Faithlegg Wedding Photography | Caroline & Charlie

Keith Sullivan
Aug 27
6 min read

Some weddings have a feeling from the very beginning that tells you exactly what the day is going to be about. Caroline and Charlie’s Faithlegg wedding photography story was one of those days. The sun was shining, their daughter Fiadh was at the heart of everything, friends and family were relaxed, and Caroline and Charlie wanted one thing above all else: to spend their wedding with the people they loved. That suited me perfectly.

I’m Keith Sullivan, a Waterford-based wedding photographer at Infokus, and I’m there to tell the story of the day as it actually happens. I’ll step in when something needs organising, but most of the time I’m watching, anticipating and photographing the little moments that make one wedding completely different from another. Caroline’s family have their own Irish story too. Her parents were born in Ireland, moved to the UK and had their children there, before the family moved back to Ireland when Caroline was ten. And throughout this wedding story was Fiadh. She wasn’t simply a little flower girl appearing for a few photographs. She was very much part of her mum and dad’s wedding from morning to night, and that family connection runs right through the photographs.

Caroline and Charlie leaving their outdoor ceremony at Faithlegg House Hotel

A Wedding Morning in Dunmore East

Charlie and the lads started their morning in Dunmore East, and they did it properly.

The six of them had booked The Hot Pod beside the sea, giving them a completely different start to the usual wedding morning. They relaxed in the heat before cooling off with a dip in the sea, with plenty of laughs before anyone had to think about suits, buttonholes or getting themselves to Faithlegg. For me, this is exactly the kind of morning that makes documentary wedding photography interesting. Nobody needs to be told what to do. Something is already happening, personalities come out naturally and I can simply photograph the story. It gave Charlie time with his closest friends and also gave this wedding a brilliant opening chapter before everything moved back towards Faithlegg.

Getting Ready in the Faithlegg Lodges

While the lads were enjoying Dunmore East, Caroline and the girls were getting ready in the lodges at Faithlegg. Hair was looked after by Perfection by Paula, with makeup by Lisa Coffey Makeup, both Waterford-based wedding suppliers. Paula and Lisa had everyone looking incredible, but the morning still felt very relaxed. There were final touches, conversations, people coming and going and Fiadh right in the middle of everything.

Those are the moments I’m always watching for. I don’t see wedding photography as simply working through a list of individual photographs. I’m there to tell the whole story.

The obvious moments matter, but so do all the smaller things happening around them.

Faithlegg Wedding Photography in the Rear Gardens

Caroline and Charlie held their ceremony outside in the rear gardens at Faithlegg, with the hotel and its beautiful marquee sitting just behind. It is a stunning setting for a summer wedding. The gardens feel private and relaxed, but everything is still right beside the hotel and marquee, so guests can move naturally from the ceremony into the drinks reception without the day feeling interrupted. And Waterford delivered the weather. The sun stayed out and the whole ceremony had that lovely easy summer feeling. Pat Clarke conducted the Humanist ceremony, while Charlie’s niece played the music. That personal connection made the music even more emotional. When someone close to the couple performs during a ceremony, I’m not only watching the person playing. I’m looking around at parents, friends, Caroline and Charlie and everyone reacting around them. Very often, that is where the photograph is. The ceremony itself is obviously important, but the story is also in the faces watching it happen.

Drinks, Games and a Proper Family Celebration

After the ceremony, nobody was in any rush to disappear inside. Guests stayed in the Faithlegg gardens enjoying drinks in the sunshine while the children immediately made the lawn their own. There was giant chess, giant Connect Four and other garden games, and they became part of the afternoon very quickly. Kids played together, dads joined in with them and everyone drifted between conversations, games and drinks. At one stage children were playing shirtless climbing the trees. For me, that is real wedding photography, It isn’t polished or staged. It is simply what happened. When Caroline and Charlie look back years from now, photographs like that will probably bring them straight back to how the afternoon actually felt. There was a real family-celebration atmosphere to the whole wedding. Nobody seemed to be waiting around for the next item on a schedule. They were already enjoying the day.

Family and Group Photographs in Ten Minutes

We did the family & group photographs on the lawn at Faithlegg and had them finished in around ten minutes. Family photographs matter enormously. Families change, people grow older and those photographs become increasingly important as the years pass. But they do not need to take over the drinks reception. With a little organisation beforehand, I can gather everyone, photograph the important combinations efficiently and let them get straight back to enjoying themselves. That was particularly important for Caroline and Charlie, they didn’t want to spend their wedding constantly being taken away for photographs. They wanted to be with their friends and family. So that’s where they spent most of it.

Fifteen Minutes for Couple and Bridal Party Photographs

I took Caroline and Charlie away for no more than around 15 minutes for their couple photographs and a few relaxed bridal party photographs. Faithlegg gives you plenty of beautiful options without needing to leave the grounds. We used areas close to the hotel and gardens, kept everything moving and created beautiful photographs without turning the afternoon into a photoshoot. That balance matters to me. There is no reason a couple should lose an hour or more of their wedding simply because they want great photographs together.

My job is to tell the story, not take over the story. That is a big part of how I photograph weddings.

Speeches Full of Laughs and Heart

The speeches had everything you could want. There were hilarious stories that had the room laughing, mixed with genuinely heartfelt words about Caroline and Charlie.

I love photographing speeches because the person holding the microphone is only half of what is happening. I’m watching the couple. I’m watching parents. I’m watching the bridal party and tables around the room. Sometimes the strongest photograph during a speech has nothing to do with the person speaking. It might be someone wiping away a tear, a look between two people, or the exact moment a story lands and an entire table breaks into laughter. Those reactions are part of the story too.

A Quick Golf Buggy Trip for Sunset

Later in the evening, before the dancing started, we spotted another opportunity.

The light was dropping beautifully across the grounds at Faithlegg, so we jumped into a golf buggy and disappeared for another 15 minutes. That was all we needed.

The evening light gave us something completely different from the afternoon photographs.

It was quieter, softer and gave Caroline and Charlie a few minutes away together before heading back inside. They walked, talked and enjoyed the last of the sunshine while I photographed them naturally. Then it was straight back to their guests and on with the party.

A Faithlegg Wedding That Felt Like Family

What I remember most about Caroline and Charlie’s wedding is how much it felt like a genuine family celebration. Fiadh was part of everything. Children played in the gardens. Friends enjoyed drinks in the sunshine. Parents played games with their kids. The ceremony was emotional. The speeches were hilarious and heartfelt. And Caroline and Charlie spent the vast majority of their wedding exactly where they wanted to be: with the people they had invited. The family photographs took around ten minutes. The main portraits took around fifteen. The sunset photographs took another fifteen. The rest of the time, I photographed the wedding as it happened. That is exactly how I like to work.

I’m there to tell the story quietly and naturally, while making sure the couple still gets to actually live it.

For more Waterford wedding photography, you can also see my work at Waterford Castle and The Haven in Dunmore East.

Keith Sullivan | Waterford Wedding Photographer | Infokus Wedding Photography