Frank Courtney Photography » Weddings

Trinity College Chapel – Shelbourne Hotel Wedding : Meghan & Jack

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:31:48 +0000

OK, so here’s the next in my series of weddings from the year gone by. I was just too busy to post them at the time, but things are a bit quieter at the start of the New Year.

Meghan, originally from the USA and Jack, originally from Dublin, met while Meghan was doing her Master’s at Trinity College. The chapel is used for both traditions, and therefore, perfect for their wedding ceremony, which was co-officiated between a Catholic Priest and Protestant Pastor.

Meghan and Jack decided to ditch the standard receiving line in favor of a more unique idea. Instead of Meghan and Jack receiving the guests, they were received by the guests lined up (almost forming a tunnel) and waving small Irish and American flags as they walked through.

Surrounding the cake were framed photos of the couples’ grandparents and great-grandparents who couldn’t be present. Some have passed away and others couldn’t attend the wedding due to the far distance required to travel.

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Videography: Irish Wedding Films http://www.dcmedia.ie

(You can view a highlights video on David’s Blog here : http://www.dcmedia.ie/blog/index.php/meghan-jacks-wedding-video-highlights/

Flowers: Mary O’Gara http://www.flowers.ie

Shoes & Dress: purchased in a small boutique in Kentucky, USA. The dress was purchased off the rack off the rack, which meant a 50% discount

Makeup : Maria Johnston http://www.irishweddingmakeup.com/

Music : The Good Guys http://thegoodguys.ie/

Wedding Reception in ely bar & brasserie (IFSC)

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:02:20 +0000

Now that the busiest part of the “Wedding Season” is over, I’m finally getting around to posting some photos from earlier weddings. I hope to continue this over the next few weeks. The wedding show here is of Chris & Nivia who had a civil ceremony in a city-centre hotel, followed by a wedding reception in ely bar & brasserie IFSC (formerly ely CHQ) . However, unusually for an Irish wedding, they met up before the ceremony in Maynooth for some pre-ceremony photos. This helped of course, because at that time of year (late Winter) it got dark quite early.

So, on to the photos. The first few were taken in Maynooth College – before the ceremony.

Next, the ceremony in a Dublin Hotel. Mainly for privacy reasons – I’ve omitted photos of this – so just have one image of the ring cushion to represent that part of the day.

Following the ceremony, everyone went on to ely winebar in the IFSC. This has some wonderful vaults under the original Stack A warehouse where it’s located. These offer a very atmospheric location for a wedding reception or other event. You can get good idea of how they look in the following photos.

Somehow, the screen lights (above) reminded me of the Van Gogh “Starry Night” painting ! The following photos is how one of the vaults was set-up for the wedding party.

The rest of the phtoos are of the Bride & Groom – all taken indoors at ely.

BTW, you can contact ely here

Trinity College Dublin – Chapel Window

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:08:03 +0000

I’ve covered a few weddings in Trinity College this year – normally I have one or two – but had four this year. I noticed that one of the stained-glass windows looks suspiciously like a depiction of Cupid – complete with hearts. Maybe this is just my imagination run wild (I haven’t been able to find out anything else about the window) – but I like to think it’s very appropriate for the weddings held there. It’s often used as a little scene-setting detail image in albums as well.

Eoin & Judith Wedding – Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:24:22 +0000

Following on from my quick preview post in May (here) – some of my photos of their wedding have been published in the ‘Vows’ section of VIP Magazine (1/November/2011).

Eoin & Judith and VIP chose a representative selection of photos – and inevitably many had to be omitted due to space limitations. Here are a few more of my personal favourites :

Wedding and Photography catch-up coming soon !

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:11:35 +0000

I know – it’s been a while since I last posted, and the snow is now long gone. I intend to do a few catch-up posts soon, to cover recent weddings and other interesting assignments.

In the meantime, here is one of my personal favourites from a recent wedding in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Powerscourt. The background is actually an art-glass piece located in their ‘Secret Garden”. I originally had plans for a few different photos there (after dark) but unfortunately, it began to rain, and so we cut back our plans and got just a few quick photos. The ground was wet, and so one of the hotel managers – Jens – is just out of sight, and holding the dress off the ground !

Child of Prague Statue – Rain, Rain go away !

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:52:41 +0000

It’s still quite common that when I reach a bride’s house to photograph the preparations and ‘getting ready’, the first thing I notice is a Child of Prague statue outside. This is a very old custom, and just in case you didn’t already know, the purpose is to prevent rain on the Wedding Day.

This was certainly something my mother did, and believed in. However, she had some additional requirements – which are often forgotten or ignored these days. According to her, the head had to have been broken off or damaged “accidentally” and then stuck back on with glue. These accidents invariably happened quite early in the life of a new statue ! Some people also believe you should put it under a hedge or even bury it. These days the custom is probably preserved more by the mother of the bride, but it does still live on.

So – does it work ? Who am I to say…..

Monday Cupcakes

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:11:30 +0000

Although I haven’t started on processing most of the photos yet, from a wedding this weekend – I had to show you these cupcake photos as an appetiser ! The other thing which really struck me was that they were on display in a large room (the lovely Card Room at the Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club) – but as soon as I walked into the room, the amazing aroma hit me. I do hope there was one for everybody….

Dunboyne Castle Wedding

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:29:58 +0000

I don’t regularly post wedding slideshows here – but am now considering more regular posts and selections of photos from full weddings.
Anyway, this was my first time photographing in Dunboyne Castle, so I called in there a few days earlier to have a look around and plan some photos. I always try to do this for new venues – it just makes things a little easier on the day.

Click the play button to start – the show has a music track (in case you need to turn your sound up – or down !).
I’ve kept the size down to improve viewing performance.

Wedding – Mount Falcon, Mayo

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:13:20 +0000

Had a lovely day for the wedding of Barbara and Mark last Saturday. Despite the dire weather forecasts for various areas, we had a lovely bright Winter-sunny day. Mount Falcon is a lovely venue with wonderful grounds – including many fine trees, like the ones in this photo :

This was a genuine vintage Packard Presidential from 1930 (see the classic numberplate). The owner (Getaway Limos) mentioned that this car was once owned by Buster Keaton (the silent movie era Hollywood star).

After the ceremony, we managed to get a few photos down by the lake in the hotel grounds. It was a lovely evening, but getting quite dark as it was pretty close to sunset (and a bit chilly too – so thanks to all the wedding party for their perseverance) :

Then, back to the hotel, where there was a warm fire and champagne waiting

The main reception room was stunningly lit with a huge number of candles – the main lights were turned down very low to add to the atmosphere

A final view of the hotel, as the reception continued

Mansion House, Dublin – Wedding Reception

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:21:16 +0000

Just thought I’d post two quick pictures from a wedding yesterday. Donna & Jason got married in Mount Argus church and had their reception in the Round Room in the Mansion House in Dawson St. (with pre-reception drinks in Café en Seine). It was my first time to have a reception there, and I was very impressed with the lighting and overall setup. (Mind you, although the lighting was fantastic – it made some of the the photography more difficult e.g. The Wedding Cake).