Jenny and Gavin’s wedding came at a time when I was beginning to feel like I was carrying a pressure cooker around on top of my shoulders. Velvetine Studios had just navigated our way through a blockbuster summer of weddings and in one weeks time I was getting married myself.
We stayed at The Killeshin Hotel, which was gorgeous, and when I woke the next morning I was feeling refreshed and excited to get going. We also met Trish and Sean, a past couple of ours in the lobby. Sean was giving a motivational speech to some corporate body and Trish and Elaine ended up swapping wedding tales. Once they had finished winding each other up to dangerous levels of excitement it was time to hit the road and film a very special wedding.
We arrived at the church and Elaine and I were a long way from home but I have to say, we got the warmest of welcomes from the wedding guests. Not only had Jenny filled most of them in on our Wedding Stories but they were also congratulating us on our own big day next week.
We had a brief chat with Father O’Byrne before the ceremony and he suggested that we not record his homily. I thought he was only joking but he was very serious. So now I was faced with a mini dilemma. I knew my clients would want the homily recorded but I also wanted to respect the celebrants wishes. I made a decision not to record the homily.
Jenny arrived to the church and she looked radiant. Her documentary wedding photographer – David McElland – allowed her to exit the car and make her way to the church without any interruption or staged poses. I love documentary photographers because they allow a day to take its natural course. An added bonus was that David was a joy to work alongside and we had mighty craic during our dinner at the reception. Back to the ceremony, it was obvious that Jenny had put a lot of thought into this and all other portions of the day. Her flower and candle arrangements were stunning, she chose meaningful readings, handpicked great readers, and there was an obvious connection between the couple and their priest…
Father O’Byrne started his homily.
My hand reached for the stop button and Fr. O’Byrne started to weave a story about a cornflake box around a theme of ‘coincidence’. I was hooked. The more I convinced myself that I needed to push Stop the more I found my hand drifting away from the camera and down to my side. The priest’s words brought me back to the coincidental meeting with Trish and Sean at the hotel that morning. I found myself looking back at a crammed summer of weddings and wondered how different my life would be if I hadn’t been ‘lucky’ enough to have met so many great brides and grooms. I wondered where I would be if I hadn’t found myself staring at a €2,500 camera in a London shop window back in 2003. I was pretty broke but I bought it on a credit card in a moment of madness… That moment of madness took me on a journey into a new career and back to Ireland where I met Elaine. In just one weeks time, we would be married.
I’m glad I recorded that homily. It carried great meaning to the couple, it gripped an entire congregation, and it made me reflect upon my own good fortune and somewhat prepared me for the week ahead.
We could not have handpicked a better couple than Jenny and Gavin to film before our own big day. Coincidence? Probably… but I’m so thankful that we got to share in their amazing day just the same!
Other key vendors and suppliers:
Shane Black – He was magic
Bridge House Hotel – They went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that Jenny and Gavin had a fun and unforgettable day.
