We absolutely love photographing weddings in Ireland. There’s something about the combination of the people, the landscapes, the weather, the venues and the sense of celebration that makes Irish weddings particularly brilliant to photograph. As documentary wedding photographers, we’re always looking for real moments, authentic interactions and all the things that happen naturally throughout a wedding day. Ireland and the weddings we photograph there seems to provide all of this in abundance.
We photograph destination weddings and weddings all over the UK, Ireland and internationally, so we’re always happy to pack our bags and head somewhere new. It’s just 45 minutes on a plane and we’re there. It’s actually easier than photographing many weddings on the mainland! And as we say below, all expenses are included in our Irish wedding quotes. Above all, Ireland is somewhere we’re always especially excited to return to with more weddings booked in soon. We can’t wait to photograph each and every celebration.
A Dromquinna Manor wedding in County Kerry
One of the Irish weddings we’ve had the pleasure of photographing took us to Dromquinna Manor, near Kenmare in County Kerry. Set amongst beautiful gardens and woodland with the incredible landscape of southwest Ireland surrounding it, it’s a pretty spectacular place for a wedding.
But while the setting was obviously a huge part of what made this wedding so beautiful, it was the people and the atmosphere that really made it for us. That’s always what we’re looking for when we photograph a wedding. We want the photographs to tell you what the day actually felt like, rather than simply documenting what everything looked like.
There were all the usual big moments you’d expect from a wedding, but it was the in-between moments that also caught our attention. The reactions during the ceremony, people catching up with one another and enjoying a Guinness, funny moments on the dance floor, quiet conversations. Then there’s the emotions of the speeches and all the little interactions that happen when you put a group of people who love each other together for a few days. Those are the photographs we love making.
Why Ireland works so well for documentary wedding photography
One of the things we love about being Irish wedding photographers is that there is so much variety in the places you can get married. From dramatic coastal venues and remote countryside settings to historic houses, estates and city weddings, there’s an incredible amount of character wherever you go. And the landscapes are so beautiful!
You can have mountains, woodland, beaches, cliffs and huge skies all within a relatively small area. Rather than needing to manufacture interesting photographs, you can simply use what’s already around you. We love that. Give us a beautiful landscape, a group of brilliant people and a wedding where nobody is taking themselves too seriously and we’re very happy.
We want you to actually enjoy your wedding
Our approach to wedding photography is documentary-led. That doesn’t mean we disappear into a corner and refuse to speak to you for twelve hours. We’re part of your day and ensure you and your guests are always comfortable around us and our cameras. However what we don’t want is for your wedding to become one long photoshoot.
You’ve spent a huge amount of time planning your wedding, so we want you to actually experience it. Spend time with your friends. Eat your dinner. Have a drink. Dance. Get involved in the chaos. We’ll be there photographing everything as it happens, without constantly pulling you away from the people you’ve invited to celebrate with you. We feel that’s where the best photographs tend to come from anyway.
Beautiful portraits and formal photography
Although we’re documentary wedding photographers, we still love creating beautiful portraits and photographing the people who matter to you. We’ll make time for relaxed couple portraits and group photographs, without turning your wedding day into a photoshoot. For us, it’s about getting the balance right: beautiful photographs of you and your favourite people, alongside the real, unscripted moments that make your wedding yours.
Internationally award-winning wedding photographers
We’re Hollie and Patrick Mateer, otherwise known as the Mateers. It makes us proud that our work has been recognised internationally by some of the most respected organisations in wedding photography. We’ve won multiple Photographer of the Year titles, including This Is Reportage Wedding Photographer of the Year twice, This Is Reportage Family Photographer of the Year, and Masters of Wedding Photography UK Photographer of the Year, alongside awards from the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), Fearless Photographers and TWIA. There’s many other international wedding photography competitions too.
We’re passionate about what we do, and those awards are a lovely recognition of the photographs we create. But ultimately, it’s still the people, the stories and the moments that keep us picking up our cameras.
Destination wedding photography in Ireland
We photograph weddings throughout Ireland as well as across the UK and internationally, and we really love travelling for weddings. There’s something particularly exciting about arriving somewhere we’ve never photographed before and figuring out how the place, the people and the story of the day all fit together.
All travel and accommodation included in our Irish Wedding quotes
If you’re planning a destination wedding in Ireland, you don’t need to worry about adding travel and accommodation costs on top of our photography quote. All travel and accommodation are included in our quotes, so you know exactly what you’re paying from the beginning. Whether you’re getting married at Dromquinna Manor in Kerry, somewhere along the Wild Atlantic Way, in Dublin, Cork, Galway or somewhere completely off the beaten track, we’d love to hear what you’re planning. And of course we’ll photograph your wedding in Southern Ireland or Northern Ireland, too.
Ireland is somewhere we’d happily return to again and again. The scenery is incredible, the weddings are brilliant, and there’s never any shortage of things happening in front of our cameras. If you’re looking for Irish wedding photographers who will photograph your wedding as it actually happens, we’d love to come along for the ride.
Getting in touch with us about your wedding photography
You can contact us by clicking here. Or you can email us directly via our email address: info@mandgweddingphotography.co.uk or if you’d prefer, WhatsApp us on 07747 880702 (+44 7747 880702). We’re always busy (right now, as we write this, we’re getting ready for two weddings in France). But we will try to reply as soon as we can. However if we don’t reply to your message or email within 24 hours, please do reach out again. We can’t wait to hear from you and discuss your wedding plans.
