Insanely talented wedding photography at Co Cork’s most picturesque historical site.
This wedding at Gougane Barra is something really special…
Morgan and Herb eloped on a romantic trip to Ireland, dreaming of the infamous misty and windy Irish experience and stunning views of the rugged landscape. Just as they ended their once-in-a-lifetime holiday, the clouds parted and the glorious sunshine appeared for their intimately quaint wedding day.
Both from South Louisiana, Morgan and Herb met in Fall 2011 at a weekend retreat put on by the Archdiocese of New Orleans – but it took a return trip for the shy pair to actually speak to each other!
A few years of chit chat and messaging passed, and Herb showed himself to be a true keeper by providing moral support as Morgan sat her intense bar exams back in summer 2014. “Herb is a very gentle, sensitive, sweet fellow, which is a great contrast to my hyper-planner left-brained personality!”
Showcasing his sweet and thoughtful nature, Herb took heed from one of the most loved stories of all time when planning a surprise proposal for Morgan.
“I have always been a big Jane Austen fan, so he found an ornately covered hardcopy of Pride and Prejudice, carved out the middle portion, and attached my ring to a ribbon in the book – and made sure the book opened to the final engagement scene. He had my mom pack me a suitcase for the night. He picked up the suitcase, snuck it into my car when I was at work, and then waited out under a big oak tree at the scene of our first meet-up in that summer of 2014. He had booked reservations for dinner and a night at a local plantation called Nottoway, which was gorgeous!”
“My favourite part of our wedding – hands-down – (besides the groom) was the people involved. Everybody – the priest, Andy O’Dwyer our photographer, Annie the coordinator and her trainee friend Lisa. Andy was such a gentleman and a professional. We knew we loved his photography style, but wow, he blew us (and all of our friends and family) away with the incredible photos he took of our big day! He was willing to take the time to get shots he knew we would love. He has such an eye for beautiful scenery, framing and focus. And he worked with me on getting a few images quickly to display for a little family gathering back home.”
“In fact, I just brought my grandmother a little self-printed album I made of some of his photos since she couldn’t be at our wedding. Andy gave us the gift of sharing our special day with the people back home.”
In contrast to their charming low-key ceremony, Morgan wore a voluminous lace gown and flowing cathedral style veil which she hilariously revealed were rolled into a duffel bag as carry-on luggage – of course, she held on for dear life!
The gorgeous bride’s ‘Beyonce’ shoes (a super cute sparkly pair of Betsey Johnsons) were secretly hidden beneath her wedding dress just waiting to flash some sparkle! While the center diamonds in her earrings came from an engagement set Herb’s grandmother wore, a truly special something borrowed.
“Annie and Peter Byrne of Elope To Ireland and Aislynn Events were instrumental in our decision to choose Gougane Barra. We wanted a ceremony in a Catholic church with lots of charm. We both have a lot of Irish ancestry – I’d only been to Dublin and had been dying to go back for a proper visit, and it was a bucket list item for him – so when I had two sets of friends with a mutual acquaintance who had used Annie and Peter to plan their elopement last year, the choice became easy. Ireland it was. We knew we wanted South/West Ireland and a very small church. Annie threw out a few ideas and we latched onto St. Finbarr’s Oratory in Gougane Barra immediately. It was tiny, quaint and in Cork. Father Eddie was available to celebrate the Mass, and we saw that the feast of St. Finbarr is September 25th, which is Herb’s birthday. That sealed the deal for us!”
A huge thank you to Herb and Morgan for sharing their romantic elopement in Ireland with us and to their photographer Andrew O’Dwyer for allowing us to publish these breath-taking shots. You can see more of his work at www.andrewodwyer.com
Wedding Supplier Credits:
- Photographer – Andrew O’Dwyer Photography
- Ceremony – St. Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra, Co. Cork
- Wedding Planner & Flowers – Elope To Ireland/ Aislinn Events
- Wedding Dinner & Entertainment – Blairscove House & Restuarant
- Hair & Make Up – Jessies Hair & Beauty Salon, Bantry
- Wedding Dress – Gabrielle’s, Baton Rouge, LA
