Becky + Clodagh

It's hard to know where to start with this one, it's so fresh in my mind but also feels like a dream.

Clodagh and Becky are friends of mine, I met them a couple of years back when I did a photoshoot for their EP (both are talented musicians). We met through the wedding industry, as Clodagh runs a string quartet business for weddings, and they both quickly became friends of mine, and my partner Rebecca's. I was lucky enough to capture their engagement, with some serious coordination and planning on Becky's behalf, and receive almost daily voicenotes from Clodagh as they started planning their wedding.

They always knew they wanted to get married on 24th February, on what would've been Clodagh's Grandad's 90th birthday. He was her best friend, so meant a lot to them both, and not only this, but in a venue that means so much to them both as a couple. Clodagh and her family are originally from Derry, with Culdaff being a location for their family holidays. McGrory's has been a place of huge importance to Clodagh's family, but also was one of the first places that Clodagh took Becky to in Ireland, it was a no brainer for them to choose emotions over everything, and get married back in Ireland, at this gorgeous wee traditional pub. From there, they put together an incredible supplier team to bring Clodagh's vision to life. Floral Earth pulled out all the stops, bringing beautiful, fine art inspired winter florals to McGrory's, and elevated the whole space into a chic and stylish, pink filled, candle lit room, dressed with the help and coordination of Assumpta, from By Ave Creations, who oversaw and styled the day beautifully.

Clodagh opted to get ready in her family home in Derry, with one of her bridesmaids, her parents, and her two sisters. It was a super relaxed morning, with the hair and makeup team getting the girls ready in plenty of time, with Clodagh's sister Laura helping her into her sparkly ballgown. Becky got ready at McGrory's, with two of her bridesmaids, and the wonderful Martin from Big Beard Photography second shooting for me, and photographing her prep, and did an incredible job (not just of the morning, but the whole day, thank you again Martin). Becky had hand drawn the invitations herself, with a map of Culdaff, featuring various locations around the town that meant a lot to them both, as well as a hand drawn sketch of the venue.

Again bringing the personal details, all the music for the entire day was provided by Clodagh and Becky's friends. Both of them being talented musicians, the music obviously was going to be super important! For the ceremony they had a full strings section, Uillean Pipes, and a live singer, all of which created the most incredible atmosphere. Clodagh's sister and bridesmaid Laura, conducted a very emotional and personal ceremony, after which Becky and Clodagh hosted their reception with Guinness flutes, Tayto crisps, and traditional live Irish music.

We were lucky enough to get the most beautiful golden hour, so headed to the beach, another spot that's really important to them both, and the woodland. The time spent doing this was more than worth it, and we got some incredible couple portraits, whilst the girls took a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the wedding day, and had a moment for themselves to take it all in.

Speeches were by both the brides and both dads, and set the tone for the evening. More incredible live music drew the evening to a close, with their friend Laura singing their first dance, and Clodagh's dance with her dad, after which, the dance floor went WILD. This seriously was one of my favourite dance floors yet, and will be a hard one to beat this season!

This wedding was unreal start to finish, with the girls being fully present and taking in every moment together. It was no easy feat having 120 people travel across the country, to a tiny rural Irish village, but for the love of these two everyone really showed out, and celebrated them both. There was so much love in one room, and it really was a huge labor of love from their friends and family to put this day together, from DIY elements, the live music by so many of their friends, endless voicenotes, wedding industry friends and their kindness, it was just beautiful to be a part of, and I'm so grateful they chose me to capture it all. It was also a huge pleasure to work with both Martin as my second shooter, and Harvey at Meros productions on videography. Both were a joy to work with, and it really was the dream team.

Venue - McGrory's

Florals - Floral Earth

Styling - By Ave Creations

Music - Chiqas Music

Videography - Meros Productions

Second Shooter - Big Beard Photography

Dress - McElhinneys Bridal Rooms

Table Plan - The Lovely Little Details

Makeup - Kendra Makeup Artist and Grainne K Makeup Artist

Hair - Gillian Devine Hair Aristry

Becky's Suit - Reiss

Cakes - Green Cat Bakery