Millbrook Lodge Wedding | Fiona + Emma

Fiona and Emma joyfully got married on the 12th of September at the beautiful Millbrook Lodge Hotel in Ballynahinch, where they celebrated their love surrounded by family and friends. Both the ceremony and reception were held at the venue.

We can vividly remember just how excited these two wonderful ladies were when they first reached out to us to book our services to photograph their beautiful wedding. Their enthusiasm and joy were infectious, so we had been eagerly looking forward to capturing this special day for quite a while.

Both Fiona and Emma got ready from the Millbrook Lodge on the morning of the wedding. With Fiona being a hairstylist herself, she didn’t want anyone else to do her and the bridesmaids hair on the day. It was also an emotional morning for them both, as they felt a little nervous about being the centre of attention all day.

Wedding photos at Millbrook Lodge

The plan had been to have a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony in the grounds around the hotel but as it got close to the start of the ceremony it started raining heavily, so the venue had to make a call on it and decided to move the ceremony indoors. The rain came at just the wrong time as we had wonderful weather the rest of the day.

Fiona and Emma chose to have a humanist wedding ceremony which was performed by Gemma Hutton. At the start of the ceremony Gemma handed Fiona and Emma’s wedding rings around their guests so they could bless their union. Fiona and Emma also “tied the knot, during the ceremony with a traditional handfasting ceremony. There was lots of giggles and emotion throughout the ceremony as Gemma told the story of how Fiona and Emma first met and their journey together to their wedding day.

Fiona and Emma were too nervous to read their personal vows to each other during the ceremony so afterwards we found them a quiet place so that they could read letters they had written to each other without the prying eyes of all of their family and friends.

Millbrook Lodge wedding photography

Before the wedding Emma had gotten in touch with us to tell us that she had got photographs of them stitched in her suit jacket for the wedding as a surprise for Fiona and we she did a little reveal to Emma after the ceremony, Emma loved the surprise!

We were then able to enjoy some wonderful quality time with Fiona and Emma, taking a leisurely walk around the beautifully landscaped grounds that surround the Millbrook Lodge for their portraits. These two were a laugh a minute and it was easy to capture some beautiful natural moments between them. Once we got back to the hotel we rounded up the bridal party and their family for some photos, before leaving the guys to chill out in the sunshine and enjoy the company of their guests.

Fiona and Emma opted not to have any formal speeches with just Emma saying a few words thanking everyone for coming along to share the day with them both. After dinner an entertainment whirlwind arrived in the form of drag queen Titti Von Tramp who hosted the crudest and funniest game of bingo we have ever seen. Fiona actually won the first game of bingo herself, but let the game continue so that one of the guests could win instead.

After the bingo we grabbed Fiona and Emma for another 10 minutes of portraits in the beautiful evening light, before heading back inside for the dancing. The first dance was followed up with Fiona and her Dad hitting up the dancefloor for a traditional father daughter dance before everyone else joined them.

If you are reading this because you are looking for some inspiration for your own wedding at this venue. You might also like to check out these other weddings we have photographed here as well. Weddings at Millbrook Lodge