Maria & Michael's Castlecourt Hotel Wedding

Maria and Michael were recently married in Attymass Mayo followed by a reception in the Castlecourt Hotel Westport. Having photographed some of Maria’s relations and friends weddings in the past, she was somewhat familiar with my work and I was delighted to be heading back to Attymass in Mayo to cover her big day with Michael.

Wedding Morning in Carracastle

The first thing that you become aware of when driving to Maria’s home is the amount of sign posts for the Fr Peyton Memorial Centre. Upon arrival in Maria’s home, I got a small bit of his history and as well as finding out that he was an uncle of Maria’s dad, Tom.

Arriving in Maria’s home, I received a loud welcome from Molly, the Peyton dog. She was barking quite loudly at the stranger arriving at her home, but pretty shortly after that she showed her charming side.
There were a lot familiar faces on wedding morning with Jackie looking after hair and Michael Clarke looking after the video side of things …..two people that I come across regularly. Lisa Ralph was looking after make up for the ladies which consisted of Maria and her two bridesmaids Michelle (Sister and Maid Of Honor) and Caitríona.
As I regularly mentioned on my blogs, there’s a lot less stress on wedding days when things run on time on the morning of the wedding, and this was certainly the case in Maria’s home. We had plenty of time for family portraits (including poor auld Molly) after the beautiful maria was ready. I must also thank Maria’s dad for his warm welcome on wedding morning. I was well fed and watered when arriving at Maria’s home, but he was most hospitable in trying to look after me…..a great start to the day

Wedding Ceremony Attymass

It was a short spin to the Church of St Mary & Joseph in Attymass for the ceremony. Michael was doing the Fianna Fáil and pressing the flesh when I arrived (sharking hand). Thanks to his groomsmen Shane and Joe for being two good men…affable and approachable and listened to any advice I had for them with regards to the photography side of things.

The church looked amazing and sounded amazing on wedding day. The flowers were by Maria’s mum Ronnie. She’s a jack of all trades as she was also involved in some beautiful church singing with her daughter Michelle during the ceremony. Maria and Michael’s friends Angela and Marie Judge provided the ceremony music accompanied by Padraig McNally on guitar.

After the ceremony, we did the family portraits in the church along with a handfull of Bridal portraits before going to the nearby lake in Bonniconlon for the bridal shoot. I enjoyed our time here. It was a perfect day for photography and we ate some sandwiches, drank a beer, had some fun and got our photo shoot done. Thanks so much to the bridal party for their good will during this time. Maria and Michael were in exceptionally good form and everyone else was feeding off this positive energy. Michael Clarke and I were happy leaving Bonniconlin with the photos/footage we captured and as an added bonus that we were making a very brief stop too in Pontoon en route to the Castlecourt!

Castlecourt Hotel Wedding Reception

Our final stop was the excellent Castlecourt Hotel in Westport. Vinny and his team run a tight ship and are very focused on providing an excellent personal service to all couples…I always enjoy working there too…they’re great with wedding suppliers too.

With the weather being so nice, all of Maria and Michael’s wedding guests were enjoying the refreshments being provided outdoors. It must have been a lovely sight for the newlyweds to see upon their arrival…all their friends and family enjoying the weather and facilities outdoors at the Castlecourt.
We had some time to grab casual portraits with friends and family before enjoying the lovely meal.

Many thanks Maria and Michael for trusting me with your wedding photography. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. From the moment I arrived at your home to when finishing up, you were a lady through and through Maria and I enjoyed your company, your laid back personality, and your down to earth demeanor.
I wish you both the very best on the near future…and look forward to crossing paths again!
Mind yourselves x

Some photos of the day below and a photo slideshow can be viewed at the bottom of the page