Smock Alley Theatre Wedding Photographer
A note on the photographs below. Every image on this page is the couple's own final album selection, not mine. I hand over the full gallery and let them choose the frames that matter to them, and those are the ones you see here. It tells you more about a Smock Alley wedding than my personal favourites would, because it shows what the day actually felt like to the people living it.
Smock Alley Theatre is one of the venues I get asked about most, and I understand why. You are getting married inside the oldest theatre district in Dublin, in a building that went up in 1662 as Ireland's first Theatre Royal. It sits just off Exchange Street in Temple Bar, and it carries a sense of occasion the moment you step through the door.
I'm Kevin Kheffache, a documentary Dublin wedding photographer, and photographing weddings here is a pleasure. Here is what I have learned shooting at Smock Alley, and what you can expect from your day and your gallery.
The Banquet Hall and its light
You get married in the Banquet Hall. Stained glass runs the length of the walls and daylight falls in from overhead, so on a bright day the room glows on its own. That changes how I work. I lean on that soft window light rather than filling the room with flash, and you get photographs that look the way the room actually felt.
The hall is HSE licensed for civil ceremonies and partnerships, so you can hold the legal ceremony and the celebration in the same space. It seats up to 150 for dinner and takes 250 standing, and the team resets it between the ceremony and the meal. The bar runs until 11.
Portraits on Cow's Lane
Step outside and the cobblestones of Cow's Lane are on your doorstep. I take couples out here for about ten minutes during the drinks reception. Old stone, narrow lanes, the rest of Temple Bar a few steps away. You get real Dublin city character in your portraits without a long walk in your wedding shoes, and you are back with your guests before anyone notices you were gone. In the sequene below, Siobhan and David walk through Dublin city before hopping in a taxi to Urban brewery.
How the day usually goes
Smock Alley flexes from an intimate ceremony to a full reception in one building, which keeps the day simple for you and keeps me close to the action. No shuttling guests across the city between the vows and the meal.
Why couples choose Smock Alley
If you want a Dublin wedding that reads as historic, central and full of character, Smock Alley gives you all three under one roof. The theatre setting does a lot of the work, the light is kind, and Temple Bar hands you portraits most city venues cannot.
More Dublin city weddings
If a city-centre wedding is what you're after, have a look at a few I've photographed nearby: a Dublin City Hall and Merrion Hotel wedding, a Dublin city centre wedding with Evie and Max, and a Dublin Registry Office wedding with Yana and Chris. For the bigger picture, my guide to the best Dublin wedding venues covers where Smock Alley sits among the rest.
Let's talk about your day
If you are getting married at Smock Alley, or weighing it up, I would love to hear about your plans. Get in touch and I will walk you through how your day would flow and what your gallery could look like.