Two articles in the magazine feature our photography from recent favourite weddings.  Firstly Jen talks about how she found Archibald Photography through the Scottish Wedding Directory magazine and how delighted she was with the end photography result of her and Graham’s wedding at Atholl Palace in Pitlochry:

We are then featured in a fabulous 4 page spread entitled “Giving it some welly” with Susie and Paul’s relaxed, vintage inspired wedding at Mavis Hall Park.  Susie and Paul’s wedding is a great example of how not to let the Scottish weather affect your wedding day plans as theirs was a beautiful wedding in the rain.  You can read Susie and Paul’s full wedding story on our blog here and it was also featured on the massive bridal blog Style Me Pretty.

Here are some images from the band promo photoshoot:

Band – John Wean

Wardrobe – Replay

Makeup – Ainsley M (m: 07919 598043)

Hair – Charlotte (m: 07967 639354)

One of the images from the shoot has since appeared in Jim Gellatly’s feature on new bands in The Scottish Sun:

We had a fantastic night in the company of Lindsay Fleming Bridal Design, Elemental Photography, Cherry Tree Films, Freya Dress Design, Blue Sky Photography, Corrine Smith Design, Eva Sanders, Nikki McLeod and Rene Walrus – all at the incredible setting of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Newcastle.

It was the summer of 2006 and 166 rubbish old cars of less than a litre engine size, plus one hearse (exempt from the engine size rules for being a ‘vehicle of exceptional comedy value’), set out on a charity race from London to Mongolia.

Jamie and his co-driver, team “Celtic Chancers” piloting the mighty Ford Fiesta, were having a stellar run, adventuring through Europe and then into the road-less back-country of Russia, Uzbekistan and the rest, mostly at the lead of the rally.

Tamsyn and her co-driver, team “The Hearse Flies” were finding that a hearse was in fact not the greatest vehicle for off-roading in the desert, and were limping along further and further behind at the very back, breaking down all the way.

Map reading on the Kazakh Steppe (Photo by Tamsyn Greig)

After one canyon-sized pot-hole and gearbox disaster too many, the hearse finally gave up the ghost and was laid to rest in Kazakhstan. At which point Tamsyn’s co-driver decided the heat, hardship and miles behind schedule were too much, and that he was giving up and going home. For Tamsyn, she’d set out to go to Mongolia, and come hell or high water, to Mongolia she was going – but now alone in the Kazakh desert and without a car, she was somewhat in need of ‘plan B’.

At the garage - again (Photo by Tamsyn Greig)

Tamsyn salvaged what she could carry from the car (last pair of clean pants, fruit cake from Mum), and jumped on a rickety overnight train heading East. Throughout the rally there had been a website that teams could update by text message, and crews had been texting in their locations, sometimes with mobile numbers (e.g. ‘team xxxx is relaxing in Moscow, our mobile number is xxxx if any other teams are around and fancy a beer!’). By a miracle Tamsyn got a mobile signal, and managed to get through to her Mum – telling her to put her brother (Ross) on the case trawling the website, and see if any other teams were in the area and had left contact numbers. She wasn’t full of hope, knowing she was at least 1,000 miles behind the rest of the rally, and that even that if there were fellow breakdown artists about, finding them in the 9th largest country in the world could be tough.

Meanwhile, 2,000 miles ahead, Jamie had also hit the skids. Crossing borders in a car is an arduous process, punctuated with incomprehensible forms, bribes, protestations of poverty and innocence, and much sitting around (frequently for 24 hours at a stretch). Jamie had this down to a fine art, but on this occasion, Russian beurocracy was too much. Whilst all ralliers needed double visas for Russia to get into Siberia, the visa agency in London had fouled up, and Jamie’s visa turned out to only be a single (helpfully all in the Cyrillic alphabet, so with no way of identifying the mistake either). Russians are particularly feisty about their border paperwork and Jamie was stuck in Kazakhstan.

However, Jamie’s co-driver did have the right visas – and decided to leave him at the border, join another team, and carry on without him! Saying ‘but it’s ok, you’ll be alright – you can keep the car”!!!!… With no means of getting out of Kazakhstan, and with chronic dysentery to boot, it wasn’t looking good for Jamie – but he’d set out to go to Mongolia, and come hell or high water, to Mongolia he was going (sound familiar?). So he wearily turned around and started to retrace his steps along the lonely three-day road to Almaty, to try his luck at the nearest embassy.

Back on the Kazakh night-train, Ross had managed to send details of some teams who seemed to be only 5 or 6 days ahead of Tamsyn. Maybe she could catch them. She wrote a text message. “Lost rallier, without car or team-mate, is still trying to get to Mongolia! Will be in Almaty in 2 days – any chance you’re anywhere nearby and I could hitch a lift? I’m clean and friendly!”. Send to – Celtic Chancers – Jamie…

And the rest, as they say, is history!…

Tamsyn and Jamie met up in Almaty and became an instant team in every sense, storming through the visa and other challenges and carrying on all the way to the finish line in Mongolia. They were way behind schedule (eventually both rocking up a whole week late to their jobs back in the UK), and drove in shifts for 20-22 hours a day, stopping only to throw back the car seats and catch a few hours sleep before hitting the road again. Basically, they spent the first week and a half after they met living exclusively in a Ford Fiesta! They were exhausted, sick, unwashed, starving, praying the car’s collapsing suspension would hold out, and flying by the seat of their pants – and as truly, exhilaratedly happy as they’ve ever been, swooping along in their new little team on the open road to adventure.

Where they lived and slept for 2 weeks (Photo by Tamsyn Greig)

Morning in Mongolia (Photo by Tamsyn Greig)

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There are a wide range of bands and music options available in Scotland for weddings and it would be impossible to mention them all, but here are some used recently by our clients (in alphabetical order):

Callanish – Our client told us that they are “are a cross between a ceilidh and a covers-band.  We had a number of people commenting on how good the band was and we were very happy with their style and playing abilities.”

The Copycats – Our client described them as “a live band who also provided a DJ set.  Style a mix of all the classics right from 60’s to present day. Very upbeat and interactive with the audience.  We thought the band were excellent and the guests thought they were great. Dance floor was full all night! We sent a few requests prior to the wedding which the accommodated perfectly either live or through DJ set.”

Corra – Our client who booked them described them as “a mix of ceilidh, soul, funk, etc – nothing too cheesy.  Everyone loved them, they thought the singer was absolutely amazing and the fact that they were a bit different to a usual wedding band.  We went to see them play a wee gig at a place in Edinburgh and got a good feeling from the start but it was when they started playing “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder that we really knew that they were the band for us – if they had murdered that, it would have been a big fat no!”

Easy Orchestra – who our client told us play “fun lounge music.  We loved them. Wedding bands can often fall into two categories, terrible and awful, but they ticked every box. It’s a difficult gig because of the age range at most weddings, but their kitsch style was incredibly good fun. The range of songs in their repertoire also helped engage the audience… From Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ to ‘Music to Watch Girls By’… All in a lounge style.”

ERNEST band.  As one of our clients told us “they play live and perform old and new music to suit all ages.  They are also able to play ceilidh music live rather than taped.  We absolutely loved them, I spent a significant amount of the night on the dancefloor! The dancefloor never seemed to be empty from start to finish. Music was a really important part of our evening, my dad used to be in a band and loves to dance, and we both love listening to music played well! ERNEST fitted all our requirements.”

Fat Sam’s Swing Band – who our client told us were “absolutely fantastic!  My different groups of friends all bonded over dancing manically to the swing music.”

Floorfillerz.  Described as “very very very accommodating, laid back, fun. Understood what makes a good wedding disco, lots of funky well known music for all styles.  No-one left the dance floor for more than 5 minutes – floorfillerz by name and by nature!”

Freak Music – Scottish company that has a huge and high quality selection of wedding bands in Scotland and across the UK. They supply bands and DJ’s to some of Scotland’s largest events, high-end bars, nightclubs and weddings. According to a recent client”Very accommodating and will find you a band to suit your taste and budget.”

Fudge Machine – Described as four versatile music graduates whose repertoire incorporates a wide range of music from the 60′s to the present day, even including ceilidh and big band.  Our client told us that “they were really versatile and did some of the most up to date stuff I have heard from a wedding band.  They really catered for everyone’s tastes – young and old – they were able to gauge quickly what was popular with guests so knew what best to play.  We did put a couple of requests in before the big day for some of our favourite songs that we saw from the list on the internet that they covered.  Our guests raved about them at the time and for weeks later any time we saw someone that had been at the wedding they mentioned the band.  A number of our guests there that had a wedding or party coming up tried to book them for their event!  The one thing I did not want at my wedding was an empty dance floor and I can safely say that was not a problem!”

Hector McKenzie Bon Accord Band – Our client described this band as a ‘wicked’ ceilidh band who also played some requested 80s favourites.  “Everyone loved the ceilidh and it got everyone on the floor”.

James Honey Band – our client reported that they were “AMAZING  and guests said best band ever. Two vocalists, full band sax players etc They even have own sound guy!  Paid more but worth it! Heard the band first before we booked them managed to see them at another wedding.”  Another of our clients who used the James Honey Band said “They’re  are a 9 piece band who play everything live. No backing tracks! They have 2 great male and female vocalists who share solos. As well as guitar, bass and drums they also have a reed section which means the band can play a variety of styles from jazz and pop to soul. They do a huge variety of songs and have a set list which you can see before your wedding to choose exactly what songs you want. Our guests loved the band and as a result the band have had at least 3 other bookings for weddings!”

Kilter Described as a modern, fun ceilidh band.  Our client told us “Guests loved them, they really made the evening reception. They’ll call out the dances for those who don’t know them, and did some quirky non-dances to get everyone up on the floor, and were excellent musicians. Older aunties appreciated their good looks too!! I recommend them to anyone who wants a good fun ceildh as their evening reception”

Roadhouse – as our client told us “the way I would describe them really is rockers, they were fantastic everyone commented on how great they were and they had a very wide range of music.”

Silk Strings (cello duet).  Our client who booked Silk Strings commented that they were very pleased with them, they provided a classical festive element for a December wedding and played during the drink reception followed by a ceilidh band later.  Contact Maya silkstrings@live.com

So from the wealth of experience held by our previous clients, what gems of advice can we share with you to help with booking your evening entertainment?

- try not to get hung up on what everyone else likes as you can’t please everyone.   As long as you have a good feeling about them that’s all that matters.

- bear in mind the size of your venue to the size of your band and ask what their set up is and if you need your venue to provide anything.

- if possible see the band live in action before making a decision, many bands have online film clips or will play a showcase at other venues so you can “try before you book”

- know exactly what kind of music you want at your wedding and then try and see as many bands as possible to make absolutely sure.

- be prepared to book early to get your first choice of band

- Don’t try and please everyone…. You’ll always end up with compromise.  Try and get a band or DJ that suits the mood of your day.

- talk to the wedding organiser at your venue who may be able to help with your decision

- make sure you pick a band that can do more than just one style to make sure there is something for everyone

- check if the band will adjust their playing list when it is obvious what people are mostly getting up to

- a cello duet is just as effective as a string quartet and more suited to a smaller venue

- make sure your ceilidh band are able to set up their own equipment – one couple found they were required to help the band move and set up their equipment

- talk to your band about the required volume level if you want to make sure your guests can still talk while in the same room

- check whether the band will be assembled from a pool of musicians or if it is an established group who play together regularly – one of our clients wishes (with hindsight) that they had checked the latter was true for their band

- make sure that you’re clear on what you want music-wise. As one client suggested “Also ask for references, don’t just go with their website. My venue provided 4 DJ’s that they regularly use, and I picked from there.”

- make sure you hear how they sound live rather than relying on a CD, even better if you can see them for a minute or two actually performing at a wedding

From Kate and Mike whose wedding Mark photographed on Saturday:

“Just a quick note to say a massive thank you to Mark for Saturday.  We’ve has so many of our friends and family say how great the photographer was and we have to agree! We had a perfect day, thank you so so much.  Can’t wait to see the photos, Kate and Mike x”

From Julie and Kenny who had a recent natural light portrait session for their little baby Callum with Mark recently (Mark photographed Julie and Kenny’s wedding a while back):

“It was such a nice surprise to come home from our holidays and to get to see the fantastic photos.  Mark has really done himself proud again, especially considering the mood Callum was in that day.  We are delighted with the photos and can’t wait to get some of them up in our home.  We will be in touch very shortly to order some of the prints……..just need to get deciding!!  Thanks again to Mark for providing us with such fantastic momentos of this special time.  Julie & Kenny  P.S Congrats on winning yet more awards…..I’m sure you are fast running out of space for them all!”

Thanks everyone!

And while, I am on the subject, just how gorgeous is baby Callum?

So, if anyone is, or knows a special couple who are Dirty Dancing devotees, ballroom dancing buffs, street dance supremos or disco dancing divas then the BBC would love them to get in touch, as they could help to deliver the surprise of a lifetime.  If interested, please email us on info@archibaldphotography.co.uk for details of how to contact the program.  Click HERE to contact us.

Archibald Photography would like to wish Joann Scott Weddings all the best in the new venture.  We look forward to working with her closely as one of her high quality suppliers.

Annabel tied the knot herself in 2009 and in planning her own wedding, discovered a new passion – seeking out inspirational wedding and fashion photography; hence her LoveMyDress blog was born.  LoveMyDress is a style diary of Annabel’s fabulous inspirational finds.  As Annabel says herself, she is “passionate about all things glamorous and extremely sexy gorgeous”.

Make sure you stop by LoveMyDress regularly for ideas when planning your wedding day, especially if you have a love of all things vintage.

You can read some of Annabel’s entries featuring Mark’s photography work here, here and here