Olivia & Pat

Melbourne met Ballinaglera on Saturday, when Olivia married Pat. Despite a name like Patrick Francis Moran, Pat is an Aussie, and he he'd brought four cobbers with him as groomsmen. His Irish origins showed when he had no trouble pulling a pint of Guinness before the ceremony though. Olivia is from beautiful Slievenakilla on the side of the mountain, and even though she's been living down under for a while, there's no mistaking she's a Leitrim girl at heart.

When I got to Slievenakilla the lovely Marie Shivnen was busy doing the girls' make-up while Tim the hairdresser had also come all the way from Melbourne. Jasper the collie was keeping a close eye on all the comings and goings outside. I'd photographed Olivia's brother Adrian's wedding a couple of years ago, so it was great to see him and Sharon arriving with their first-born, Dara, who took the title of youngest wedding guest at only 10 days old.

We took some photos by Lough Allen before heading for Cromleach Lodge. Michael from North-West Limos drove the happy couple - Gerry chauffered the bridesmaids and had earned his pint at the drinks reception. There was one quick stop for Olivia & Pat just before we got to Cromleach to wander across a field to the fairy tree overlooking Lough Arrow. There's a fabulous view and we had a really dramatic sky, so all I needed was a strategically-placed off-camera flash to pop the stars of the day out from the background. Pyramid were getting the party going later, and I'm sure there were a few in Rynn's & Mulvey's back in Ballinaglera yesterday...

Justine & Brian

I had a quick spin down the road to Ballaghadereen on Friday for Justine & Brian's wedding. After finding Justine's house in Derrinacartha, I nipped into town to Clarke's, which is owned and run by Brian's mother Angela. There were quite a few friends and relatives there getting in the mood for the day, so Brian and his best men James took a quiet moment in the George Melly snug. There aren't too many pubs west of the Shannon where you'd find the legendary jazz singer, author and raconteur on the wall, but Angela and Tom are fans. I saw him play in Ronnie Scott's in Soho almost 20 years ago... Meanwhile back at Justine's house Siobhan & Geraldine were making sure that the bride was looking perfect, helped by Emma, while her little sister Lilly took a pre-wedding nap.

Brian likes his cars, and travelled in style in a limited edition Lancia which turned heads all along the road to Kiltimagh. And even in these politically-correct times, what can you do with a sexy Italian sports car except drape some beautiful girls over the bonnet? Back at the Hotel, Claire provided a warm welcome for everyone with some trad music laid on in the bar, where there was lots of time for everyone to relax and mingle before dinner. Next stop for Brian & Justine is Chicago, then San Francisco and a tour of southern California. Sounds good to me.

Ruth & Robbie

Tears of joy were the theme of the day on Friday at Ruth and Robbie's wedding. Ruth had told me that she'd be emotional, but the tears were catching - as Ruth came up the aisle, all three bridesmaids and Ruth's mother Mary were quietly crying to themselves. Robbie managed to hold a dry eye then, but later, when Ruth sang to him before dinner, I'm sure I saw him wiping a tear or two away.

Ruth is renowned for her singing and performs at lots of weddings herself. In the Church on Friday though, it was her colleagues from The Dublin Gospel Choir who thrilled the congregation with fantastic performances that had everyone talking about them afterwards. The other thing that turned lots of heads was Robbie and his Groomsmen wearing kilts. They were resplendent in their Gaelic tartan, which they wore in Irish, not Scottish, style.

We had a beautiful day, which was perfect for spending some time down by Lough Meelagh and to stroll through the grounds of Kilronan, which were looking beautiful in the evening sunshine. Then it was time to go to dinner, and for the second week in a row, I have to post a picture of the cake (or in this case, cakes), which were made by Robbie's parents Paddy & Geraldine. The traditional cake was supplemented by a carrot cake and a chocolate biscuit cake which was decorated to reflect Robbie's passion for fishing & beekeeping and Ruth's for music. And it was Ruth who brought the house down during the speeches, when instead of speaking, she sang a beautiful version of Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love" for Robbie. Ruth definitely sounded more like Adele than Bob though.

Katrina & Darran

The great and the good were out for Boyle's High Society wedding of the year at the weekend, as Katrina, the Town Mayor's daughter, married Darren Rodden in St Joseph's Church. There was speculation that Christy might wear his Chain of Office, but it was Katrina who took all the limelight as they walked up the aisle together.

Unfortunately, the three dogs, Kirby, Jack & Ripper weren't available for their photo-op on the morning of the wedding. They'd already been dispatched to the kennels for bad behaviour by the time I arrived. With the terriers gone early, all was calm in the Brady household, and there was plenty of time to take photographs - not something I can say every week.

Ger met the lads at the church and took a few shots of them before they took their seats. After the ceremony, we had a stop at the old arch on the back way into Lough Key. It was a little bit muddy around the gates - ok for bridesmaids Paula, Aoife & Tara to walk through, but like a true gentleman, Darran insisted his bride be carried.

Then it was all back to The Landmark where Patricia, Emma & Daniel welcomed everyone and handed round the champagne. A plan to stroll on the boardwalk was abandoned as there was a wicked wind whipping off the Shannon, so we popped up to the Blackmint Bar for a few quiet moments before the meal. The beautiful flowers were by Chantelle from Pure Flowers in Boyle, while Darran's sister Ashling made the very tempting cake. Busy Fingers played as Katrina & Darran got the evening going with their first dance to "All I Want Is You".