Killarney Oaks Wedding PhotographerSusan & Alan
Derrinagree Church, wedding photographs at Muckross House, and a party at The Oaks Killarney.
The story
Susan and Alan were just easy together.
There weren’t many nerves. There was no awkwardness between them. They almost seemed married already.
And if you’re looking for a Killarney Oaks wedding photographer because you’re planning something relaxed, with plenty of craic and not too much standing around posing for photographs, Susan and Alan’s day is a pretty good example of how I love a wedding to go.
The morning
Starting the Morning With Alan and the Lads
My first stop that morning was with Alan.
One by one the groomsmen started arriving. All smiles, slagging and ready for the day ahead.
For me, the energy in the morning matters.
There can always be a few nerves floating around on a wedding morning. That’s completely normal. But if we can keep the atmosphere light and have a bit of craic, people quickly forget about the camera and start enjoying themselves.
I don’t want the morning to feel like a photoshoot.
It’s a wedding morning.
Let it be one.
The lads made that fairly easy. These were lifelong friends, so the banter didn’t exactly need much encouragement.
The girls
Susan Was Having None of the Wedding Morning Nerves
Then it was down to Susan and the girls.
Same story.
Laughing. Relaxed. Everyone in great form.
Susan seemed to take the whole morning in her stride. No major nerves that I could see. She was smiling and laughing and just getting on with it.
I was working alongside Darragh from DT Wedding Films, and we’re fairly similar in how we approach a wedding.
Keep the laughs going. Become part of what’s happening rather than standing on the outside barking orders at everyone.
If the bride, groom and wedding party are having a great time, everyone around them feeds off it.
And thankfully the weather gods had decided to play ball too.
Partly cloudy, warm, with the sun breaking through every so often.
We’ll take that in Ireland any day of the week.
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The ceremony
A Local Wedding Before Heading for Killarney
The church was only about three minutes away.
That’s my kind of wedding-day travelling.
After the ceremony there was another enormous journey of roughly three minutes before everyone stopped at Curtin’s for a quick drink.
No mad rush.
No hour sitting in traffic.
Just married, into the pub and have a drink.
Hard to argue with that.
Then it was time to point the cars towards the Kingdom.
The photographs
Wedding Photos at Muckross House
Before heading to The Oaks, we stopped at Muckross House for the photographs.
And what a spot.
The bridal party came along with us and we walked the grounds, talked rubbish, laughed and took photographs along the way.
That’s generally how I prefer to work.
We’ll absolutely create the beautiful photographs. I’ll put people where I need them, give a little direction when it’s needed and then let everyone breathe.
Because somewhere between the photographs you plan are usually the photographs you don’t.
Susan and Alan were particularly easy.
There wasn’t much I could tell these two about being comfortable around one another.
They just were.
And then we got the bridal party involved.
At one point I had all the lads dipping the girls, with Alan dipping Susan right in the middle.
Absolute chaos.
But everyone committed to it.
And that’s what makes a photograph like that work.
If you’re going to do it, just do it.
The speeches
There’s No Right Amount of Time
The best man’s speech brought up how long Susan and Alan had been together.
He summed it up beautifully.
After 17 years, Alan had finally given them a day out.
That got the reaction you’d expect.
But it got me thinking too.
Time is funny, isn’t it?
People sometimes talk about how long a couple has been together before getting married as though there’s a correct amount of time.
There isn’t.
Two years. Ten years. Seventeen years. Twenty-five years.
Who cares?
When the time is right for ye, it’s right.
And looking at Susan and Alan together, you got the feeling the wedding wasn’t going to suddenly change their relationship.
It was a celebration of one that was already working pretty bloody well.
The Oaks
Back to The Oaks Killarney
Then it was back to The Oaks in Killarney, where the party was already well underway.
People outside having drinks. Guests laughing. Everyone greeting Susan and Alan as they arrived.
The atmosphere we’d had that morning hadn’t disappeared.
If anything, it had gone up another few notches.
Susan looked incredible in her wedding dress, the lads were looking dapper, and everyone seemed determined to enjoy the day properly.
Exactly how it should be.
The venue
A Few Kind Words About The Oaks
Some venues just suit a wedding like this one, and The Oaks in Killarney is one of them.
The entrance is a lovely place to welcome a crowd. With the flower arch in place, the arrival photographs almost took care of themselves.
Inside, the hallways are bright and white, and the dining room, with its chandeliers and candelabras, looked beautiful dressed for the top table.
There’s room to relax, room to dance and a few quiet corners for a couple to catch their breath, which is exactly what a wedding day needs.
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And later, once the light had disappeared, we slipped outside for a few more photographs around The Oaks.
Nothing that takes the couple away from their wedding for an hour.
A few minutes. A few photographs.
Then get them back inside to their people.
The party
They Almost Seemed Married Already
That’s probably what I’ll remember most about Susan and Alan.
They seemed married before they actually got married.
Not literally, obviously.
But there was an ease between them that only comes from really knowing someone.
Susan was laughing that morning.
Alan was having the craic with friends he’d known for years.
They laughed during the ceremony.
They laughed through the photographs.
And they spent the rest of the day surrounded by the people who know them best.
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So married life?
I reckon they’ll be grand.
Just keep doing exactly what ye’ve been doing.
The details
- CeremonyDerrinagree Church
- PhotographsMuckross House, Killarney
- ReceptionThe Oaks, Killarney
- PhotographyJOD Photography
- FilmDarragh, DT Wedding Films
- DressAibheil Adare
- HairSolobyShauna
- Make-upMakeup by Maeve
- FlowersJ & K Florist
- MusicIan Hendricks (band & DJ), Edel O’Keeffe (singing)
- CakeA family friend
Planning yours?
Looking for a Killarney wedding photographer?
I photograph weddings across Cork, Kerry and the rest of Munster, with packages from €600. If you want something relaxed, with plenty of craic and photographs that feel like your day, I’d love to hear about it.
More from the Kingdom: my Kerry wedding photographer page and Kerry wedding venues guide.