Carrickdale Hotel & Spa

This month we visited the Carrickdale Hotel & Spa, Dundalk to capture some commercial shots around the grounds. They have just reopened the newly refurbished Secret Garden which is located in the outside grounds area. While we were there we captured the Serenity Spa & Bernish Suite which was set up for a wedding day.

What a great surprise when we went into the spa area. It was so serene and chilled out with fabulous facilities that are on offer The ambience and the feeling was absolutely fantastic! They offer a range of Day Spa experiences , spa treatments, massages, pedicures in a really well equipped spa facility. So chilled and really lovely atmosphere.

If treatments aren’t your thing, the spa also offers a large indoor pool, a sauna, a steam room and an outside jacuzzi where you can relax, rewind and enjoy the views. The ultimate space to chill out, relax and unwind.

There are so many areas both indoor and outdoor within the spa for you just to sit and relax with a glass of champagne or a cuppa.

Serenity Spa Cafe located within the tranquil spa is also available for anyone using the spa. The menu offers everything from classic deli-style sandwiches and healthy salads, to freshly baked scones. 

We would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for the perfect spot for a spa day with the girls, a mother daughter day or present for a loved one. I was truly so impressed with the spa & cannot wait to visit!

We also popped by the reopened Secret Gardens nestled in the gardens of the Carrickdale. You can call here with friends or family for a cuppa, a tray bake or treat yourself to a fabulous selection of hot food. No need to be worried about getting chilly in the gardens during the colder seasons as there is so many heaters and log burners around to keep you warm. I will definitely be popping in here for some food when I am down for an overnight stay at the end of the month.

We then moved onto the Wedding Commercial stage of the day. Our beautiful models Emily Shields & Darren Regazzoli were an absolute pleasure to work with and super photogenic. Normally when you come to do photoshoot for a bridal gown shop it is all about the gown but these shoots were to show the areas around the Carrickdale Hotel. These models did absolutely amazing on the day as they had to be more actors on the day to create that romance.

We then took a walk around the landscaped gardens which has beautiful features like a miniature bridge & a water fountain. If you were getting married here there would be no need to stop off anywhere else for photographs as the grounds are stunning - with so many different areas to use you are pretty much spoiled for choice.

Elody Bride provided the most beautiful dresses throughout the shoot. This first dress is made by designer Enzoani and is called Summer. Summer is an ultra-glam mermaid wedding dress with an eye catching scalloped train.

Tony McDonnell provided the suits. Darren wore a classic three piece black checked tuxedo.

We captured a few shots of Darren by the bar and the open fire with whiskey in hand. His dark haired handsome look just called for some old “Rat Pack” type shots.

I took some photographs within the Bernish Suite which is one of the wedding rooms that the Carrickdale offer. The Bernish Suite has exquisite chandeliers and a sense of timeless elegance, with fantastic views of the renowned hotel gardens. 

Emily had a quick outfit change into another gown from Elody Bride designed by Enzoani called Love Brittany . This is a mermaid style dress featuring a daring backless, padded illusion corset style bodice with a plunging V-neck - If you think the front is beautiful wait until you see the back!

Darren also changed his outfit to another timeless tuxedo except this time styled with it with a white blazer with black lapels - I absolutely love this look. At first when we saw the white Tuxedo, we thought it was going to be white trousers and I was not that keen, but when he put it on with the black trousers, it really looked amazing.

We took a few final shots in one of the suites of the hotel where Bride & Grooms would usually stay.

We had an absolutely fabulous day shooting and were so well looked after throughout. I couldn’t have asked for two better models on the day - they were both so beautiful, full of energy and knew exactly how to work the camera whilst having fun with it. A huge thank you to the Carrickdale Hotel & Spa and especially Orla who is so professional and on hand all day to help create the shots.

SUPPLIERS

Hotel: Carrickdale | Male Model: Darren Regazzoli | Female Model: Emily Shields | Bridal Shop: Elody Bride | Suits: Tony McDonnell | Dress Designer: Enzoani