Mark Wilkinson Photography

So, you have found the love of your life, are planning on getting married, and are looking for the ideal hotel wedding venue. You want to mark your wedding day with an amazing wedding venue. Ireland and the UK are two beautiful natural settings to take stunning photos of your special wedding day. No matter what style or budget, Ireland and the UK are the perfect places to make it official. Your venue is important to create amazing photos with stunning backgrounds. If you are the type of couple who enjoys the finer things in life and want a very glamorous venue to impress your guests but also to have gorgeous wedding photographs, then read on as we have put together some of the best hotels for wedding photos in the UK and Ireland.

Best Hotels for wedding photos in Ireland 

Castlemartyr Resort  

Castlemartyr Resort is a 5-star luxury venue right on the doorstep of Cork city. The Manor house has been restored beautifully to its original forms and grandeur the amazing resort centrepiece. It is adjacent to a castle which is 800-years-old, a tranquil lake, parklands, and meandering streams. The resort has a total of 103 bedrooms, it also has 10 mews and 43 lodges available. The stunning scenery, swan lakes, and castle ruins make for the ideal wedding photo background. The array of picturesque and beautiful grounds makes for the ideal and comfortable wedding venue. You will not be disappointed.

Ashford Castle   

The Ashford Castle hotel was awarded the best hotel in the world in 2015. The 5-star hotel was built in 1228 and redecorated flawlessly and is now known in Ireland as one of the most romantic hotels. The hotel offers delicious food, state of the art spa, and an extremely dedicated wedding team that will make you feel like a royal from the moment you arrive until when you leave. There is a local church for tying the knot and a picture-perfect garden with a dream wedding day backdrop ideal for taking amazing wedding photographs. This gorgeous wedding venue is available for exclusive hire.

Errigal Country House Hotel   

The 4 Star Errigal Hotel in Cavan is a perfectly picturesque location for a wedding venue located in Ireland. It is the ideal setting for any dream wedding day. The 18th-century house has been refurbished to a very contemporary design offering character and style along with the best Irish hospitality. It caters to just 1 wedding per day creating a very special personalised environment meeting all your needs for your special day. The wedding team will ensure your big day goes off without a hitch. It is a beautiful family-run hotel offering fantastic food, picturesque gardens, and exceptional service every time. This is the ideal 4-star venue to take amazing wedding photos.

Shamrock Lodge Hotel   

Shamrock lodge hotel is located in Athlone County Westmeath. It is renowned for its professional and friendly service and its high-quality food. This is the ideal venue to begin your married life. Get amazing photographs captured here at this 3-star venue. Tucked away at the end of a tree-lined avenue is their own well-manicured and beautiful gardens, there is no better backdrop then this stunning hotel in Athlone. Exchange your vows and enjoy a fairytale wedding in the superb banqueting suite.

Best Hotels for wedding photos in the United Kingdom 

Cliveden House Hotel   

Start your new wedding life in this glamorous 5-star luxury wedding venue in the world located in Berkshire. The hotel accommodates 120 guests for a reception. Taking exclusive use of the grade 1 Italianate home would bring the ultimate privacy and the ultimate lady and lord of the manor experience. The hotel offers an excluded retreat spring cottage within the grounds on the banks of the amazing Thames river. This is an experience you will never forget and have very fond and spectacular photographs of your special day on the hotels’ amazing gardens and backdrops.

The Dorchester   

This fabulous 5-star hotel is ideally located in the city of London perfect for any wedding day. It is known as one of the most famous luxury hotels in the world. Its spectacular art deco ballroom will make you feel like a superstar. For something that special and a little different this is the hotel for you. The hotel overlooks both the affluent streets of Mayfair and the royal Hyde Park. The charming rooftop garden with amazing views of the London skyline will make for spectacular photos and great memories.

Great Fosters   

The Great Fosters is a 4-star luxury hotel nestled within 50 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens. It is located in Egham Surrey. Its romantic orangery and breathtaking tithe barn are considered amongst the finest wedding venues in the country. Fosters will make for exceptional wedding photos, the dream wedding team, quality food, and real memories.

Radstone Hotel   

The Radstone Hotel is located in South Lanarkshire within the picturesque Clyde Valley. It offers a fantastic outdoor courtyard area which is ideal for arrival drinks or champagne reception as your photographer snaps away some spectacular photos of your special day. The dedicated wedding team will provide a first-class and professional service leaving you with fond memories that will last forever.

Getting married in the winter is one of the most beautiful things you can do when you want to say your vows. Getting married in a magical snowy white weather is going to provide you with some amazing videos and photos. Unfortunately, shooting videos in the winter can be a little bit tricky especially if the weather is very cold. Read on to learn how to get the best videos for your winter wedding.

Getting married is a huge event and it is often the most important event of your life. Your wedding is going to require a lot of planning and you want to make sure that your wedding is going to be everything that you ever hoped it could be. When you are planning your wedding you have so many things to take into consideration.

You have to decide when you want to get married and you have to decide how you want to get married. Getting married is a huge thing and you need to make sure that you take the time to find out the right season and month to get married in. One of the first places to start is with the venue. The venue that you choose for your wedding is very important you want to make sure that you choose a venue that is going to be good for your guests and the venue should also be a place that you can afford.

There are lots of amazing places you can get married, but an outdoor winter wedding is one of the best places to get married. You do have to choose the right spot though. Make sure you choose a spot that is going to be a good place to bring your guests and take your time choosing the best place for your wedding.

Once you have your winter wedding spot picked out you can start planning earnest. Since a winter wedding can provide you with so many pictures and videos you are going to need to start thinking about how you want to shoot the wedding videos. You have a lot of options when it comes to shooting wedding videos in the winter.

There are so many things you can do that are going to make it special. One of the first things you want to think about when you are shooting a winter wedding is the lights. Make sure that you include some white holiday lights in the background.

The lights are going to show up and they are going to look very festive. You will enjoy some amazing videos when you have the holiday lights in the background. The lights give a magical atmosphere to your wedding and make it look even more special. When you have lights you get to enjoy videos that look very special.

You also want to make the most out of any snow that is falling in your videos. Make sure to capture the snow that is falling and make sure that you capture the trees that are covered in snow as well.

You want to try to get all of the winter elements in the video so you make amazing memories. Make sure that you capture the dancing and other special moments that happen with the guests.

Focus on all of the special moments that the couple experiences and you also want to focus on the other important members of the wedding party. The video should capture lots of different things and it should give a great overview of the wedding.

Filming a wedding is rewarding but it can also be a challenge. Filming is an important job because the couple is going to treasure this video forever. Weddings are exciting events and they are so fun to film.

If you are shooting an outdoor wedding it is important to have everything you need to prepare for the elements. Since the weather might be unpredictable you need to set up early.

Bad weather conditions make it take longer to set up and you need to make sure that you leave early so you are prepared for any problems.

You will definitely want to bring your winter gear and your snow boots. You never want to forget your snow boots because the last thing you want is for your feet to get cold when you are in the middle of a big shoot.

Cold feet could ruin the video and you could end up getting bad reviews for your business. Make sure you bring your winter jacket as well. You don’t want to get cold during the video. Weddings last hours so you need to make sure that you are going to be comfortable during the entire wedding.

You should also make sure that you bring extra batteries. You don’t want to end up running out of batteries when you are shooting a video in a remote location for your winter. It is also important that you have all of your chargers organized.

Cold air can be hard on batteries and the cold will make them drain faster. If you don’t have chargers and batteries on hand you could end up running out of power. Avoid running into a sticky situation by having extra batteries and chargers readily available.

Turn the weather to your advantage when you are shooting a winter wedding. You want to look for special weather-related scenes that you can shoot. Winter weddings have their own special beauty.

One of the best ways to find a wedding photographer that will match up to your requirements is to conduct an interview well before you decide to sign a contract with them. Keep in mind that you will be spending most of the day with this photographer, so over and above enjoying their style, making sure you have interviewed them in person, is one of the better ways to ensure that you will feel comfortable having them around.

Below are a few important questions you need to ask the photographer to assist you in narrowing down the options on how to find the best wedding photographer.

1. Availability 

The first and most important question to ask is whether the photographer will be available on the date of your wedding. If the photographer runs their own business and they do not operate from a studio, they will probably be the person that will be shooting at your wedding. If on the other hand, they own a large studio and they employ a group of photographers, ensure that you are meeting the person that will be taking the photographs on the day.

It is also important to find out if there will be other weddings on the same day as your wedding that the photographer will be shooting at. Ask the photographer whether they work with assistants. Some wedding photographers work with their assistant, while others will decide whether it is necessary to use one according to how small or large your wedding will be.

2. Background Check 

The next important question to ask is how long and how many weddings they have photographed. You may also want to ask if they shoot weddings which are similar in style and size to the wedding you are planning. At this stage, you can ask the photographer to show you galleries of some of the more recent weddings they have photographed.

Unlike albums or highlight galleries, the full-gallery will provide you with a better idea on the style of the photographer, along with their attention-to-detail. It is important to make sure the gallery is from weddings that have shot over the last few months to provide you with a more accurate representation.

3. Style 

Ask the wedding photographer about how they describe their photography style. You can also ask what they compare their work to? It is also important to find out whether they shoot wth film, digitally, or both. The medium will not be the deciding factor on how good the photographer is, yet it will impact the photography style that you will get. From here you can look over the film and digital work to find out which style appeals to you the most.

4. Packages And Prices 

The next part of your interview is to find out what will be included in a standard package. Also, find out about the add-ons for the packages that are more expensive. Many of the best wedding photographers will provide add-ons, from albums to engagement sessions, which provides a way to obtain the coverage you feel works the best for your needs.

Find out about how many hours will be included for each of the packages. It is also important to find out how much they will charge you for extra hours. If the base package covers 6 hours, you may want to add in an extra hour or two to capture the shots when you are getting ready, or allow time after the dinner to get in a few pictures of your guests dancing before they leave.

5. Do They Offer A Photo Booth 

It is important to find out if the photographer offers color adjustments, retouching, or corrective services. Other important factors include finding out if your wedding photographer charges an additional travel fee. Many photographers will charge an additional travel fee if your wedding venue falls outside of the radius that they usually work in. If the venue is very far away you may need to pay for accommodation for your photographer.

6. Albums And Prints 

When interviewing the best wedding photographers find out if you are able to order albums or prints directly from them. If they do offer this service find out about the types of albums that they offer. You should also ask how long you can expect to wait after your wedding for the images. The photographer should also inform you whether you will receive high-resolution digital images or negatives.

7. Logistics 

If you have decided on a wedding photographer that you like, the next step would be to ask when you can expect to receive your contract. Your photographer will probably ask for a deposit upfront. You may also want to find out whether the photographer will accept installation payments. It is also very important to find out about the photographer’s cancellation or refund policy.

8. Does The Photographer Carry Backup Equipment? 

Should an accident arise and the camera of the photographer gets damaged, it is essential that they are carrying a back-up.

9. How Will The Photographer Be Dressed? 

You are allowed to ask your photographer to stick to your dress code for your wedding, yet it is important to take into consideration that they will move around a lot across the day. So you may need to compromise on a stylish suit or a smart dress and flat shoes rather than a tuxedo or a ballgown.

10. Find Out If You Can Request A List Of Specific Shots 

It would be a very difficult task to specify each and every single shot that you would like for your wedding day. Yet it is advisable to let the photographer know which shots are most important to you, such as the first dance, or important family members that you would like included in certain poses.

The last question to ask your photographer is whether your wedding photos will be posted on the photographer’s website or their social media page. If you are very particular when it comes to privacy, you need to make sure that your photographer is aware of how you feel.