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Scottish Castle Dreams
The first time I met Heather and Stuart was technically on their wedding day. This is very unusual for me because I always meet my couples beforehand. I like to go for a coffee (or tea because I don’t actually like coffee) and chat through their day and their expectations. I wasn’t able to do that for Heather and Stuart, however, because we simply lived too far away. We would have spent triple the time (and then some) traveling to each other, then we would in the meeting and so we took to FaceTime instead. So technically I hadn’t met them yet (at least not face to face).
Which brings me nicely onto the story of how I became their photographer. It’s quite unusual for someone so far away to find me unless we have a mutual acquaintance. Well, for those who have been following my business for a while, you might remember that last summer I did a wedding giveaway whereby those who entered would be in with a chance of winning their wedding photography completely free (excluding potential travel costs). One of those entries, the winning entry actually, was made by Lucy; Heather’s bridesmaid. Lucy wasn’t getting married but had entered on behalf of Heather and ended up being the name I picked out of a Harry Potter bobble hat in my mother in law’s back garden. Finding out about their wedding day felt like I was in every photographer’s dream. I quickly learned that they were planning their intimate wedding in a beautiful little castle in Scotland. I feel like I should just pause this blog post here and give you some time to digest that.
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Okay, that’s long enough - so fast forward to their big day. There were only around 50 of their nearest and dearest and the whole bridal party (possible the whole guest list, I’m not sure) were able to stay in the Castle the night before and the night of the wedding. I arrived the day before to have a look around and meet everyone and it was such miserable weather. The days after the wedding (I would know because I stayed on a few days to explore Scotland but that’s another story) were completely torrential rain. The day OF the wedding however was glorious sunshine; only clouding over late afternoon but still staying very dry and pleasant. These two really lucked out here! They chose to have a ceremony which wasn’t religious but also wasn’t humanist. It fell somewhere in between and was so personal to Heather and Stuart. Everyone then stepped outside to have confetti in front of the castle before I whisked the bride and groom off for some couples photos in the castle gardens. It honestly felt like something from a fairytale; with the sun beaming through the trees, wild plants around us and bees buzzing in between. I gave them a few moments alone on a bench while I photographed them from a distance so that they could soak in the day so far. Later, we moved onto the group photos and it was amazing being able to photograph the groups with the castle as their backdrop!
I have to say I feel extremely blessed that every couple I have photographed so far have been so easy-going. And each of their wedding day’s have reflected that easy going nature. It doesn’t mean that everything runs like clock work but it does mean that when it doesn’t quite go as planned, there’s no sweat or panic. Heather and Stuart let their guests go ahead of them to the barn which would hold the reception (still on the castle grounds) and they took a few moments to themselves to wait for everyone to get settled before they joined them. It was so lovely seeing a couple able to have this much time to relax and be together. Often you’ll hear people say that the day goes so fast and you likely won’t see much of your partner on the day, and normally that is so true. Maybe because this was such an intimate wedding it meant that these two had more time for each other, I don’t know, but whatever it was, it was lovely to see them having so many opportunities to just sit and be, together. Their reception kicked off with some hilarious and emotional speeches and ended with a ceilidh – it was great fun and everyone had a go at the dances! All that’s left to say about this wedding is that I had a wonderful time being your photographer, Heather and Stuart. I’m so pleased that Lucy entered that competition last summer!
Venue: Brodie Castle
Dress: Wed2B
Florist: Wild Blossom
Such a beautiful day! If you would like more information on my wedding photography packages, please do get in touch by filling in the contact form here! I'd love to chat about your wedding photography needs :)