Naomi and Philip’s Elegant Millbrook Lodge Wedding

Wedding planning doesn’t need to be stressful – Naomi and Philip planned their elegant wedding in their less than nine months and what a day it was!

After getting in touch about their wedding plans, we met for a coffee to chat more about what they wanted from their wedding photography. Getting to know the two of you is really important for me – I love meeting for coffee or chatting over Zoom so we can get to know each other better while chatting about your expectations for your wedding photos. Naomi and Philip are such a fun couple – I was excited as I knew their wedding day would be great craic!

They were getting married in Dundonald Presbyterian where Naomi’s dad is the minister. Naomi and her bridesmaids were getting ready in the manse, which is a stone’s throw away from the church. Often times, the closer you are to the ceremony, the more likely that you’ll be late but there was no reason that Naomi should be late!

Being the first in her family to get married, the house was full of excitement. I got the details shots, while all the final preparations were getting sorted. 

While the tradition always goes that the bride should be late arriving at the church, it was actually Philip who was late to get to the church. Just before Naomi got into her dress, I got some photos of Philip and his groomsmen in the church. One of my favourite photos is Philip’s mum putting his buttonhole on – what a special moment!

When I got back to the manse, it was all systems go. Before the girls got into the dresses, we got some photos of them in their matching pyjamas before they gave Naomi some presents. Look at those reactions!

After this, the girls got into their bridesmaids dresses before Sarah, the maid of honour, helped Naomi into her wedding dress. The moment you get into your wedding dress is when the reality hits that you’re just a few minutes away from getting married. It’s a really special moment – make sure someone important is the one helping you. These photos are some of the most meaningful from your wedding morning. 

Once Naomi had got into her dress, we got some reaction shots with her mum and dad. Again, it’s so important to take this time with your parents – they’re usually very emotional on the day and it’s important to enjoy this moment with them.

We got some group shots in the garden before heading off to the church. The photos of Naomi and her dad walking to the church are some of my favourites throughout the whole day – these are the moments that will mean the most to you when you look back in 10 years!

After a slight delay, the ceremony was underway. As a minister himself, it was unusual for Naomi’s dad to be on the other side of the proceedings. The ceremony was lovely and personal as the newlyweds were given some advice after they had exchanged their vows. 

The church had put on an amazing spread of food for afterwards – it was absolutely delicious and allowed lots of time for candid shots.

Naomi and Philip had planned the timings on their day really well – they were able to spend a good amount of time mingling with their guests before we headed to the Millbrook for some portraits. 

We took half an hour to get some photos of Naomi and Philip in a few spots around the Millbrook Lodge, while having lots of fun and enjoying the beautiful weather! Your portraits will be one of the times during your wedding when you’ll have time together – it’s really important to protect this time together.

Afterwards, we got some bridal party shots. We had so much fun getting some really relaxed shots – these guys were the best! Once we were done, we got some family portraits as everyone enjoyed the drinks reception. 

Before dinner, we had the speeches. As always, speeches are a great time to get some brilliant reaction shots. While everyone thought Philip would be the one to get emotional, it was actually Naomi who shed a tear! 

This elegant wedding was an amazing day with some incredible suppliers:

Hair – Mandy’s Upstyles

Make-up – Chloe Henning

Dress – Pronuptia Bridal Belfast

Suits – Hire Class NI

Flowers – Floral Earth – Ready to Wed

Cake – Katie Caldwell

Invitations – Becca Johnson

Music – Paul McArdle (DJ Magiggs)

This is what Philip and Naomi said about their photos:

Christine did an amazing job with our wedding photos. She kept things so relaxed and natural so it never felt pressured on the day. We love our photos and can’t imagine anyone doing a better job.