Blathnaid & Adrian

My memories of Monaghan are of long hot summers on holiday at my Grandma's 30+ years ago, so the road to Clones was familiar in a very nostalgic way as I headed off to Blathnaid & Adrian's wedding. Of course, the Slieve Russell wasn't there in 1979, but it was the venue for Blathnaid & Adrian's celebrations. I hadn't been in the Slieve Russell for a while, and had only done winter weddings there before, so it was a very nice surprise to get to wander through the specially-designed gardens by the hotel, which are perfect for photographs.

Before that, it was a case of the missing bridesmaids when we stopped at Annagh Lake. The Groomsmen filled in nicely though, with Chris demonstrating his credentials as an excellent dress-arranger. When we were all reunited back at the hotel, best man John disapppeared for a few minutes, before returning with Jimmy McGuinness, Manager of the Donegal team, who were staying in the hotel ahead of their semi-final clash against Tyrone. I'm not sure who brought whom luck, but Donegal are now Ulster Champions, and I'm sure the Sligo/Monaghan combination will be a great success too.

Eilis & Breannain

The commmon perception of a Postmistress is an old grey-hair lady wearing glasses, who's probably a bit of a busybody and knows everyones' business. Well that's not the type of Postmistress the people of Ballisodare have. Eilis is young and dynamic and full of life. A well as running the Post Office, her & Breannain own the fine local pub, The Sally Gardens.

When I arrived, Eilis was being beautified by Celebrity make-up artist Ken Boylan, who regularly features on TV. Eilis is known to have impeccable, and sometimes expensive taste, so it was no surprise that her shoes were by Jimmy Choo, and her dress was a fabulous Maggie Sottero creation. I'll have to make sure she sees my new Classical album from Queensberry when she comes to view her pictures!

Breannain is a Kerryman, and there was a big delegation up from Dingle for the day. I'm almost sure there was a telegram from Funghi too. After the celebrations at Kilronan Castle, where The Camembert Quartet rocked the crowd, the party continued the next day with a barbeque in The Sally Gardens.

Audrey & Sean

Audrey & Sean are romantic souls. They met on Valentine's Day and haven't turned back since - we did their pre-wedding photoshoot on Valentine's Day this year, to mark the anniversary. They even got engaged in Kilronan Castle, right by the piano, which was the venue for their wedding reception.

There was a mass exodus from Tarmonbarry on Saturday morning, with everyone heading for Keadue and Kilronan. After the ceremony, we took a few relaxed shots down at Lough Meelagh, before circumnavigating the lake to get to the hotel. Someday I'd like to make the trip by boat. It was my first time to work with Smartvideo and they were very discreet and easy to be around. They looked super-cool communicating with each other with their earpieces and pencil mics, and the fact that they're French made it sound even better. Ever since Betty Blue, I've been a bit of a fan of French cinema, so I'm looking forward to seeing their film.

Audrey & Sean had a bit of a dress rehearsal for their honeymoon by driving themselves in a convertible BMW on the day, though I'm sure it'll be even better on the coastal freeways between San Francisco & Los Angeles.

Kathy & Deane

Kathy & Deane live in Grenada, so maybe the glorious year-round sunshine of the West Indies allows them to be more tolerant of West of Ireland climate than those of us who have to suffer it all the time. I conciously try to avoid going on about the weather on here, but this was something else. After rain all day, we took advantage of a clearance to head for the gardens in Lough Rynn. It was just the calm before the storm though, as we got caught in a thunderous downpour. It seems incredible, but the two photographs below were taken 9 minutes apart. Even through the storm, Kathy & Deane had a ball. From the first pic of the day when I got to her house, to the last, Kathy has a brilliant smile on her face, while Deane took everything in his stride. Kathy is a professional Irish Dancer and she can certainly jump - I'm not sure if that's a grand jete or a sout de chat she's performing, but only their legendary Best Man, Bad Brian, can rival her for height.