Valentina & Declan - Broadhaven Bay

They say it never rains but it pours, and on Valentina & Declan's big day it didn't just pour - the rain whipped in sideways with such ferocity that umbrellas were useless. Still, when you set your big day for January, you're prepared for the worst, so it didn't dampen the spirits in the least. Valentina's house was buzzing with excitement and preparations. Bridesmaid Noelle was taking it all in her stride though - she even had a little nap after she was finished with the hairdresser.

In contrast, Declan was pacing the floor, and might have been looking just a little bit nervous when I arrived at the Church. He was in good hands with his Groomsmen though, who kept the craic going all day. "Bull" in particular played a blinder, and took all the slagging in good spirits. After the ceremony, we decided to take on the weather, and stopped off at a nearby country house. With it's long avenue, there was a touch of Downton Abbey about the place. Thouugh we made a brave attempt, the rain beat us and we couldn't even manage a single shot of the bridal party together outside, apart from the chaotic one below.

By the time we reached Belmullet, the wind was roaring in off the Atlantic, so we were very grateful for the warmth and hospitality provided by David Tyrrell, who busily escorted many of the guests in from the storm outside. Niall from Complete Weddings was alongside me - we were both soaked and so was our gear. I had to switch cameras after water effected the flash contacts - luckily I carry four to every wedding, so always have back-up for the back-up.

The Bridal Suite is always the last refuge for the photographer when the weather goes badly wrong, and the one in the Broadhaven Bay is perfect for the job, with lots of space for an eight-member bridal party, photographer, videographer and lights. The it was down to dinner, which kicked off with a very nice set of speeches, including one from the star of the show, Valentina herself.

Jennifer & Andy - Kilronan Castle

The last day of the year was one of the biggest ones of 2012 for Ballaghadereen. The town emptied out and headed for Kilronan Castle for the wedding of one of its favourite sons to one of its favourite daughters, as long-term sweeethearts Jennifer & Andy tied the knot. If the groom looks familiar to you, it's because he's the Mayo County Captain, and though the team went all the way to the All-Ireland Final without him, after he ruptured his cruciate ligament in the Quarter Final, many experts believe Sam Maguire would have crossed the Shannon and returned to Mayo if he hadn't been injured.

Sometimes, calling to the groom's house on the morning of a wedding, you might encounter a couple of sore heads, or a groomsman having a little stiffner for the day ahead. Not so with these lads. They'd just come back from a vigourous 90-minute workout at the local gym. Meanwhile, Jennifers house was buzzing with activity, and Milly the Puggle was in the thick of it. Once David finally got his hair just right and vacated the bathroom, the bridesmaids got a chance to get themselves ready. Jennifer looked fantastic in a spectacular dress adorned with swan feathers and cathedral-length veil. The lads smartened up nicely too in their black tie gear.

Marguerite, Jenni's Mum, is a florist, and she'd done a beautiful job of decorating the Cathedral. She even took time to put the finishing touches to Andy's buttonhole in the porch on her way in. After the ceremony, we had a quick stop in the grounds of Abbey House in Boyle, dodging between the showers. Amanda & Catheriona were a fine pair of feisty bridesmaids, so there was plenty of banter flying around as they showed off their "America's Next Top Model" moves. Back at the Castle, the Mayo Squad assembled for a team photo with the happy couple. Straight after the wedding, the team was heading for Miami for some pre-season R&R, which they obviously enjoyed thoroughly, judging by their first defeat in 20 years at the hands of Leitrim when they got back. Jennifer & Andy didn't make the trip to Miami, they flew off to sunny Mexico instead. Alan Kelly was alongside me on video for the day, while Bumblebee Honey got the dancing going well past midnight and into 2013.

Nicola & Sean - Kilronan Castle

Sean & Nicola's winter wedding began with a quick visit to the lads on my way to Nicola's. The three men from Cooraclare were proudly sporting their local club colours, despite their recent relegation in the Clare League. Back at Nicola's, the girls were even more colourful in their Japanese kimonos.

With it's high ceilings, dramatic arches, bright interiors and high steps, St Mary's Church is a great venue to photograph. And when the full choir performs as they did for Nicola & Sean, the sound matches the fantastic interior. It's not really fair to single anyone out, but Noel Holmes stirring rendition of O Holy Night had a lot of people talking in the Churchyard afterwards.

Being a Carrick girl, Nicola fancied getting some photographs down by the Shannon before we headed over to Kilronan Castle. It was dry, and the sun was setting in the west, which gave us a dramatic backdrop, but it was bitterly cold. Even being wrapped in Sean's big manly arms couldn't stop the winter wind from biting as it whipped of the river. So we quickly jumped into the cars and headed for the comfort and warmth of Kilronan.

Eamon from Big Apple was alongside me on video again. We work well together, which is just fortunate - by my count, it was our 13th in 2012 - we can guess every move the other is about to make at this stage. The Weightless Astronauts provided the music. Special mentions too to Nicola's mother Pauline, who made the cake with her friend Ethel, and the striking bouquets and floral decorations from Annmarie Bowring and Rosemary Carroll. After the wedding, Nicola & Sean were heading on a dream holiday to Thailand, Australia and Singapore. sound good to me.

Helen & Joe - Kilronan Castle

Often, people come to me because they don't want much in the way of posed or over-elaborate set-up photographs. Lets face it, most of us aren't cut out to be models, so being photographed naturally works better. So it was interesting to be asked to work with an accomplished model like Joe, a man whose face has graced billboards the length and breadth of the country, and who was the poster boy of one of Ireland's leading financial institutions during the Celtic Tiger Years. One of his groomsmen told me that Joe, in fact, turned down a lucrative offer to be the face of Versace's mens clothing as it would have meant moving to Italy.

Helen too, was a natural in front of the camera, and looked fantastic. I arrived to the bridal suite just as Recep was bringing breakfast in on a silver tray. There was lots of the usual hustle and bustle of preparation, but I still had time to pop down to the bar before the boys headed off to the church.

The swans on Lough Meelagh were in co-operative mood and glided over to add to the pictures as Helen & Joe strolled out along the jetty. After that, it was back to the warm welcome at Kilronan where the champagne corks were popping. Cathal Farrelly was alongside me on video, doing his thing as quietly and discreetly as always. Over dinner, we were treated to a set of hilarious speeches, as each speaker outdid the last. It turns out that as well as being one of Ireland's top menswear models, Joe is a total wind-up merchant. There were quite a few of his victims cringing in the room, as Best Man Pat listed some of the more outrageous pranks. Then Late Nite Radio really got the evening going. The place was rocking as I left, with some quite Dirty Dancing on display....