An Intimate Ceremony in the Smallest Church in Ireland

Kat Mervyn Photography

August 2, 2015

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Helen and Jamie are also planning a big, elaborate wedding with all their friends and family in Spain, but organising the legal bit over there was a huge headache. So they decided to have their official ceremony in a teeny tiny church called St Gobbans in Port Braddan, Northern Ireland.

“We live and work in Thailand and therefore getting back and forth to Spain and organising everything from far away wasn’t straightforward”, explained the bride. “As we are UK citizens and all our families live there, the least complicated way to officiate our marriage was in the UK. My mum’s cousin, Connel Auld, is a minister and has the most incredible cottage with tiny church up in the North Coast of Northern Ireland and we thought it would be really personal to get married there. Connel really only officiates for friends and family so when he offered to conduct our ceremony, we felt very privileged. He is such a great character and really made the day for us.”

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“His house is like a museum with relics from WW2”, she continued, “Pieces of furniture, including the porthole windows that feature in some of the photos, were made for but didn’t make it onto the Titanic! The church is the smallest in Ireland and one of the smallest in the world and we just about managed to squeeze the 11 people in! This made it all the more intimate and special.”

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With the wedding being so small, they didn’t really feel the need for a theme. “The day was just very personal with only immediate family in attendance and lots of champagne!” Helen said. “My mum made the bouquets and buttonholes and we made the order of service the day before. We just served M&S canapés and lots of champagne – nobody wants a dry wedding!

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“The only thing we really invested in was our photography and our rings. We almost didn’t get a photographer but I’m so glad we did as the whole day goes by so quickly that it feels like a bit of a dream. It’s great to have those memories. As people who don’t really enjoy having our photos taken, our amazing photographer Kat made it so much fun for us, particularly as she was so enthusiastic about the venue and the whole day. Her photos really captured the day and we love how stylish they are. We wish she’d come to Spain with us!”

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