When Rich and Lynsey first met me, I was photographing another of their friends' weddings. They might have noticed that I had a dirty top, because I'd been lying on the ground to get a good angle against the sunlight on a beautiful, cold but sunny day in Warrenpoint. Perhaps they noticed I climbed up on a speaker stack to get the best angle for the bride and groom coming into the reception. It might've been seeing the final photos..... or, maybe they noticed me shaking ma thing whilst taking photos of the first dance?!
Whatever one of these compelling reasons sealed the deal (I think it was the last reason!) they decided they wanted to meet me to discuss their wedding photography, and we all hit it off.
Rich seems quiet at first, but beneath his calm and collected exterior was a really funny, very caring man who obviously adored his girl. As for Lynsey, she was poised and elegant, beautiful, and clearly very well prepared for tackling the planning of a wedding; from the first few minutes of meeting her I'd wished she'd been around to help me plan my wedding! I knew it was going to be a pretty extraordinary event, but that it would also be a very personal one. Because they were a couple that just love each other so much and wanted to get married to be together forever.
On the big day, I arrived at Lynsey's parents home in Omagh, Co Tyrone, pretty early, 8am; I like to be there as early as the bride will allow (!) so I don't miss anything. The bridesmaids were in gorgeous matching silk dressing gowns getting their hair and make up done, a little touch by Lynsey. They were given personalised cards and gift boxes - another personal little touch by Lynsey.
They all had matching jewellery; need I go on? Lynsey is so thoughtful, and it pleased her so much to see her beautiful bridesmaids happy on her day. She seems to be thinking of other people all the time.
By the time I'd left and got to the venue in Riverdale Barn it was an hour or so to the ceremony. I was greeted by two painted white wooden pallets telling of the story of Rich and Lynsey's relationship, the other was the story of the night to unfold. This was the starting point of a very uniquely Rich and Lynsey wedding. Heading inside I discovered
that each place setting was personalised to whom was sitting there, thanking them for attending the wedding. How sweet is that?! There was empty gin bottles holding flowers from a pre-wedding party that I kept hearing was one of the best nights ever! There were photographs of Lynsey and Rich around the room looking happy, and also photo frames with quotes about love from Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh.
The barn itself is so stunningly rustic and beautiful, yet felt relaxed and intimate, which seemed to me the perfect setting for Lynsey and Rich. From the old stonework walls, the red painted woodwork and waterwheel, to the quaint stepping stones, the heart of ivy growing on the wall... it was all so pretty.
The ceremony was led by Lynsey's Vicar from her hometown church, and was a really touching ceremony; he knew them well, he knew their love and devotion and was obviously delighted to be marrying them. When I looked around there was obvious and palpable love and warmth for these two people everywhere.
Because Lynsey and Rich were so relaxed, their aim was just to enjoy the moment - it gave the whole day a really chilled feel. So much so that when time came to go and take photos there was no, "we have to get this done in the next hour or dinner will be late and the caterer will shout at me!" - it was just, "sure let's go do this now and if we don't get them all now, we'll come back and do it later!" Perfecto!
Of course, when the speeches started, they were hilarious. It was hard keeping a straight face and indeed, a straight camera; the best man clearly had thought carefully about how best to systematically humiliate and show how much he loved his brother - Quite an impressive balance! The grooms speech was so sweet; and nobody, except his wife, could tell how nervous he was! He spoke clearly about his love for her, his family and friends.
As for the First Dance... oh, how can you resist it?! So soulful and romantic, the stoniest of hearts would crack! It was like it was just them, together, alone in an empty room. Only eyes for each other. Then the bridal party got up and danced, arms were flailing, ladies and gents were a'spinning, laughter was ringing above the music, and then everyone got up when a bit of Springsteen started - oh yeah!
If you had to put a sound to the rest of the evening it would be laughter. Everyone was laughing and smiling, and from what I hear that continued well into the night and the next day; I'm pretty sure everyone who attended that wedding woke with a smile, but none bigger than the new Mr and Mrs Johnston!
Congratulations again to you both, I know you'll be so blissfully happy; I'm so honoured to have been the one to take these photographs, and I hope they remind you forever of your beautiful day!
If you'd like to see more of my wedding photography in Northern Ireland, head over to my portfolio and check out Wedding Photography!
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