Sadhbh & Andrew’s Wedding at Tankardstown House | Co. Meath

Sadhbh and Andrew came into their wedding day with a clear priority: time with their guests. Not disappearing for two hours of photos. Not being steered from room to room. Just their people, their day, at their own pace.

That’s a brief I’m very happy to work with.

Their August wedding at Tankardstown House was entirely on-site — no church run, no convoy, no lost forty minutes on a country road. Everything happened within the grounds, which meant the day flowed exactly the way they’d planned it.

Getting Ready — The Secret Garden Room

Sadhbh and her bridesmaids got ready in Tankardstown’s Secret Garden Room, which is one of the better getting ready spaces I’ve worked in. It’s big enough to actually fit a bridal party without everyone standing on top of each other, the light is good, and there’s a calm to it that tends to rub off on the morning. A relaxed getting ready room makes a big difference to the photographs — and to the mood going into the ceremony.

The Ceremony — The Orangery

The ceremony was held in Tankardstown’s Orangery, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s exactly what the name suggests — floor to ceiling light, natural and bright from every direction. It’s one of the most photogenic ceremony spaces in Co. Meath, and on an August day it was at its absolute best.

The moment that made this ceremony was the sand ceremony. Sadhbh and Andrew chose to mark their marriage with a unity sand ritual — two families becoming one, poured together — and both dads were part of it. Watching two fathers stand up and take part in something that meaningful, in front of everyone they love, was one of those moments that fills a room completely. Pure emotion, beautifully done.

Fifteen Minutes

After the ceremony, Sadhbh and Andrew had one request for the photo shoot: keep it short. They wanted to be back with their guests as quickly as possible.

We did it in fifteen minutes.

Tankardstown’s walled gardens and grounds make that possible — everything is right there, the light in August is forgiving, and when a couple is as relaxed and natural in front of a camera as these two were, you don’t need to manufacture anything. You just move, shoot, and get out of their way.

Fifteen minutes of portraits. The rest of the afternoon exactly where they wanted to be.

Planning a wedding at Tankardstown House? I’d love to hear about your day. Get in touch here → — I photograph weddings across Co. Meath, Kildare, Dublin, and throughout Ireland.