Caitriona & Craig

It's not every day that you have a Bishop concelebrating a wedding, but we did last week for Caitriona & Craig - The Bishop of Achonry, Brendan Kelly. He was very low-key though, no mitres or croziers. One of the other celebrants was my former school chaplain, while Craig & Caitriona's friend, Fr Chris was the one to actually conduct the ceremony.

The first surprise of the day was the arrival of the wedding "car" to Caitriona's house. Craig had arranged a vintage VW Camper van for the day, as both he and Caitriona are keen on sporty road-trip activities - kayaking, cycling, surfing. It went down a treat with Caitriona, though I'm not sure her mother, Mary, was quite so keen. It got Caitriona and Eamon to the Church on time, though it ran into a spot of bother later. There were monsoons throughout the day, with water lying everywhere on the roads. The poor old camper van couldn't cope, and gave up the ghost just as it got into Mohill. Pushing didn't help, so a rope did the trick, and the bride & groom arrived to Lough Rynn in style, being towed behind Eamon's car.

As you'll see from the pictures, despite the rain and the breakdowns, Caitriona & Craig kept smiling throughout the day - this was a fun wedding with great atmosphere and lovely people. I didn't get to hear enough of Caitriona's brother Liam's Rugby World Cup adventure, but he picked up a few souvenirs along the way, with Jonathan Sexton giving Liam his boots and Brian O'Driscoll presenting him with a jersey. Caitriona & Craig are enjoying a cycling holiday in Grenada for their honeymoon, something I'd love to do sometime. I'm sure Caitriona won't need her wellies there, but they certainly came in handy on Saturday.

Natalie & Anthony

I was back to the seaside and The Diamond Coast in Enniscrone for the second time in a couple of weeks for Natalie & Anthony's wedding. First though, it was off to Natalie's house in Charlestown for hair & make-up, before going on to her parents' to get into the dresses. There was a high sense of anticipation and a fine crowd there - hardly surprising, as Natalie has ten brothers & sisters. You can get a sense of the activity in the pics from the kitchen below.

The Church of St James was beautifully decorated with flowers, candles and ribbon by Mayo Wedding Florists, which transformed it into a warm, intimate, atmospheric space. En route to Enniscrone, we braved the elements and stopped by Lough Talt. The mist was on the mountain, but the rain held off. After a couple of "standard" shots, the craic started, and we had good fun before moving on. Brian Duignan was shooting the video alongside me, and as the weather was holding out, we braved a brief stop at the beach. No sooner had I clicked the shutter for the last time than the heavens opened. Sometimes timing is everything.

Hazel & Diarmaid

There was a strong black & white theme running through the Hazel & Diarmaid's wedding. It was a black tie affair, with Hazel looking stunning in her white Lyn Ashworth dress, while the bridesmaids wore little black numbers. Diarmaid and the boys cut quite a dash too, sporting very natty waistcoats. There was no shortage of colour either, especially in Ballintubber Abbey, which was bedecked with candles for the occasion.

I arrived in time to report that the condemned man ate a hearty breakfast, before joining the ladies for their preparations. Hazel got ready in a beautiful suite with bright sunshine pouring in through the bay windows. The mood was relaxed, and we had plenty of time before heading for Ballintubber. After the ceremony we had a stroll through the cloisters before heading back to the hotel for a warm welcome and champagne-a-plenty from Aoife.

Despite some showers, we got out into the fabulous grounds of Mount Falcon Estate before dinner. After the very entertaining speeches, videographer Paschal Brooks played a highlights reel from the day before The Aristocrats got the crowd onto the dancefloor. The flowers were by Josephine from Calla Floral Design. It was good to see Fr Barry Horan again too, who I last met at Aoife & Donnacha's wedding a couple of years ago. I'm not sure where Hazel and Diarmaid are right now, as their dream honeymoon takes in Paris, Aruba & New York. Wherever you are, hope you enjoy these...

Marguerite & Noel

Red was the colour for Marguerite & Noel's wedding - there was a bright splash of it in the bride's dress and even the cars were bedecked in red ribbons for the occasion. To top it all, Marguerite and Noel travelled to and from the Church in a bright red vintage fire engine. Noel's firefighter colleauges also turned out in full dress uniform to form a guard of honour. Even the fantastic cake (made by my cousin Lorraine) was fire-brigade themed. The reception was held in Lough Rynn, and the weather held out for us to get down to the walled gardens. Paul Noone was on video alongside me on the day, our first time to work together, though I'm sure it won't be the last.

Roisin & John

It was something of a city chíc wedding, as The Radisson Blu in Athlone was the venue for Roisín & John's wedding on 30th September. Rain didn't dampen anyones' spirits as we took a walk through the streets and across The Shannon after the ceremony. There's a touch of the famous Beatles Abbey Road album cover about the zebra crossing picture, as my Fab Four made their way down to the river. A special mention to Geraldine & Adonis from Floradale who did a great job on the bouquets and floral designs that embellished the venue. The shoe shot is for Roisín, who apparently rivals Imelda Marcos in her love of footwear.

Kate & Kieran

Kate is a Boyle girl, and she got both of Boyle's photographers for her big day, as I shared the photography with my friend Tony Murphy. She went a bit further for her husband though - Kieran is from Melbourne. I started the day with the lads- a nice relaxed bunch of Aussies. Luke was so relaxed he slept it out and just about reported for duty on time. The biggest challenge when Kate arrived was to try and get all seven flowergirls to stand still in the same place for a second. It reminded me a little bit of this from Kate Moss's wedding! After the wedding, we stopped for some pictures by the Cliff Baths - the tide was high and the light was bright and contrasty. Then it was on to the Hotel and the usual warm welcome from Mary and all at the Diamond Coast.