Cultra Manor Wedding | Kayleigh + Oliver

Kayleigh and Oliver joyfully exchanged their vows on the 22nd of February at the stunning Cultra Manor, which is nestled within the picturesque grounds of the Ulster Folk Museum in County Down. The entire celebration, including both their wedding ceremony and reception, took place at this beautiful venue.

Kayleigh and her bridesmaids all started getting ready at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Bangor, having stayed there the night before the wedding. They then seamlessly transitioned into their beautiful dresses at Cultra Manor. It was at Culloden that we met up with them on the bright and joyful morning of the wedding.

While we have visited the stunning Ulster Museum grounds many times before, this was the very first time we had the opportunity to photograph a wedding at Cultra Manor. As a result, we were just as excited as everyone else to arrive at the venue, document the special moments of the day and spend some time with Kayleigh and Oliver.

Cultra Manor Wedding Photography

These guys are both huge animal lovers, and that fact was very much represented throughout their beautiful wedding day, along with Oliver’s farming heritage! The ceremony room was adorned with an array of delightful animal decorations, and similarly, the reception room showcased thoughtful touches that echoed this theme. Their two lovable whippets, Archie and Goose, were there as well to greet them both as they walked back down the aisle.

Kayleigh and Oliver opted for a humanist wedding ceremony which is probably the most popular way to get married in Northern Ireland. There was a little bit of last minute panic as Oliver’s taxi ran very late getting him to the venue, and he arrived just in time for the start of the ceremony. Kayleigh knew something was up, even though everyone tried to hide it from her as best as possible. That is probably a first for us, while we have had lots of brides arrive late, we can’t remember a groom running late before now.

The ceremony was beautiful with Stefanie the humanist celebrant explained how the guys first met at just 17 and their journey up until them both saying, “I do”. They also included the Scottish tradition of the quaich, but instead of whisky the guys used their favourite bubbly. After the ceremony, Kayleigh and Oliver decided to cut their wedding cake a bit earlier than usual. They wanted to savour that special moment together before stepping out of the venue, where they were greeted with fistfuls of colourful confetti thrown by their enthusiastic guests.

Wedding Photos at the Ulster Folk Museum

One of the great advantages for couples getting married at the beautiful Cultra Manor is the opportunity to have their wedding photographs taken at the renowned Ulster Folk Museum. This remarkable venue offers a magnificent backdrop steeped in history, enhances the overall experience for both the couple and their guests, especially for Kayleigh and Oliver’s family and friends who mostly travelled from England for the wedding.

Luckily, the museum was relatively quiet on that day, with only a handful of tourists meandering through the cobbled streets, allowing us to avoid them for the most part. Surprisingly for the time of the year it was a bright sunny day with the sun high in the sky throughout, which while great for everyone at the wedding meant that we had to be careful around what areas we could use for photography.

Once we got back to the Cultra Manor, it was pretty much straight into the heartfelt speeches before the dinner was served. After dinner Kayleigh and Oliver shared a super fast first dance of about 30 seconds before beckoning the rest of their guests to join them. Keeping with the animal theme of the day they were soon joined by a bright orange Tyrannosaurus Rex, yes really! As well as having a great day with Kayleigh and Oliver we really enjoyed our first wedding at Cultra Manor it’s always amazing to work at a venue we have not visited before.