A stunning winter wedding at Killashee Hotel; Kildare’s no 1 family wedding venue.

Experience a wedding at Killashee Hotel

Killashee Hotel is a beautiful hotel and wedding venue situated just outside of Kildare town. This makes the venue a great attraction for those from Dublin, Kildare and surrounding counties. For me, being a wedding photographer in Dublin, Killashee Hotel is perfect as it’s only a short drive away, making my offerings of a full day coverage very reasonable.

It’s particularly a popular choice if you’re option for a large wedding party and have included children as your wedding guests. In fact, it’s a perfect choice for weddings with families as Killashee Hotel boasts itself as being a family friendly luxury hotel!

Endless photo opportunities at Killashee Hotel

Being a wedding photographer means I’m going to mention the pictures first! I can safely say you are in for a treat when it comes to getting portraits at Killashee Hotel. It really does have so much to offer.

The unique style of the Victorian old house lends itself to a photography backdrop of fairy-tale sophistication.

The front of the old Victorian House is a stunning backdrop for couples. They are led into the Butterfly garden that is full of lush foliage, grasses and stone pathways. Further on from that, another posing spot, the first gazebo and courtyards, designed in an almost Grecian style.

Couple can walk down the steps into the back of the Butterfly Garden to have the stunning Victorian house in the background.

What if it rains you say??

Well fear not, you can always make use of the beautiful Victorian windows in the old house, as well as its stunning Victorian furnishings. The staircase is a great photo opportunity as well as the bridal suite.

A family-friendly affair at a Killashee Hotel wedding

If you’re a couple with young children or you have numerous guests that have young children, this is an exceptional choice of wedding venue. Killashee hotel is known to be a family friendly retreat, taking all things into consideration when it comes to looking after the ‘little ones’.

There are options for family rooms, baby sitting and play areas both inside and outside the hotel. When I was photographing Eileen and Daragh’s wedding I noticed Santa coming to visit all the children guests during meal time. A lovely touch.

Killashee Hotel wedding offerings

Ceremonies at Killashee Hotel

Couples can opt to have their ceremonies held in the hotel. The ceremonies are held in a stunning blue and gold ornately decorated room.

You can also choose to hold a church ceremony in the Church on The Long Mile House about 5 minutes’ drive from the venue. Which makes it still perfect for the bridal party to get ready at the hotel.

Wedding receptions at the Killashee Hotel

The staff at the hotel work with you to cater a wedding reception to best suit your needs.

For the larger weddings 120-400 guests, the Thompson suite is offered. A stunning large ballroom with a separate dance floor and bar. Perfect if you’re looking to get the band to set-up without disturbing the guests.

The Original House is ideal for catering to 50-80 guests. It is here that cocktail hour can also be held for both wedding party sizes.

For more information on different options I’d highly suggest to reach out to the wonderful team here

Daragh and Eileen picked their wedding date for the 10th December 2024. Both being from Dublin, choosing a Kildare wedding venue made sense as their guests didn’t have have far travel. They knew that many of their guests had young children and wanted to include them in their day. So, a family wedding venue was a must! Killlashee Hotel ticked all the boxes! I love a December winter wedding in Ireland. There is always a lovely atmosphere of Christmas festivities, decorations, warming drinks and juts general happy vibes! The year is coming to an end and it’s time to celebrate! Choosing a wedding at The beginning of December is a fabulous way to kick off the festivities.

In terms of photography, couples do worry about the weather, which is understandable. One can never guarantee a dry day during the winter season, but to be honest one can never guarantee a dry day during any season in Ireland! Sometimes, the winters are actually drier!

What I love the most about shooting a winter wedding is the light. Oh my gosh, winter light is just spectacular! Is couples are willing to brave the cold for 15-20 min, we can achieve the most spectacular photos.

Why is the light so lovely?

Well, during the sun isn’t as strong as it is in summer and so, even when it’s sunny, the light is still soft on the skin and doesn’t cast too many shadows. Coming up to the golden hour (1 hour before sunset time, which is usually around 4pm in December) there are the most stunning tones in the light and soft hues. I just love it!

The only issue is timing! A wedding day can go so quickly and usually a church ceremony will be between 1pm and 2pm. This doesn’t give for much time for portraits before sunset. When chatting to Daragh and Eileen about wedding photography at Killashee Hotel, it was important for me to reiterate this. Time is of the essence so I have to keep them moving along with me after the ceremony if we are to get some outdoor shots.

Luckily I don’t waste time and always try to keep my portrait sessions short (well, in my head they are anyway!) and honestly, in December your body can only take so much!

The bridal and groom preparation

Eileen and her wedding party got ready in the bridal suite and Daragh was in another room with his groomsmen not too far away. The girls were calm and collected and so were the boys. The minute I walked into the bridal suite and saw Eileen’s dress I knew it was made for her. Sourced from Truly Bridal Boutique, this piece was made of lace from head to toe, with elegant, gothic style long sleeves and a tight bodice. The designer is Pronovias and the Dress is Madison however Eileen had a Custom designed the dress to make it her ownTruly unique!

The boys were dressed in tuxedos from CT2 Suits, even his little baby nephew had a suit! Daragh had arranged a wonderful surprise for his groomsmen. I had never seen a gift like this before; little bubble heads figurines and each person with an uncanny resemblance! Brilliant! What Daragh didn’t know was that Eileen had prepared her own bubble head gift for Daragh which he adored.

The flower theme was a blend of different roses, all shades of purples and pinks. All the bouquets and flower arrangements made from Violets in Kildare. A perfect choice for a winter wedding. The stationary was made to match that floral theme with warm, rose tones and gold embossing. All stationary made by Invites by Jen.

The girls went for natural make up tones that brought out their stunning faces. All make up done by Apryl Making Faces. The hair styles were equally as natural with stunning waves and soft curls from Sarah Boyle Hair stylist.

The couple chose a church ceremony in St peter’s Church, Two Mile House which is only a 5 minutes’ drive from Killashee Hotel. As the morning and afternoon went by, the winds grew stringer and I was fully expecting there to be rain the afternoon. The winds were so strong there was no waiting outside the church for the guests!

The Ceremony

The ceremony was a joyous and jovial one, with the priest full of energy and has the crowd in laughter for most of it. One of the younger guests ended the ceremony by singing a Lion King song which had a huge amount of significance to the couple. A lovely touch!

Wedding photography at Killashee Hotel

We quickly headed back after meet and greets to get some couples portraits on the grounds. The winds had dies down slightly and there was no sign of rain yet. I managed to walk them right through all the spots I had planned and the two of them braved the cold like super  models. The end result was beautiful and the wind actually gave the pictures a lovely energy. Well done you two!!

We were lucky enough to get 5 minutes with the bridal party outside before ethe heavens opened up and the sun started went down.

Afters of a wedding at Killashee Hotel

Cocktail our was held in the whole area of the old house which a lovely and cosy affair. Christmas tree and all! The rest of the evening went off without a hitch ending with an interactive band experience that has the whole crown up dancing for hours.

Because Killashee Hotel is a family hotel wedding venue, the children got to hang out with the parents during cocktail hour and some even pushed way passed their bedtime till after dinner! Honestly, I love children at a wedding, they make for such great pictures.