Booking an Irish Wedding from Abroad ?
Booking from abroad can be a challenge, so we have put together some tips and advice from past couples that will guide you along - we hope it helps.
As experienced photographers, with many clients from abroad over the years, our advice is obviously photography-related but we are also here to help with overall timing for a well-balanced day!
Photographers are one of the suppliers that will be with you for most of the day, so as you may not get to meet them until closer to the date itself, it’s important to get the right fit for you from a distance.
Instagram is good to get a flavour of a person’s work, however it’s really worthwhile to look through full, real weddings or blogs and galleries on wedding sites. Don’t worry about the language that’s been used - informal, posed, documentary or reportage; everyone’s use of language or understanding can be different, so pick the photos you like and that you can relate to.
Every day is different, so while we do have a particular style we still let the day unfold.
We would love for you to get in touch - it’s not that big a distance when we are only a phone call, skype or email away.
Ruth & Martin
Clodagh & Neill
We were honoured to have Ruth and Martin as the photographers for our wedding on August 25th 2018. We live in London and completed all our wedding planning from afar, Ruth and Martin made the photography aspect of this planning, an absolute dream. When doing our wedding research online, we could see that they were highly rated and once we reviewed their body of work we couldn’t wait to make the call to secure them as our photographers!
We had expected that we would need to meet with Ruth and Martin in Ireland to finalise details; however, to our delight, Ruth and Martin came to us. They offer an absolutely fantastic service and travel regularly to accommodate clients overseas, when London was on the agenda, we met up, got to know each other, had an Engagement shoot and a lovely time talking about what we wanted on the big day.
On the day, Ruth and Martin captured absolutely everything we wanted and more, the photos are stunning and I still can’t believe how lucky we were to have such amazing photographers who also offer an incredible service to their clients.
Whether you're planning from home or abroad, Ruth and Martin have a unique ability to blend into your day but capture absolutely everything that stands out. We are so grateful for the memories you have given to us that we will treasure forever.
Thank you,
Clodagh & Neill
Stephanie & David
When you're trying to book a wedding from abroad you want to feel confident that you can trust your photographer. We were lucky enough to see Ruth and Martin's work from my brother-in-law's wedding. That's why when we were booking our wedding, they were our first choice and they didn't disappoint.
It can be hard trying to communicate with your photographer, hotel, etc when you're not on the same timezone. I was never left waiting for an email to answered.
Organizing a wedding can be stressful at times but I never felt any stress when it came to dealing with Ruth and Martin.
We had our engagement shoot the year prior to our wedding as we weren't going to be home again before the wedding, they were very accommodating to our needs and schedule. Our wedding day was so much fun, we loved our photos. Ruth and Martin were so easy to work with and we spent most of the time laughing and joking, never any awkwardness. You can really see they love what they do. We didn't know they were there half of the time and when we did the bridal party/family photos they were quick and organized.
They really made our special day even more special and memorable.
Tip - don't do what I did and put my USB stick with the photos on it in your suitcase. My case was mislaid, it was found in the end, but best to keep it on you when flying!
Recommendations are so helpful when you're booking from abroad. If anyone you can trust has used a service for their wedding that they loved I'd suggest trying them also.
Choose your bridal party wisely, make sure you can trust their opinions because more than likely you will need them to do certain things for you. Example, I had bridesmaid dresses in mind that I wanted the girls to try on at home. They tried them on and they honestly told me the dresses weren't a good choice, instead they had found another dress in the same shop and they all loved it. I wasn't too keen on them at first but I believed them when they said they looked amazing in person. They didn't lie, the dresses were beautiful and I was so happy they gave me their honest opinions and they all loved the dresses they wore.
Don't be afraid to ask people at home for help, they will love feeling involved and helpful, and it gives you less things to worry about.
Stephanie & David
Meabh & Alan
My husband and I were married in April 2018 in the stunning Clonabreany House and had the wonderful Ruth and Martin as our photographers. They had come recommended from our make up artist but after having a look on their website we both felt very sure that we wanted them to be a part of our day.
We live in Australia and had been engaged about 18 months before the wedding so I went into planning mode straight away to make sure that all the big things were ticked off the To-Do list as early as possible i.e. venue, photographer, band etc. Having to rely on the internet only rather than visiting and meeting people in person was tough so I spent lots of time on forums and review pages reading other brides' recommendations and tips which helped a lot.
My advice to any bride planning from afar is to get your main elements of the day booked as early as you can so you are not left disappointed if your preferred supplier is already booked. This will also allow you to have more fun planning the little things closer to the time. And if you have a family member or bridesmaids at home offering to help...take their help, my sister's help was invaluable when the wedding was approaching.
I couldn't buy too much over here as baggage restrictions wouldn't allow it so having someone at home to help with picking up little bits and pieces was such a great help. All the advice forums and websites are such a tool too. The most important thing is to not allow stress get to you, everything comes together on the day and even if there is any little hiccups on the day you are going to be so happy and in love that you won't even notice!!
Meabh & Alan
Prini & Ross
Ruth and Martin were great to work with and really flexible for us as we were planning our wedding from London. Everything pre-wedding was really easy, we had a couple of calls and then visited them at their studio ahead of the big day for some pre-wedding shots and went through photos we had seen online that we wanted so the day itself was really smooth!
On our wedding day they were so chilled and easy to work with. Relaxed but at the same time made sure we got everything done!
We also had a post wedding shoot in London a few months after the wedding. That was really fun and we got great shots in iconic London locations! Again Ruth and Martin had great ideas for the shots and we have superb pictures! Would highly recommend them and definitely do the post wedding shoot!
Prini & Ross
Caroline & Benjamin
I suppose my best advice to any couple planning a wedding in Ireland from abroad would be to be willing to make quick decisions!
You won't be able to meet as many cake-makers, florists, photographers etc. as you would if you were planning your wedding locally, so you have to do your research online to narrow your options, and then just trust your gut!
In terms of choosing our photographers, it was great to have the engagement shoot in London well before the big day - meeting Ruth and Martin in person really put our minds at ease, and it was a good way to get used to being photographed!
It felt quite odd and awkward at first, but we got used to it and were certainly more relaxed on the big day thanks to that previous shoot.
Caroline & Benjamin
