Our 5 Favourite Wedding Venues in Northern Ireland 2026
We’ve obviously been to a lot of venues over the 12 years we’ve been capturing weddings. Honestly we’re so lucky to live in Ireland where there are so many great ones! Something we get asked a lot (usually by anyone new we meet who finds out what we do for a living) is “What are some of your favourite wedding venues?” So we thought we would compile a little list featuring a few favourites and give a few reasons why. So here they are, in no particular order…
01. Old Rectory Killyman
We’ve been known to describe the Old Rectory in Killyman as heavenly. It’s honestly one of our favourite places in the country to be at, working or not. The owners have put so much work into making the Old Rectory one of the best purpose-built wedding venues in Ireland. Every wedding we’ve shot there has been so relaxed, so chilled and so fun and honestly been a joy to shoot.
The Old Rectory is like multiple venues in one. It has a bunch of different areas that can host different parts of the wedding day, whether that’s prep in the Main House, ceremonies in the Garden Room, drinks/music in the Barn and Teepee, speeches/dinner/dancing in the Pavillion… every part of a couple’s wedding has its own unique setting.
We often say “you can point your camera anywhere at Old Rectory and get a good shot” and it’s true. Every detail has been thought about from the lighting, the paths, the plants, the décor, the style, the atmosphere. We wouldn’t change a single thing about this venue and if you know us, that is high praise!
If you are looking at the Old Rectory you’ll need to book your own caterer (we recommend booking someone like Olive & Vine who are great!) We’ve shot so many weddings here and can’t wait to shoot so many more in the years to come…
02. Finnebrogue Woods
Set in the rolling hills of Co. Down is hidden gem Finnebrogue Woods where couples who live life a little more adventurously can have their wedding day. When the weather is good, this venue is truly magical and one we think people overlook. So if you are willing to take a gamble on good weather, then this might be the venue for you…
Couples can have their wedding ceremony in the ceremony circle surrounded by Finnebrogue’s natural woodland. After that it’s a short walk down the path to the four tipis that make up the reception venue. Note that this is also a venue where you’ll need to book your own caterer, we think someone like Posh Nosh would be great or even shared platter/pizzas/BBQ style food would be perfect here.
The best bit however is that the whole venue sits on Finnebrogue’s own private lake which is simply breath taking. Trust us when we say there are literally endless locations for couple portraits here and if the weather plays ball, just imagine all of the guests mingling, sipping cocktails on the lawn, playing garden games by the lake. So dreamy! There’s no place like Finnebrogue Woods.
03. Ballymagarvey Village
In the countryside of Co. Meath sits Ballymagarvey Village, a unique, bespoke wedding venue like no other. Okay this one isn’t in Northern Ireland, but it’s not that far over the border. We’ve shot many many weddings here over the years and love it every time we are asked back. This is another venue where you can have the whole day there from preparations through to dancing… in fact most weddings we’ve shot here have hosted the full day.
There are two main things we love about Ballymagarvey Village, number one is how beautiful the grounds are. There are so many different areas that finding somewhere beautiful for photographs is easy, in fact there’s almost too much choice sometimes.
The second reason why we love Ballymagarvey so much is the food. Unlike the other two venues listed above, Ballymagarvey Village have their own in-house caterers. It’s the venue on this list that can have the most amount of seated guests (220 for dinner) and we don’t know how they do it, but the food is 10/10 every single time! Honestly the food at this wedding venue is better than the majority of restaurants we’ve eaten in, it’s incredible. And every couple and guest we’ve ever talked to here has loved it too.
Couples also love Ballymagarvey Village because there is loads of on-site accommodation. The main bar is open until 3am and breakfast is included for all staying-guests the next morning, although we’ve never had breakfast there ourselves for obvious reasons.
The only thing we would change about this venue (if we had the power) is the ceremony room. It’s simply a bit too small with some pretty unflattering spotlights throughout. We’ve always found the ceremony room in Ballymagarvey Village to be quite tricky to shoot in due to it’s lack of space and weird lighting but that being said, it never puts us off saying ‘yes’ to shoot there.
04. Old Court Strangford
On the shores of Strangford Lough lies a historic estate known as Old Court. Strangford Lough is an area that means a lot to us and this little hidden gem of a wedding venue happens to be a real beauty. Every time we’re there we have the best time. The garden that leads down to the lough is one of the best settings for a wedding we could ever imagine and it’s always a joy to shoot at.
On the estate you’ll find the most beautiful grounds, there’s a small Boat House, the Old Court Chapel and The Yurt where the reception dinner is held. This is another venue where there is a bit of risk involved, but get lucky with the weather and this venue will be the perfect setting to your big day.
Old Court is one of those venues where once you book it, they pretty much hand you the keys and say there you go. It’s up to the couple to book absolutely everything else, drinks, bar staff and caterers etc. That will suit some couples perfectly but maybe others not so much.
We really recommend booking this venue in the summer months and having the ceremony outdoors by the lough. The Old Court Chapel is tiny and very dark (especially in winter). A ceremony down by the lough however is super magical with the sound of the water gentle in the background, loads of space for everyone to move around, you might even see some seals popping their heads up and the odd happy sail boat drifting past. There are endless places for couple portraits and when it’s time for dinner, The Yurt is plenty big, very bright and easy to shoot in.
P.S. It’s definitely worth looking into booking Quarry Hill Church as a venue for morning preparations. It’s not part of Old Court but it is directly opposite the entrance and it’s absolutely beautiful.
05. Parisien Belfast
We love a Belfast City wedding and one of our absolute favourite venues in the city centre has to be Parisien. Situated right opposite Belfast’s City Hall (hello quick civil ceremonies) in one of Belfast’s oldest Victorian buildings, Parisien brings a real chicness that can be hard to find in Belfast.
A combination of the location, lighting, décor, exposed brick, cocktails, good food, good furniture, attentive staff and views of City Hall make for a perfect setting for a cool city wedding. We recommend to have your ceremony in another location in the city, you and your guests walk over to Parisien for drinks and dinner, then head of into the night doing a tour of some of Belfast’s best bars. That sounds like a perfect wedding day to us!
One note about weddings at Parisien (and city centre weddings in general) from a photographer’s point of view is to make sure you’ve thought about parking. Parking can be quite tricky, time consuming and expensive in the city centre so just make sure you have that conversation with your photographer before the big day. Another point to make here is to make sure you’ve thought about a location for your couple portraits and family photographs. Usually your photographers will have an idea about this, but just worth a chat again beforehand to make sure you’re on the same page.
We’ve shot a handful of rad weddings at Parisien Belfast and hope to shoot here lots more in the future. It seems the couples who book Parisien are always so chilled, they’ve always got good taste and really good style. What could be better?
