The Blog for Irish Brides (and Grooms!)

Friday Fun! Hilarious Wedding Photos

As you all know, we like a good laugh here in WeddingDates HQ and when one of my friends on twitter passed this on, I just had to share.

Not looking for stiff-posed wedding photographs?  Well, these are some of the funniest wedding shots out there….might be some inspriration for set-ups for the more quirky couples out there!

Photo Credit: Anna Kuperberg / California

Check out the rest of the Slide Show for some Hilarious Wedding photos!

And remember, you can find wedding photographers on our supplier directory who you can make these crazy suggestions to!

Unscrupulous Suppliers

Every couples nightmare, paying a supplier for a service for the wedding, and then the supplier not showing up/delivering the goods…..such is what happened to friend of mine Peter Donegan and his wife who got married 3 years ago and have yet to receive their wedding photographs.

A shocking situation I’m sure you’d agree and one no one would wish on anyone getting married.

My advice for couples booking suppliers for their wedding:

  • Make sure the suppliers are registered at their trade.  Particularly if you are ponying up the money in advance.
  • Do your homework - research the suppliers in question and ask around.  Word of mouth is HUGE in weddings and if none of your own friends have recently gotten married the wedding forums are a great place to start.  Try boards.ie and weddingsonline as a starting point.
  • Keep receipts and get everything in writing. Then if the worst happens and you have to bring someone to the small claims court, you have evidence.
  • A mobile number is not enough.  Nor is an email address.  You need a registered business address, or failing that a personal address.  Of course with bands and some other suppliers this could be difficult.
  • Check out their previous work, and talk to other couples who have used the supplier. Don’t just take written testimonials as a given, ask can you talk to a few of their previous customers.

If the supplier is iffy about any of the above, you can smell a rat straight away and run for the hills.  Failing all that if things do go awry make sure you tell everyone you know your story.  Write on the forums to warn other couples or post a review on LouderVoice.  Make your voice heard!

You can stand under my Umbrella

Looking for inspiration for a blog post this morning, I didn’t have to look further than the office window and face up to the reality that although it IS July, we DO live in Ireland and like taxes another inevitability in this life is Rain.  The majority of couples out there opt for a summer wedding and cross their fingers and toes that the day will be a dry (and possibly!) even sunny one.

Alas, as organised as you are as a bride/groom-to-be there is one thing you cannot control and that is the weather.  So - what happens if it buckets down on your big day?  Tears and Tantrums?! I hope not!  Steady yourself for the fact that it COULD rain and then IF it does, make the best of it.  Alot of how the day goes will be dictated by the bridal couples tone/mood, so take a deep breath and accept the fact that you can’t change it so you might as well smile and enjoy it!

You won’t be expected to provide brollys for all of your guests, if it is raining on the morning of the wedding or if rain is forecast, they will undoubtably bring their own.  However, it is a nice touch to have umbrellas ready for the wedding party and they can make an excellent addition to the photos too.

umbrellas - make your own rainbow!

umbrellas - make your own rainbow!

You can buy so-called “wedding umbrellas” online and expect to pay about €35.00 per brolly.  Irish retailer Welly4U has a small but nice selection.  Only 1 typical “wedding umbrella” [read: white, v traditional] but you can get the clear bubble-style from them or go all arty and get bright colourful ones - they could look brill in the pics!

UK Retalier Brollies Galore have a massive selection and do deliver to Ireland, beware of the price jumps though, some of their umbrellas are over £160.00!  How about a multi-coloured rainbow affect?!  These plain coloured umbrellas come in a myriad of colours and are a snip at only £7.99!

Make sure to discuss with your photographer in advance what is the “Plan B” if it rains on the day.  Does he/she have a second location where you can go to?  Do they have a studio you can use or does the hotel have a room that would be suitable?  Personally, I love the outdoors photos and provided it is not torrential, I would say whip out the brollies, brave the wet and have fun with the photos - embrace the rain!

For the fun and frivilous - how about a photo of the bride in a pair of festival-fabulous wellies?!  Or is that just a step too far?!

Photo Credit: Steve Holcroft

Say Cheese! Top Photography Tips for your Wedding

Today’s blog post comes from Emily Doran, a wedding photographer based in Cork.  Some great advice below regarding your photos on your big day.  Over to Emily….

Thanks a million Ciara for asking me to guest blog today. You are my blogging icon!
OK, I’m a newbie to this bloggin’ business so I’m just gonna chat about a few things that I think might be helpful for a bride to be.


Prepare to be amazed!
I think preparation is key for each wedding day. I always try to visit the ceremony & reception venues,  & especially the bridal party photo shoot location beforehand. That way I can really get the most out of a location and don’t waste any time on the day.
Always have a PLAN B for photos if its raining. Nobody wants rain on their wedding day but com’on, we live in Ireland! It rains between 150-225 days of the year!(met.ie) It’s not the end of the world if the weathers bad either. I think rain can be very romantic…a couple kissing under an umbrella in the rain, how cute is that? So, don’t forget to pick out a few nice umbrellas, just in case. Also, reception venues often have great areas for interior shots.

Practice makes perfect

Are you are a bit freaked out about having to pose for photos and feel like you’re not going to enjoy it? A lot of photographers offer a pre-wedding shoot. It’s like a practice run for the wedding day. I include this in my wedding package. When possible, I meet up with the bride and groom at the wedding shoot location for an informal photo session. It gives the bride and groom a great idea of what to expect, try out a few poses, you’ll be more relaxed on the big day.

Delegate

Family photos can be difficult to organise. I think it’s best to take these shots just after the ceremony, before Aunty Sheila disappears off to the pub and gets a bit leery. Make a list of the family shots you’d like taken. Give a copy to the photographer and also to groomsmen/bridesmaids or friends who can help round everyone up and have them ready to step into the picture while you’re busy shaking hands with the congregation as they leave the church/ceremony location.

Ready, steady…
Getting ready to go to the ceremony. If the photographer is calling to take shots of the preparations, have a quick look around. If there’s a pile of washing in the corner of the dressing room it could spoil a great photo, just shove it under the bed or in the closet! There’s no need to go crazy tiding though. Mess is good, once its wedding mess! Dresses and shoes can come in beautiful packaging, there’s no need to hide these away.

Old, new, borrowed, blue
It’s great to get shots of little details. The shoes, rings, flowers, cufflinks. If there’s something special like a card or gift from the groom, the best man’s notes for his speech, even a romantic text message! leave these out for the photographer so they can arrange and photograph them.

Don’t worry, be happy :)
Finally, but most importantly, don’t worry! Loads of brides tell me they hate having their photo taken or are worried about double chins, wobbly bits or just don’t like the way they look in photographs. What can you do to make your photos look good? The answer - don’t worry, be happy! Its the photographers job to get great shots. Just enjoy yourself, have fun, don’t take it too seriously. Hold on tightly to the one you love, kiss, giggle, dance, sing, whatever! Then, when you’re looking back at you’re wedding photos in years to come, you wont see those wobbly bits you worried about, you’ll just remember what a great time you had on one of the happiest days of your life.

Many thanks to Emily for taking the time to put together these handy tips for the blog.  For further information about Emily or her work, see below!

Website | www.emilydoran.com
Email | info@emilydoran.com
Telephone | 087 2878180