My sister Annemarie is eighteen months older than me. Growing up, our relationship was a volatile brew of love and hate which is probably perfectly normal for most siblings. We knew just how to press each other’s button yet were still thick as thieves. As we got older, our lives took different paths; we both lived overseas at various times, but always far apart. In 2006, after spending a few years in Montreal, I moved to London, and my sister informed me that she would be moving there as well. Being away from home for so long, to hear that a family member would soon be your neighbour was quite an amazing feeling. We both lived it up in London for a while, then she and her fiancé moved to Surrey when their son Odhrán was born. Naturally, I got pregnant too, so myself and my husband moved to the same village a year later. We’ve been in Walton-on-Thames for two years now, and our sons could not be better friends. This makes me smile every day, and I’m so glad it worked out this way.
After quite a long engagement, Annemarie and her partner Rhys finally got round to planning their big day. They wanted something low-key and intimate so decided it should take place in County Tipperary, Ireland, where we had grown up together. They asked me to take on the double role of bridesmaid and photographer for the day, which I was a little unsure of at first. But as it was such a laid back affair, it worked out perfectly as I got to capture some really special family moments and be a part of the memory too. After helping our lovely sister into her Mori Lee gown, and getting into our own mint-green Ariella London bridesmaid dresses at the family home, we escorted the bride to the local church where a wonderful ceremony took place. Afterwards, the wedding party drove south to Cashel, a town rich in history and home to the iconic Rock of Cashel. The reception was held at Cashel Palace Hotel, an elegant Georgian mansion set in the heart of the town. It was a wonderfully intimate and relaxed day, and I felt very lucky to share the day with such great neighbours!
