Borris House Wedding Photography | Karen & Niall

Borris House is a straight up wedding photographer’s dream wedding venue. First off it sits at the edge of one of the cutest little towns in Ireland. Borris is the kind of town that gives you a real break from the hectic pace of modern life. When I photograph a wedding at Borris House I always arrive early to take a walk around the town first and soak in the atmosphere of a rural market town in the valley of the mountains before I pop through the gates and walk the tree lined avenue to the house. The grounds are lush and green, filled with roses and (for a few magic weeks a year in March/April) cherry blossoms, the stonework is warm, the interiors are rich with texture and colour. The light hits every room just right. It’s grand and opulent without being cold and imposing. On the day Karen and Niall got married there, it was dressed in coral florals, soft draped fabric and personal photographs Karen had placed around the house as though it were their own home. It felt, somehow, like it was.

Getting Ready at Borris House

Karen got ready in the house itself, surrounded by her mum, her sister and maid of honour Julie, and her bridesmaids and best friends. The energy was high — laughter and chat and the particular joy of a group of women who love each other getting dressed for something important. There is a moment, before a wedding day really begins, that I always feel lucky to witness. Karen was in the bridal suite at Borris House being admired by here adoring mum and sister when her dad walked in. What happened next was just the two of them — a look, a hug, words I couldn't hear — while Karen’s mum and the girls stood watching with tears in their eyes. It’s always such a privilege to witness the love between parents and their children on their wedding day, it always reminds me of my simple hope that I’ll get to share the big milestones with my two babies, that in the end we all just want to be there to share joy with the people we love.

Across the house, Niall had his whole family around him as he dressed in his very swanky white tuxedo jacket black tie look. His brother Colm and and his oldest friends served as groomsmen. His mum and dad and sister giving hugs and calming nerves. The people who have known him longest, all in one room. He even had the couple’s beloved cocker spaniel Marty with him for moral support for the morning, following along behind him as greeted the guests arriving out the front of Borris House.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was held in the Laundry building on the Borris House estate — a small, daylit space that held the warmth of the afternoon beautifully. Caroline McNamara of Serendipity Celebrants led them through it with the kind of ceremony that earns both laughter and tears, sometimes in the same breath. The room was dressed in coral and sand with gorgeous florals by Mad about Flowers.

The fabric draped around the ceremony space that morning had been made by Karen's mum and sister. Marty the cocker spaniel was about to carry the rings up the aisle. A friend had written a song, just for them. This was that kind of wedding. Full of love that had been made by hand.

Drinks Reception

After the ceremony, 130 people spilled out into the grounds of Borris House and the afternoon opened up into exactly what Karen had hoped for — laughter with friends, hugs with family, people genuinely delighted to be there. This is the part of the day I love most to move through quietly. No one is performing. Everyone is just happy.

Karen and Niall barely stopped moving. Different friend groups, different corners of the garden, the particular warmth of people who have been loved by the same two people finding each other for the first time.

Aaron from Kheffache Studios was with me throughout, and drinks receptions like these — wide, warm, full of life — are exactly why having two sets of eyes matters.

Portraits

Karen and Niall really didn’t want to miss a minute of the action on their wedding day. So for couple portraits of the two of them (and Marty the spaniel!) we had a few stolen minutes together at different points in the day. The walk from the ceremony to the drinks reception gave us a quiet stretch with Marty trotting alongside them, the three of them together in the afternoon light. Later, as guests were being seated for dinner, Karen and Niall slipped away to the front of the house. The evening light at Borris is really special too — it falls soft and golden through the grounds, catching the sandstone in a way that makes everything glow. Five minutes was enough for some beautiful portraits of the two of them at golden hour.

The Reception

Dinner was served in the main dining room at Borris House, which is one of the most beautiful rooms I have photographed a wedding in. High ceilings, warm candlelight, the colourful florals from Mad about Flowers running through the centre of it all. The soft evening light still coming through the tall windows when the starters were served, candles doing the rest by the time the speeches began.

There were six speeches in total, three before the starter and three after, and they were exactly what good wedding speeches should be — self-deprecating, funny, full of the kind of specific detail that only comes from people who have actually been paying attention. There were sweet anecdotes from every stage of Karen and Niall's lives. There were tears too, earned ones.

The band All Talk brought the evening home. The room that had been so elegant a few hours before became something looser and warmer and wonderfully loud.

Karen and Niall, thank you for letting me spend your wedding day with you both. Borris House was the most beautiful setting for a day spent celebrating love, family, close friendships and the human (and doggy) connections that give life its real beauty.

Ceremony: Borris House, Reception: Borris House, Celebrant: Caroline McNamara, Serendipity Celebrants, Hair by: Danielle Whelan, MUA: Ellie Murphy, Ceremony music: Honeyvoom Duo, Band: All Talk, Videographer: House of Ren, Florist: Mad about Flowers