Destination Weddings In Ireland

I toured a small bit of Ireland last year and while it was vacation, I couldn't help myself from checking out a few wedding venues. I thought this would be the appropriate week to share some of my favorite snapshots as everyone is a little bit Irish heading into this weekend.

Ireland is rich in character, culture and history and offers an abundance of all the necessary ingredients needed to host a destination wedding. Couples can marry and celebrate at a Catholic church, in a garden, at a luxurious hotel or inside an old castle.







Your guests can enjoy the breathtaking scenery, hiking up waterfalls, walks along the countryside, seeing animals, taking in the culture, sampling traditional Irish fare, antique shopping and of course downing pints of Guinness while listening to Celtic music into the week hours of the morning.





Having lived in Scotland after college, I have a special fondness of the United Kingdom and traveling with someone with a keen sense of the land, really allowed me to see the country from an unique and authentic perspective.

If you’re interested in a hosting a wedding in Ireland please reach out to me by telephone or email. For more information on Irish wedding traditions, check out a post from my archives here and if you fancy an Irish wedding and aren't sure how to go about it please check out my tips on Brooklyn Betrothed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tammy


p.s.

It wouldn't be me if I didn't talk about the food. Ireland gets a bad wrap for their cuisine. And while sometimes the food was true to it's reputation....



other times I enjoyed delicious food that was well prepared with local ingredients and presented in a very inviting way.




The photos were all mine, taken using my trusty little Canon Power Shot SD 1300 IS. For the rest of the pictures from my trip please check out my facebook page.

Press: Brooklyn Based and Scout Mob

Brooklyn Betrothed has gotten some sweet recognition lately, and I am very proud to share the good news here.

Please check out our informative interview on Brooklyn Based! Thanks for naming us the "A" Team. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement!



We were all so very touched, humbled and super excited about the beautifully written and surprise post courtesy of Scout Mob. Are you getting their emails?

There are rumors of other good things coming very soon, too, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet. Stay tuned.

New Blog Feature: Vendor Q&A

I have had the good fortune to meet so many incredible and interesting people along my entrepreneurial journey. I am excited to start introducing them to my readers. I am going to ask them questions, sharing their answers on my blog with a sample of their work, links to their sites and my two cents when it's appropriate.

I am thrilled and it's appropriate for me to start by introducing Yura, the brains, talent and charm behind Lux Photo Studios. Yura was one of the first wedding photographers I met ironically standing in line for an industry event. I'll risk how it sounds by admitting I won't stand in line for industry events any more, but I am certainly glad I did that day.

TG: You are from Montreal originally? Do you have favorite hotels to visit or restaurants to try for anyone planning a destination or hometown wedding, a weekend visit or vacation?

I am originally from Montreal, and I miss it more every day.. It's quite a charmer as cities go.

My favorite hotels in Montreal are Opus and St. Paul. Both are chic, boutique hotels with plenty of character. For those who like the old town charm St.Paul is right in the center on Montreal's trendy Old Port. On the other hand, Hotel Opus is located smack in the middle of downtown, close to great restaurants and happening lounges.

As for the restaurants, Montreal features a really vibrant scene. Anthony Bourdain in his new tv show "The Layover" recently did a piece on Montreal's food scene - and I'm here to tell you he did it justice! Among my favorites are Joe Beef, Schwartz's, Au Pied De Cochon, L'express, Garde Manger...

TG: What is your approach to wedding photography and how would you describe your ideal client or wedding if you could put it into words?

In our company, Lux Photo Studios, when it comes to wedding photography, we believe in simple yet powerful philosophy - as a wedding photographer you have to do whatever it takes to make your brides and grooms look hot (for the lack of a better word). They have been preparing for this special day for a long time, much effort was put forth into making it happen, and it would be only fair to make the two people responsible for this event look their very best - we will use advanced lighting techniques, creative angles, best professional equipment, and much more to get the finest possible photographic results.

TG: Do you have a favorite photo from 2011 or a few you'd like to share.

Some of my favorite photographs from 2011 came from a wedding we shot in Montreal, QC. It was a Sephardic Jewish Moroccan wedding, a very soulful and fun, simple yet glamorous.

TG: What is your biggest photography challenge that is often repeated at weddings that seems easily avoided?

The biggest photography challenge is usually the time. There's very little of it on the day of the wedding, and in many cases the day is planned without taking into consideration photographer's or cinematographer's needs. The best solution for it is for the bride and groom to hire an event planner or a day-of-the-wedding coordinator, so that person can professionally coordinate all the vendors and take the pressure off the marrying couple.

TG: Is there one venue in New York that you're most looking forward to working at?

New York has so many wonderful venues, and we are happy to say that we have shot in most of them, however one venue has escaped us so far - Cipriani Wall Street. We are looking forward to one day when we will create some magic in that place.




TG: I can't wait to check out some of these recommendations, my one and only trip to Canada thus far was for Winter Carnival in Quebec City many years ago, it was simply amazing. My favorite celebrity Candian foodie is Chuck Hughes and today I discovered by accident a wedding blog devoted to Canadian Brides, Champagne Sweets. Congrats to Valarie, who I've had the pleasure of meeting in person, she's is a lovely and smart colleague, was a beautiful bride very recently--her new project is destined to be a beautiful blog!

Photo Credit: Lux Photo Studio

Wedding Crashers 2012 Recap

Wedding Crashers is wedding planning at it's coolest, and this year was no exception, in fact I was a blown away by the quality of this years event and the vendors who participated.

Sam Zuniss and I represented Brooklyn Betrothed yesterday. It was wonderful to talk to so many people who read our informational wedding blog and enlighten those who had yet to discovered our collective.

More good news, there are still countless ways to personalize your wedding and make it unique. Want to provide your guests with an experience they've never had before, no problem, read on...

It should come as no surprise that some of my favorite finds are food related. My day started with "breakfast" from The Food Freak's food truck. I sampled their grilled cheese and tomato soup, chili, Brussel sprouts and a caramelized bacon truffle.

Later in the day, when the line was finally down, I enjoyed a mini lobster roll (the hot one with butter vs. a traditional with mayo) from The Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck. It was delicious and one of the most talked about food trucks all afternoon.

The Meat Hook had some seriously good mac & cheese and the coolest thing I ate yesterday was the Coolhaus ice cream sandwich. They were making them to order and the varieties of cookies and ice creams were amazing. My sandwich was made of red velvet cookies and brown butter bacon-- are you seeing a trend?



The Green Building was the perfect location to host Wedding Crashers. It's open, airy and oozing with natural light. Thanks to Brooke, Quin and all for making us feel right at home. We also really appreciate Nicole from Brooklyn Based who was able to honor our request of keeping the Brooklyn Betrothed ladies in close proximity.

After the event, Kristina Hill and I headed to The Bell House to check out the band showcase, I know she snapped a few photos, it was fun and I rounded out my day of sweet bacon treats with a chocolate truffle covered in bacon bits, courtesy of Radish!

For more of my favorites from Wedding Crashers 2012, please check out my post on Brooklyn Betrothed.

Enjoy your day!

xo,
Tammy

Photo credit and thanks to Kristina Hill Photography. The beautiful flowers were courtesy of Rebecca Shepherd. Signage and logo design is the artwork of Ruth of Papertopia. For more images from this event, please check out Kristina's blog.

Six Months

Today marks my (our) six month anniversary! Coincidentally I just received the link to these fun photos taken a few weeks ago.

My favorite Boston wedding photographer, Lara from Studio Nouveau was recruiting couples via facebook for her class to photograph. My guy was up for it, we had a blast!







Thanks to Lara and her students for a fun, snowy afternoon in Massachusetts. Thanks to Rick for wearing the purple shirt and keeping me smiling for six months.

Happy weekend!

xo,

Tammy

Postcard from Paradise

Aloha,

It was amazing in Maui. If you’re thinking of a hosting a destination wedding, a luxurious experience is important to you and the length/ cost of a flight to Hawaii is not a deterrent, Maui could be your place. The views are stunning, the fish is fresh and the activities are abundant. While it may be a big ask of friends and family who are invited to celebrate your nuptials, it’s a place that is so rich in beauty, adventure and sophistication, those closest to you may welcome the opportunity to visit this fabulous island.

I toured the Grand Wailea, which is prefect for families with young children as it has a water park on property. I enjoyed a bite at the Four Season, where the service was impeccable, second only to the view from the infinity pool. Lastly, the Hotel Wailea stands above the rest creating outstanding views and this boutique property offers guests a very private feeling, as it has only has 72 one-bedroom suites.

While there are towns with the surfer vibe, Wailea has amazing scuba diving. Some highlights from my trip include a helicopter tour of the island, a whale watching/snorkeling tour and a luau where I learned how to make flowers for my hair and hula dance. It was quite the culinary adventure as well. I sipped Mai Tais, tried Poi, Poke and searched for the best fish tacos.

I am so grateful to have experienced the diversity of Maui, from Turtle Town to Upcountry and everything along the way, the views were easily some of my favorite in the world.

Mahalo to KKC & Co. for a fabulous trip, one I will remember always.

xo,
Tammy

ps. For a list of the restaurants I ate at, check out my foursquare account, and I'll share photos on my facebook page in the next few weeks.

Planning a Wedding in Hawaii

Have you been enjoying the Destination Wedding series on Brooklyn Betrothed? Here is a link to our advice on planning a destination wedding.

If you think Hawaii might be the right location for your wedding, I'll be in Maui in February and I am happy to assist with questions, gather facts and research information on topics specific to planning a destination wedding in Maui.



For example, if you are interested in a specific hotel, area of a beach, recreational activity or private room of a restaurant, please reach out to me this week, as my schedule is limited and I will honor all requests based on my availability.



Island services I am promoting include:

-touring properties
-scouting ceremony sites
-visiting reception locations
-exploring lodging opportunities
-researching recreational activities
-reviewing transportation options
-meeting with local vendors
-and more


I am happy to offer this service to couples who are genuinely interested in this island and serious about gathering information as they prepare to plan and host a destination wedding in Hawaii.

Aloha!




Thank you to Jen of Jen Huang Photography for sharing these images from a wedding she photographed in Hawaii. Don't they spark such inspiration!