I loved filming this day.

Not only were we working in Killarney and at picturesque locations like St. Mary’s Cathedral and Dunloe Castle but people make a wedding and Sinead and Diarmuid were simply a fantastic couple.

St. Mary’s is a huge space – some find it challenging to work in – but I love it because it lends itself to some amazing shafts of light that stream through the high windows. And everything was going to plan until Diarmuid asked his best man just as the flower girls were about to parade up the aisle “Have you got the rings?” Mike realised that he had left them in car and there was a mad dash to get them. I know it didn’t exactly set the groom’s nerves at ease but it was one of those priceless moments that really adds to the wedding day experience.

Thanks again to Diarmuid and his wife Sinead for having us as part of their wedding day!

From day one, Maggie highlighted the importance of her husband-to-be Denis, and their fab little son, named after his father; I have such fond memories of this family.

Maggie was a bag of nerves on the morning of her wedding and on a couple occasions I tried to reassure her that her meticulous planning would stand to her.  Also soothing the nerves was her brilliant artist from Killarney, Kathryn O’Neill.  Not only did the make-up look great when Maggie paraded down the long aisle of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney toward Denis but it looked just as good when we were saying goodbye to her later that night on a packed dance floor!

I will also never forget this wedding because Fr. MacNamara – who performed a memorable and entertaining service – passed on his flu to me which took all of 10 weeks to shake off.

The reception was held at Ballygarry House Hotel which sets a benchmark for all other hotels in Kerry and beyond to follow.  Few are equal to the warm welcome and first class service that the General Manager, Padraig McGillicuddy, and all his staff extend to their guests.  They are renowned for great food  and no small detail is ever overlooked.  In fact, I always leave this hotel feeling inspired to shape my own business in their image and I think that’s the highest praise I can pay any hotel.

We also got to work alongside Martin Cleary for the day and it is always a pleasure to share a wedding day with a professional photographer with a work ethic like Martin’s. Hugely popular with couples from Tralee and throughout Kerry, Cleary’s offer a relaxed style of wedding photography and some great packages.

Maggie & Denis & The London Brady Bunch: We loved being a part of your wedding day and thanks for having us!!!

Coming to the blog this Thursday night at 9.30pm. A Wedding Story filmed at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney and Ballygarry House Hotel.

Wedding Dance Kerry is a fantastic new service from Helena Cahill and she specialises in wedding dance lessons. This service is available to make couples feel relaxed and confident when they step on to the dance floor.  Helena says “Months of planning goes into organising a wedding. You have invested a lot of time in getting every little detail just right. Your wedding day is the most important day of your life so don’t let the first dance with your guests watching be a nervous one.”

With one-on-one or group lessons from a champion dance teacher, be it at Helena’s studio or from the comfort of your own home, and with prices as little as €80 per couple then this a website you most definitely want to visit.  Call Helena now on 087-161-3645 and she will have the two of you wowing your guests on the dance floor.

There is huge satisfaction to be found when a couple want to book us on the strength of a wedding story we filmed a couple of years ago for their best friends. So, I was delighted when Maeve & Kevin asked me to film their big day at Fossa Church, Killarney and Ballyseede Castle in Tralee; two beautiful venues!

Maeve & Kevin are a cool couple and there was some eye-catching style at their wedding. It was pretty obvious from the start that they put a lot of thought and effort into their day and it had it all; the best of fashion, great hair styles by Kerry Fleming, beautiful church and reception music from Kerry School of Music, glorious venues, a fantastic menu of food and wines, and best of all, a light hearted and friendly atmosphere.

Ballyseede Castle is a stunning venue for intimate weddings and hopefully the teaser film will give you a sense of the many different worlds that seem to blend into each other at this wonderful place.

I also had another opportunity to work with one of my favourite photographers, Roger Overall. Roger is a documentary wedding photographer and he is in a league of his own in that he does not stage, pose, or direct his shots. I can assure you that it takes a highly skilled, talented, and uber confident photographer to work the way he does and yet, capture true moments with his thoughtful and artistic eye. I love his work and so will you if you visit his website.

Another highlight of the day for me was getting to meet Tim & Laura again; the couple whose wedding I filmed a few years ago. Laura recently gave birth to twin girls and as Kevin rightly said in his speech “The Fitzgeralds are slowly taking over the Caymen Islands!”

Maeve and Kevin – Thanks a million for having us as part of your day. We had a great one!!!

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velvetine studios produce a select amount of wedding video in kerry and wedding video in ireland. our dates do book quickly and 2010 is already filling fast so call now to enquire about your date!

I think it’s fair to say that the bride’s family – The Lynchs’ – are quite well known in Tralee town as a gifted clan of musicians who always seem to have a smile on their faces. However, even though I am on first name terms with several of them and I spotted many familiar faces among their guests at the wedding, this was a day of revelation for me and I found myself engrossed in the stories of the couple and their families.

I think the best stories are the ones where there are gaps that can be fleshed out with a bit of imagination and this was my inspiration for this teaser. Throughout the day I found my attentions drawn toward two proud fathers and the words of wisdom from Fr. Kieran O’Brien of St. John’s Church, Tralee

Filmed at Ballyroe Heights Hotel, Una Lynch and DJ Flaherty’s wedding day was a beautiful event and Elaine and I are so thankful to have been a part of it all!

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As a native of Kerry I probably take it for granted. The lakes of Killarney, the Gap of Dunloe, rolling fields of green, old ruins, great hotels… we really are spoiled for choice in the Kingdom but it hits home when a party of Scotsmen and women descend on the sleepy of village of Firies for a wedding.

I remember that early afternoon very well; the wind was doing to its best to make my job of holding a steady camera all the more harder. I remember these quick witted men in their smart traditional kilts with their jaws hanging toward the ground as they marveled at the mountains in the distance. It was a proud day to be Irish and share a wedding day with our Scottish cousins.

It was all the more enjoyable because we were getting to share in Gary & Helen’s big day; a truly great couple and they deserved every second of what was a brilliant wedding day!

The wedding reception was held at Dunloe Castle were the General Manager, Jason Clifford, was his usual charming self and he and his staff made sure that the Ahern/Howie family and guests were treated to nothing less than Five Star service. And thanks for always looking after us, Jason; we really appreciate it!!!

My friend Riona Mac Monagle was capturing the photography and it is always a pleasure to work with her. She is so easy going and her sense of fun is infectious. I must also mention the band Jigabyte… great musicians and I could have stayed all night listening to their lively brand of music which is fused with a traditional slant. Loved it!

As always, biggest thanks is to the couple and we wish Gary and Helen all the very best for their future together. Thanks a million!

Stay tuned to the blog for Helen & Gary’s Dunloe Castle wedding film teaser.

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Sarah and Ian… what a fantastic couple!   We first met them at the Dromoland Wedding Extravaganza last year and fell in love with their fun, down to earth outlooks on life.  We just knew that their wedding was going to be a great day and we were right.

The ceremony was held at the historic St. John’s Church in Cratloe and it had it all: magical music from Jennifer Dann, a beautiful bride, a meaningful homily from Father Arnold Rosney, some eye catching fashion, and one very nervous groom:)  The reception was held at the glorious Dromoland Castle.  It is always a pleasure for us to work at Dromoland because of Margaret, Simon, Nico, Frank and all the staff who make everyone who crosses the gates feel like the most special people in the world… so imagine what it must feel like to be a Dromoland bride & groom!

Dermot Ryall was photographing the day and it was great to work with him and share a nice chat over dinner and a bottle of Berticot Cotes De Duras, compliments of the groom.

I LOVE my job for many reasons and one of them is that I get to meet some very talented professionals and James Sexton is a perfect example.  James performed his Neil Diamond tribute act for the couple and it was brilliant.  We sat down for a chat later that night and he told us some stories that literally had me bent over in two with laughter.

I would also like to thank Pat Lynam who worked tirelessly for us on our third camera unit for the day.  Pat is an absolute gentleman and he captured some priceless moments from the groom’s house and right through to the First Dance.  Thanks a million Pat!

Biggest thank you of all must go to Ian, Sarah, and their family and friends.  Thank you for having us as part of your castle wedding

Sarah and Ian Scott were married at the historic St. John’s Church Cratloe and their reception was held at the luxurious Dromoland Castle. The teaser of their Wedding Story goes live on the blog this Friday so stay tuned!

Full Blog Teaser of this Dromoland Castle Wedding Story Coming Soon

It has been a very difficult week for us due to a family bereavement.  After a long illness, my grandmother passed away on Friday morning and we all miss her already.

We have been experiencing some difficulty with the website over the last few days but please bear with us as things should return to normal over the next 48 hours or so.

Thank you.

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Anne-Marie and Paul are a fantastic couple who are living in Australia and they put a huge amount of thought and effort into their Irish wedding. To be honest, we hadn’t even finished the ceremony and I knew that I was already spoiled for story choices on this one: the church looked amazing, great fashion, a meaningful and moving homily from Fr. John McCullagh, lots of special moments between the couple, beautiful music from Colin Mclean and Caoimhe Conlon, and by the far the most inspiring, poetic communion reflection I have ever heard from Moira Hunter!!

St. Brendan’s, in the small village of Ardfert, is a gorgeous church but it was made to look all the more special by Fiona of Candlelight Weddings and Sharon from Mallow Flowers. The atmosphere had an almost mystical quality and I’m sure that the international guests who travelled from all over the world couldn’t help but be amazed by this Irish wedding.

Martin Hill and his assistant for the day, Chris Turner, travelled from the UK to photograph the day and they captured some spectacular moments for the delighted couple.

A special mention has to go to Ballyroe Hotel for making sure that everyone – the bride and groom, their families, their friends, and us the vendors and suppliers – had a great experience at their hotel. The hall looked amazing and nothing was too big or too small for Mark and all his staff. It’s always a pleasure for us to work at this hotel and it’s no surprise why they are one of Kerry’s busiest wedding venues!

Hope you all enjoy the teaser and to Anne-Marie and Paul, thank you so, so much for having us a part of your wedding day!!!

We have offically opened our 2011 calendar and our limited dates are already being snapped up… fast. In fact, as of today we have only 22 dates remaining and we want to thank all of you for your continued support!

Velvetine Studios is a boutique studio and we only work with a limited amount of clients each year. Our wedding video films – better known as Wedding Story – continue to excite couples all over Ireland and beyond. Trust us when we tell you that most of our dates disappear very quickly so please, if you’ve taken the time to look over our work and think that we might be right for your wedding then get in touch with us by email or call 066 711 9980… And we love to meet our couples and learn about your wedding, drink tea and coffee, watch some wedding films, and let us show you just how different we are to any other studio out there.

We would also like to welcome our first few 2011 brides-to-be to the Velvetine Studios experience: Sarah Blondin, Edel Lowe, and Eimear O’Mahony. Thanks a million for choosing us!

Our couples and wedding guests love the fact that we don’t intrude upon or orchestrate a wedding day in any way whatsoever.  And part of this service is our strict policy against using any additional lighting for the benefit of our films. It is very true to say that plenty of light will produce gorgeous, clean images but most people tell us that the videographer’s lights bouncing off the ceiling or tracing around the dancefloor like a searchlight on top of a camera are a major source of annoyance for camera shy people.

Velvetine Studios have always listened to feedback from our clients which is why we have never used anything but the ambient lighting available at any given event.  In fact, we spend hours grading your wedding film to make it look as good as possible.  Have a look at the images below: the ones on the left are straight out of the camera in a very dark hall (only a few years ago it would have been impossible to get images like this but today’s cameras can literally see in the dark) and the images on the right are treated to hours of grading and colouring.

In the next picture please note the overhead chandeliers are completely turned off.