Kate & Shane — Castle Durrow Wedding, Co. Laois

Two castles. One day. Kate got ready at Kildangan Stud in Monasterevin, Co. Kildare — a beautiful estate with its own castle — and finished the day at Castle Durrow in Co. Laois. It’s not something most couples plan for or even clock on the day. But when you look at the photos from both ends of it, the symmetry is genuinely something.

Getting Ready at Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin

Kildangan Stud is not your typical wedding morning location. The estate in Monasterevin is grand and quiet and full of the kind of light that makes getting-ready photographs look completely effortless. Kate and her bridal party made the most of it — relaxed, well ahead of time, and ready to go. A perfect start to the day.

Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Abbeyleix

The ceremony was at the Church of the Most Holy Rosary in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois. Abbeyleix is a town that always feels like it’s been looked after — there’s a warmth to it that carries into a ceremony held there. By the time Kate and Shane came out the other side of it, the whole crowd was in great form and ready for everything that came next.

Arriving at Castle Durrow

Before the wedding, Kate had been in touch to say they were happy to follow my lead at Castle Durrow — she’d seen photos I’d taken there before and trusted that I knew the venue. That kind of trust makes a real difference to how the day flows.

Shane had things beautifully organised, which meant the two of them had exactly what every couple deserves on their wedding day: time. Time to be with their guests, to sit with people they hadn’t seen in years, to actually be present. The photographs happened around that. Not in spite of it.

The Lawns, the Front of the Castle, and the Walled Garden

We covered a good bit of ground at Castle Durrow — the back lawns, the front of the castle, and some time in the walled garden. Each spot gives you something different. The front has the scale and the grandeur. The back lawns open everything up and give you sky. The walled garden is quieter and more enclosed — lush and green in August, and a completely different feel to the rest of the estate. Between the three, you don’t need to go anywhere else.

Golden Hour

We got out for the golden hour and the results were just fab. August evenings at Castle Durrow, when the conditions are right, are hard to beat — that warm, low, late-summer light spreading across the grounds. We weren’t out for long. We never need to be.

Thinking About Castle Durrow for Your Wedding?

Castle Durrow is one of the finest wedding venues in Co. Laois and it photographs beautifully in every season. If you’re planning a Castle Durrow wedding and you want a photographer who knows the venue well, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m a documentary wedding photographer based in Co. Kildare, covering Laois, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Dublin and Meath. [Get in touch here] to check availability for your date.