Ballincollig Regional Park for Wedding Photographs

For couples planning a small wedding or civil ceremony in Cork, Ballincollig Regional Park is a brilliant location for wedding photography.

And Audrey and Ben’s photographs show exactly why.

Within a relatively small area you’ve got tree-lined paths, open green spaces, woodland, wildflowers and beautiful areas along the River Lee.

More importantly, it doesn’t feel like you’re walking around a formal wedding venue looking for designated photography spots.

You can simply go for a walk.

That’s perfect for the way I photograph weddings.

Rather than spending an hour constantly stopping a couple and manufacturing photographs, I’d much rather let them move, talk and enjoy being together.

Then I’ll find the photographs within that.

And because Audrey and Ben already had their own connection to Ballincollig Regional Park, everything meant that little bit more.

It wasn’t just somewhere beautiful.

It was theirs.

The Longer I Do This Job, the More I Understand This

I’ve photographed weddings for a long time now.

And something has changed in the way I look at wedding photography.

Of course I still want to create beautiful photographs.

I want great light, gorgeous backgrounds and photographs a couple will be proud to put on their walls.

But I’m increasingly convinced that the photographs with the greatest value aren’t always the most technically impressive ones.

They’re the photographs containing something real.

A reaction.

A laugh.

Someone wiping away a tear.

A parent looking at their child when nobody else notices.

A ridiculous joke.

A hand being squeezed.

A moment lasting half a second before disappearing forever.

You can create a beautiful portrait.

You can’t recreate a genuine moment.

And perhaps that’s why those photographs hold our attention differently.

There’s a piece of someone’s life trapped inside them.

With Audrey and Ben, there was plenty of beauty to photograph.

But watching them together told me far more.

I’d imagine it’s difficult to have a truly miserable day around Audrey.

She has too much energy for it.

And watching Ben around her, you could see exactly why these two work.

She’ll make sure there’s always a little spark running through their life together.

And he’ll probably have a spreadsheet explaining precisely where that spark should be stored. 😂

From an Echo Story to Husband and Wife

There’s another lovely chapter to all of this.

In January 2025, the Echo shared Audrey and Ben’s remarkable story.

At that point their wedding was still something in the future.

They were planning it.

Dreaming about it.

Working out what came next.

And then, on 13 August 2026, what came next actually happened.

Audrey Sacris became Audrey Powell.

Ben married the woman he’d crossed the Irish Sea to build a life with.

The couple who once debated pizza were standing together in a marriage room in Cork saying yes to something considerably more important.

And afterwards, they returned to the park where Ben had once got down on one knee.

Only now they were husband and wife.

There’s something beautifully ordinary about all of it.

No grand production.

No need for one.

Just life quietly moving forward.

And Apparently I Won the Wedding

A few days later Audrey left me a review.

It’s possibly one of the funniest reviews I’ve ever received.

She talked about the photographs, the laughs and how comfortable everyone felt, particularly because the two families were meeting for the first time.

But then she told me about a conversation she’d had with her new husband when they were finally alone.

She asked Ben:

“Apart from actually getting married, what was your favourite part of the day?”

His answer?

“JAMES!! James was my favourite part of the day!”

😂

I’m not entirely sure what the correct professional response to that is.

But I’ll take it.

I was just blown away…xxx

Thank You

Audrey and Ben, thank you.

Thank you for finding my little corner of the internet and taking a chance on a photographer you’d only spoken to through WhatsApp.

Thank you for allowing me into such an intimate day and for treating me less like the photographer and more like somebody who had simply joined you for the adventure.

Audrey, never lose that wonderful madness.

Ben, keep making the plans.

I think between the two of you, you’ve got this fairly well covered.

Thank you to Ben’s family and close friend, and to Audrey’s uncle, aunt, cousin and her cousin’s partner for making the afternoon so welcoming and relaxed.

And to Audrey’s family and friends watching from the Philippines, you may have been thousands of miles away, but you were absolutely part of the day.

Finally, thank you to everyone who helped Audrey and Ben reach this point.

The story that once began with two people talking online and arguing about pizza has another chapter now.

The story that began with Ben interrupting a conversation because Audrey ate her pizza crust first now has another chapter.

Mr & Mrs Powell.