Our first wedding film of 2013 starts us off on a high - Joy and Scott asked Cinematic Weddings to capture the essence of their day in style. This Californian couple are high school sweethearts, who fell in love with Ireland when they studied in Dublin for a year. It was always their dream to share it with their loved ones, so they decided to celebrate their wedding in Ireland and brought roughly 30 of their closest family friends to be part of their big day.

Joy + Scott = So Happy Together from CinematicWeddings

The wedding took place in the beautiful Waterford Castle, a castle hotel with a difference - its grand interior is at once both majestic and   warm. It would certainly provide that sense of history that Joy and Scott were looking for.

Before the ceremony Joy and Scott met in a secret location on the grounds of the castle to do a first look, when they exchanged a few words, some loving glances and their excitement of what was to come. The ceremony was then conducted outside in the castle gardens, and included the Irish tradition of hand fasting (the tying of the knot) and a less than usual addition - a falcon delivered the rings. Afterward it entertained the guests by flying under their legs and landing on the heads of the bride and groom. Afterwards everyone got the chance a turn to hold this bird of prey. Joy and Scott also arranged a whiskey tasting for their guests, with a professional explaining the historical relevance of whiskey, (in Irish: uisce beatha, the water of life) and giving everyone the pleasure of tasting different blends.

So they really treated their wedding guests to quite the trip to Ireland - inspiration for any of you considering Ireland as a destination wedding location.

Huge thanks to Cinematic Weddings for sharing their work on Joy and Scott's day with us. And Congratulations Joy & Scott - hope married life is treating you well!