Royal Ulster Yacht Club Wedding | Scarlett + Owen
Scarlett got ready on the morning of her wedding from an Airbnb in Bangor, along with her bridesmaid, her bridesman and a little help from her mum. As the morning went on the nerves began to show, and it is always one of the moments we love photographing most. That quiet, honest stretch before a wedding says more about how much the day means than almost anything else, and Scarlett's bridesmaid and bridesman stayed close by, talking her through it and keeping the room calm. There were plenty of hugs, a few deep breaths, and the kind of laughter that comes when everyone is trying to settle their own nerves as much as the bride's. By the time she stepped into her dress, the anxious energy had softened into something closer to excitement.
Scarlett is originally from New Jersey and Owen grew up in Bangor, and the two of them have built a life together in London, where they now live. For their wedding day they came back to Owen’s home town, and a huge number of Scarlett's family and friends made the long journey over from America to be there with her. Combined with Owen's family and friends from around Bangor and further afield, the guest list ended up stretching across continents, with people arriving from all over the world to celebrate the two of them.
Wedding Photos at Royal Ulster Yacht Club
Getting married at Royal Ulster Yacht Club, a beautiful private club in Bangor, is not something every couple can do. You need to be a member yourself or have a family member who is, which gives the venue a real sense of occasion and exclusivity before the day even begins. We always look forward to working in non traditional wedding venues. Royal Ulster Yacht Club has a sense of history and a formality that comes through in every corner, from the clubhouse to the water just beyond it.
The ceremony took place outside, and the sky spent the whole afternoon threatening rain without ever quite delivering, thankfully. Everyone kept glancing up, half expecting to make a dash for cover, but it stayed dry right through to the evening, and if it hadn't we would have been more than happy to keep going anyway, as we cover in our post on what happens if it rains on your wedding day. Grey skies like that often make for some of the softest, most flattering light of the day, and this one was no exception. We had none of the harsh sunlight we have had so much of at this year’s weddings. If you are weighing up an outdoor ceremony yourself, our guide to planning an outdoor wedding in Northern Ireland covers everything worth thinking through before the big day.
After the ceremony we took a short walk along the seafront for a handful of portraits, taking in the boats and the water as a backdrop while the light stayed soft and even. Scarlett was clear that she wanted to stay close to her guests, so rather than disappearing off for portraits elsewhere, most of the couple and group photographs were shot right there at the venue. It meant the day kept its shape and its pace, with Scarlett and Owen able to step in and out of photographs and straight back into the celebration with the people who had travelled so far to be there. We picked up another ten minutes with Scarlett and Owen after dinner, giving us a quieter moment together after a day spent surrounded by everyone they love.
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Wedding Photography
Photographing a wedding with guests from so many different countries always brings a different kind of energy. There is an openness to it, everyone slightly out of their usual routine and all the more present because of it. Accents from New Jersey mixed with Bangor ones all afternoon, old friends met new ones for the first time, and there was a real sense that everyone understood exactly how far people had travelled to be part of the day. Scarlett and Owen's wedding had that in spades. There were lots of personal touches as well, like the flags on the seafront spelling out their names.
Royal Ulster Yacht Club sits right on the water in Bangor. The grounds around the venue are a bit limited as a photography location so we concentrated on capturing connection. For Scarlett and Owen, staying close to everyone on the day mattered more than chasing extra locations, and the venue gave us everything we needed to do that well, from the ceremony right through to the dancing.
It was a different type of venue to those we usually work in, which was a nice step change for us. Add in a couple as warm as Scarlett and Owen, and a guest list that had travelled from all over the world to be there, and it made for an incredibly fun and lively wedding day.
If you are planning a wedding at Royal Ulster Yacht Club, or another members club with its own set of rules and rhythms, get in touch and we would love to talk through your day. You can find our wedding photography packages here, check our wedding FAQ if you have questions before reaching out, read some kind words from our couples, or see more of our work as a Bangor wedding photographer.
