A sunny May day at The Lakeside with Aoife and Niall.
The Lakeside is pretty much the only wedding venue I can see from my edit room window, and I've lost count of the days I've spent there. Aoife and Niall's was another good one. There were blue skies over the Shannon all day long, and I was with them from pyjamas to dancing shoes.
There was one hair-raising moment early on. I was upstairs with Aoife and the bridesmaids, looking out the window, when Niall pulled into the car park. "He'll never see us up here," one of the bridesmaids said. "It's safe enough: we can see him, and he can't see us." Famous last words. The second he stepped out of the car, like some sort of sixth sense, his head spun round and he looked straight up at the window. It's in the photos below.
The ceremony was on site, under a wall of white flowers, with a handfasting that had everyone leaning in. Afterwards we slipped down to the pontoon for a few portraits by the water. It's one of my favourite spots anywhere, and it's right beside the hotel, so we were back before anyone missed us.
Then it was napkins in the air for the grand entrance and plenty of laughs at the speeches. As the evening went on, we slipped out onto the terrace just as the sun was setting behind Moylussa, the local mountain. It was exactly the right place at exactly the right time. Aoife and Niall had their own private first dance out there, away from the madding crowd. Then, of course, the night finished the way the best ones do, with the whole room on the dance floor.
If you're getting married at The Lakeside, scroll down. This is the whole day, start to finish, so you can see what yours could look like.
About the Venue
The Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe, Co. Clare
On the banks of the Shannon at Killaloe Bridge, with a private pontoon, award-winning gardens and over a century of hosting weddings.
More about the venue: Wedding photography at The Lakeside
Getting married at The Lakeside? Get in touch. I know this venue better than almost any other.
