Castle Leslie Wedding – Katie and Harry Wang
When Katie’s mum Geraldine, who works for the Ulster Tatler Magazine, contacted us about capturing Katie and Harry’s wedding, we felt a slightly elevated level of pressure than normal. Don’t get me wrong, Geraldine is a lovely lady, but she literally sees a different photographer’s portfolio every day in work. Quite a recommendation for us I guess.
When Katie and Harry (and Buddy the French Bulldog) came down to see us and discuss the wedding, it was evident from the start that they were so in love and were visibly excited about their big day…..as were we.
Preparations
Harry, who is originally from New York, was getting ready in his and Katie’s dock side apartment along with five others, who had all made the journey across the pond from America. The atmosphere was buzzing from the very first second barring a 10 minute window when Harry couldn’t find the marriage license, putting the whole wedding at risk….
….thankfully it turned up and the wedding was back on…..to this day I am still not sure if Harry has told Katie about that infamous incident…. I guess she’ll know now. Sorry Harry.
Katie and her glamorous bridal party were getting their hair (by SH_Hair_Experts) and make-up (by Lauren Montgomery) done at her childhood home before setting off on the drive to Castle Leslie. It was a bit of a journey there, which meant quite an early start, but we were so excited to be shooting our first Castle Leslie wedding.
With Katie and the girls at Castle Leslie already, Harry and the boys would travel down now themselves, lifting some guests at points along the journey. One of the groom party was feeling slightly more jet-lagged than others 😴 and boys being boys – they were always going to seize the opportunity for the below picture
Arriving at the venue, the groom party and guests were greeted by a Bagpiper, playing exceptionally. Some last minute prep was performed, and Harry was ready for the arrival of his beautiful bride.
Bridal Party
With the Groom and his boys in place, the girls were just finishing up with the final touches, and they were soon ready to rock. I took a shot of the bridal party just before heading down to the ceremony and every single one of them looked absolutely stunning, with the bride stealing the show in her unforgettable dress.
Ceremony
It was now time for the stunning bride to make her entrance. The bridal party came first and then Katie, who was being walked up the aisle by her father Paul, were walked to the ceremony by the bagpiper. The look on Harry’s face while Katie walks up the aisle, says more than any words could. Katie’s face matches his when she sees him for the first time too.
After the ceremony the newlyweds were surprised by the arrival of Buddy for some pictures and they went about enjoying their day with their family and friends. Check out those amazing flowers too – The Flower Room Belfast did an amazing job as always.
After the heartfelt and humorous speeches there was the traditional first dance after which, all the wedding guests danced the night away and we were almost ready to head home. We had one last picture we wanted to capture and, if it were not for the persuasive measures of Harry, the dancing queen Katie might not have left the dance floor all night . Thankfully she left for 2 minutes and we were able to get the shot in the dark that they so adore now.
We had an amazing time, with such a great group of people, at our first Castle Leslie wedding and have been back many times since then, capturing numerous weddings there. The wedding made it into the Ulster Tatler and we were later booked for Katie’s sister & bridesmaid Amy’s wedding.
Hope you enjoyed the story and the pictures as much as we did creating them. If you are having a Castle Leslie wedding, or indeed a wedding anywhere else, feel free to get in touch – we’d love to capture your beautiful big day too.
Much love,