Callie + Drew
This was my first 'big wedding' of the season, and what a way to start. Callie + Drew live over in America, and brought 30 of their closest friends and family over to Ireland for their dream fairytale wedding. Something about Ireland, it's folklore, it's scenery, spoke to this couple and they had a vision of getting wed here in an intimate and emotional ceremony.
They had the beautiful Springfield Castle for the week, which set the scene for their wedding day. Their guests got to enjoy the castle and have it as their home, as they had time to explore Ireland. Drew got ready with his family, wearing a dark green suit, Callie's favourite colour. Callie got ready with her best bridespeople, each of them wearing a different jewel tone, and each having a role - braiding Callie's hair, helping her into her dress, handpainting her shoes, handmaking her veil - so much of this wedding was created by hand with love by themselves or their family and friends, and each little personal touch had such emotional significance.
Callie + Drew opted for the traditional American timeline for weddings, where they chose to have a private first look, and all their portraits and family photos pre ceremony. This meant they got all the 'formalities' done and out of the way by the time their cocktail hour came around, so they could just enjoy and be present with their guests instead of taking that time to take photos. For their first look, we opted for the castle ruins, and went for a walk around the estate, we had over an hour just for their portraits, meaning we could really spend time making some beautiful images, using the outdoors and the interior of the castle. For their family photos, we chose the front of the dramatic castle, for that real Irish castle feel.
Their ceremony took place inside the old castle walls, with a beautiful and personal celebrant led ceremony. Despite seeing each other before the ceremony, Callie's walk down the aisle moment still got Drew in tears, and they shared heartfelt vows. After their ceremony, they had arranged for a 'hawktail' hour. With owls and different birds of prey available for photo moments and to interact with - it was so magical seeing the birds and their family get that fairytale moment! They had minimal speeches, just the best man and the maid of honour, and after these we snuck out for some golden hour portraits. Their first dances took place inside the castle, with traditional Irish music that got the dancefloor really going!
It was beautiful to be a part of this, and make their Ireland folklore wedding dreams come true. Every aspect of this wedding felt personal and significant to them, and they kept the day so authentic and true to themselves. I loved how honest this wedding felt, and how open these two were. They had a strong vision for their day, that totally related to who they were as individuals, so they kept their wedding day true to themselves and loved every second.
