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Debbie and Paul’s Civil Ceremony Wedding recently took place in the wonderful Galway Bay Hotel…..my favorite wedding venue!

Wedding day was quite unique with the date being 20-02-2020…lots of “two’s and zero’s!

Galway in February can be quite cold and indeed it was for Debbie and Paul…but thankfully it was dry and everyone was happy out on wedding morning!

Wedding Morning in the Galway Bay Hotel

Calling to Debbie on wedding morning was a treat….a lot of familiar faces! My very good buddy Nicola McGuire is married to Paul’s brother John and was a familiar face on wedding day as she was the Wedding Celebrant, the Ceremonial Singer and indeed the Master of Ceremonies. I’ve spoken before about being friends with couples and not wanting to let anyone down on wedding day…..and while I have this self inflicted pressure at every wedding I do, it’s a small bit greater than normal knowing that I was photographing this wedding on the back of a recommendation to Debbie & Paul from Nicola, my good buddy.

Things got significantly easier whoever bumping into her during Debbie’s preparations as well as the exceptionally brilliant Colette Costello and Caroline Coyne who were looking after hair and make up respectively. Bizarrely we didn’t cross paths to often in 2019, but we’ve seen quite a lot of each other in recent weeks…..love working with them and for any bride on wedding morning, they’re super company to have around you on your big day.

Debbie had fantastic bridesmaids in Debbie (yes another Debbie), Kelly and Stephanie (sisters) as well as the superb Flowergirls Emily, Hollie and Eloise. It took me a few minutes to catch a grasp of the northern accents….no more than them trying to understand what I was saying…lol, had to repeat a lot of what I was saying at the start but copped on and slowed down my speech after a bit!!

Civil Ceremony Galway Bay Hotel

The ceremonial room looked truly awesome for Debbie and Paul’s wedding and this is down to the wonderful work of Clare Kilcarr from I do Candle Lighting…she really brings the best out in the Galway Bay Hotel.

Paul was pretty relaxed on wedding morning, and was surrounded by his groomsmen and brothers Liam, John and Kevin. Debbie and Paul’s son Alfie was also the Pageboy and “Murphy’s Law”, he was in a coma sleep just as the wceremony was about to start (see photos)….but he rose to the occasion pretty damn well….he had loads of energy when he arose from the dead lol!

Wedding days can be emotional occasions. It was unfortunate for Paul that he lost his dad in the past year although there were plenty of reminders of him on big day which was lovely.
Nicola did a wonderful personalized ceremony, and she was accompanied for the music by Dave Mongan..ironically whose wedding I recently shot too.

After the ceremony, we did the family portraits upstairs in the Library…but firstly we ran off a few shots in the ceremony room and in particular showing off the lovely decor by Claire Kilcarr.

Wedding Photos in the Claddagh

The Bridal Party made the trip into the Claddagh for some wedding photography. It’s a wonderful location with Old Galway on display as well as a lovely bit of nature with the Corrib free flowing beside us. It was exceptionally cold while shooting here so the shoot was very brief and prompt…ensuring we got Debbie back to the warmth of the car as quick as possible….indeed she turned into a Connacht Rugby Supporter for a short while as I put in on her in between shots to try and protect her from the harsh cold.

Wedding Reception Galway Bay Hotel

We made the short journey back to the hotel and while eating the lovely finger food that Stephen Finn was providing, we ran off a handful more shots before everyone went inside and enjoyed the company of family and friends for the reception.

The speeches were short, and witty but also emotional and Paul’s dad wasn’t far from the minds of a lot of guests.

The excellent Pyramid wedding band rounded off an excellent day with an awesome set list that had the dance floor hopping for the rest of the night!

Many thanks Debbie and Paul for letting me have a front row seat on your bi day! I enjoyed your company and the craic and please God we’ll cross paths again sometime on the future….in the mean time, stay safe and mind yourselves!

Images from the day below and a photo slideshow can be viewed at the bottom of the page. More Galway Bay weddings can be viewed by clicking here

Civil Ceremony Wedding Galway Bay Hotel
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