Aoife & Tomás

The cold snap had really taken hold by the time Aoife & Tomás's wedding came around. As it was down in Galway City and road conditions were lethal, I had an early start. It was -14 as I was starting out, which made me very glad that last year's snow had prompted me to swap the trusty old Volvo for a Land Rover, to make sure I can always get to the church on time.

I'd only met Aoife a few weeks earlier, but was really looking forward to photographing her wedding. I'd been hoping for a while that someone would ask me to do an entirely black & white album, and at last, I'd found her. But we had such beautiful warm light down on Silver Strand that I think one or two pictures may have to be in colour after all. Check out that sunset - and it's true, you really can, "at the closing of your day... sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh, and see the sun go down on Galway Bay". That was after a quick stroll in the woods, for which Aoife had wisely brought her Ugg Boots.

The Uggs were obviously more comfortable than Tomás's ring, which you can see him fiddling with in the church. To be fair, it's the first thing that 99% of grooms do when they sit down after the ceremony. It can take a while to get used to, lads...

Earlier, as I nipped down from Aoife's house to catch up with the boys, someone told me to remark to Tomás how much he looks like X-Factor winner Shane Ward. It seems it's a bit of a running joke around Knocknacarra. And when I look at the pictures now, I think this was definitely something of a celebrity lookalike wedding, as Aoife's pictures remind me of a younger, prettier, Demi Moore.

The reception was held in the chic boutique hotel, The Twelve in Barna, a venue I hadn't worked in before, but would be very happy to revisit.