months of planning, pre-wedding shoots, cancelled Ryanair flights and rough seas, it was the day before the big day.

Arriving in Wicklow

We flew into Dublin with a pretty bumpy landing and made our way to the meeting point we had arranged. Ròisín and her mum were waiting for us, and we were ready for the hour’s journey south to the little town of Wicklow, but not before stopping off for some sausages.

We’d done our research on the area, but nothing could describe the beauty that is Ireland as we drove, with full conversation and road rage, to the quaint little town of Wicklow. We also managed to have a peek at their venue, Tinakilly House, and were blown away by the house, gardens and surroundings, but then it was time to check into our B&B and have a wander.

We waved goodbye and wished Ròisín and her mum well, as the next time we were supposed to meet was for her bridal preps in the morning. With that, we checked in and headed out to take in the sights. By this point it was around 11am, and we’d been up for nine hours, so we were a little weary, but nothing a Guinness wouldn’t sort out. We found a pub called the Bridge Tavern, which was serving food, and were met by nothing but lovely people and amazing grub. Our first taste of the Irish way of life.

We thought it best to get our heads down for a few hours before some evening food and an early night ready for the big day, but when we ventured back to the Bridge Tavern in the evening, we were met by Ròisín, PJ and lots of their family and friends. Within minutes of running into them, their parents, siblings and friends surrounded our table to welcome us to Ireland and ask what we’d like to drink. Amazing! We’ve never met such a welcoming bunch of people, who would do anything for you. We loved it. It was also great to see Larah & James again for the first time in a while. We arranged our lift to the bridal preps in the morning with Brendan’s lovely girlfriend and headed back for an earlyish night at the B&B.

Bridal preps on the hill

We woke in the morning after a great night’s sleep and peeked out of the window at our amazing sea view and a fairly sunny day. After breakfast and a camera equipment check, we walked down to our meeting place for the ten minute drive to the bridal prep house.

We pulled up the steep driveway to the quaint house standing on the hill and walked in to the sounds of hair dryers and laughter. Ròisín greeted us with smiles and a slight look of nerves as we were introduced to the rest of the guests. Sausages were cooked and handed round as we cracked on with the morning. The light streamed in through the large windows as a slight wind picked up outside, and after covering what we needed, it was time to head over to Tinakilly House for our first meeting with PJ and his boys. Surprisingly, at the last moment I found myself in the driving seat, driving five of us to the venue down the quiet roads of Ireland.

The ceremony at Tinakilly House

Once at Tinakilly House, we met an excited PJ, and his groomsmen came straight over to offer their greetings. A great bunch of guys. We headed down the gardens for a few shots, then prepared for the arrival of the bride.

Pretty much on time, Ròisín arrived looking stunning in the most beautiful dress, as we entered the ceremony room. The ceremony was taken by Pastor Gerry Byrne, an amazing and funny guy who kept everyone entertained throughout and put everyone at ease.

The ceremony was fantastic, and afterwards we headed outside for drinks and celebrations as we cracked on with the group shots and more candid shooting. We also headed into the gardens with the bride and groom for some cool shots.

With everyone in high spirits and getting hungry, it was time for the wedding breakfast and a great entrance, with everyone waving their napkins in the air. The speeches went down a treat as we headed off to edit for their evening slideshow.

The rest of the night was as fantastic as expected, with lots of people dancing to the live band they’d hired. We were ordered to put the cameras away and joined in for some bad dancing and a few Guinnesses.

So the Irish experience was just about over for us. We all met the next day in Phil Healy’s for a few snacks, before it was time to head back to the airport, luckily for those leaving that day avoiding Storm Ophelia. We banged down onto the tarmac at East Midlands Airport, looking forward to getting all the shots edited and reminiscing about our amazing Ireland experience.

We would again like to thank Ròisín, PJ and their family and friends for making us feel so welcome the whole time we were in Ireland.

It was grand!

Big love

Nick & Nic