As I am exporting their album to send to print, I am reminded of how much I love this image of Anna and Kevin married at Fernie Castle in Fife. What a cheeky look!
Posts Tagged ‘wedding photography’
Cheeky boy! | Wedding Photography at Fernie Castle
Monday, August 8th, 2011Katharine + Guy | An Edinburgh elopement
Saturday, July 9th, 2011Mark loves to photograph an wedding elopement – so intimate and romantic! Katharine and Guy got in touch with us and asked Mark to photograph their day- they live in Australia and chose Scotland for their elopement because the wedding would still be legal back home. Apart from Guy and Katharine, the only other people involved in their day were the minister, two witnesses, Mark and two cab drivers.
Katharine’s dress & shoes were Wayne Cooper (an Australian designer). Katharine told us “it was nerve wracking traveling with them although I had chosen a dress designed to be crushed. I couldn’t pack it in my carry on because it was 5% metal – so I just had to hope the luggage didn’t get lost!”
Guy and Katharine emailed a few different churches and said “the people at St Cuthbert’s were just so lovely and welcoming and made everything so easy for us that it was easy to choose them!”
These guys loved the weather; it was raining and really foggy and according to them”so exotic” (think they could teach us Scots a few things on thinking positively about our climate!) For them, they come from years and years of drought so having wet weather was “really special but also made the wedding really feel Scottish; if we’d wanted sunshine and dry weather we would have stayed in Australia”.
Katharine told us after that it was great going round Edinburgh with Mark. She said “the photos were amazing but having him tell us all about the places we were seeing was like having a personal tour of the city as well. My shoes were impossibly high which meant Guy and I were holding hands in almost every shot (very romantic) but walking on the cobbles was challenging! One of my favourite moments was when, coming down from the Royal Mile, I took a few steps with my shoes off – the cold wet cobbles felt so good! We had a fabulous day exploring Edinburgh and we wanted to get funky shots of us all over Edinburgh (and that’s exactly what we got)!
Here are some of our favourite images:
Cilla + Larry | Two weddings on two different continents |Glasgow University
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011Cilla and Larry met while working in an Emergency Department in Oxford in 1998; Larry was a doctor and Cilla was a nurse on a European working holiday. Larry proposed to Cilla in April 2008, while driving through the Scottish countryside
This Scottish wedding was the second of two weddings for Larry and Cilla. The first was held in Australia, where they currently live, while the second celebration was held in chapel of Glasgow University. Larry went to Glasgow University, and several of their friends were married there previously. The couple’s reception was in Randolph Hall, adjacent to Glasgow University Chapel which Larry previously remembered as his University exam venue. Larry told us “our venue suited our small group perfectly, and we were pleased to have both the ceremony and the reception in the same location, so that our guests did not have to travel between the two. The staff at the University looked after us wonderfully – we could not have been more supported.”
Not only did the couple have two weddings but there were also two rings and two different wedding dresses for Cilla, both from Brisbane supplier, Anita’s Fashion. The Scottish outfit was a lace and beaded gown, with a matching off-the-shoulder jacket, to contend with the cold weather. The dress was teamed with raspberry coloured court shoes and a chapel-length, lace-edged mantilla veil. Cilla wore diamond drop earrings and matching bracelets. Larry wore his own Lindsay tartan kilt & plain leather sporran. Larry’s ring was a plain white-gold band, hand made by Boyce Jewellers, Queensland. Cilla ‘s two diamond wedding bands were made by Hofstay’s Jewellers, Brisbane, and feature a single amethyst and peridot, the couple’s birthstones.
When the veil was removed for the reception, Cilla had ivory silk flowers for her hair. Her ‘something old’ was a lace hankie that her mother had carried on her wedding day, ‘something new’ were the bracelets, ‘something borrowed’ was a diamante wrist cuff which adorned the stem of the bouquet and ‘something blue’ was a sapphire and gold pendant, which had belonged to the groom’s much loved aunt The pendant was also attached to the bouquet with ribbon.
Cilla’s hair was styled by Ruth Chalk of BeautifulYou and Cilla did her own make-up. Ruby Flowers provided bouquets of red roses to match the bride’s shoes, with tulips, lavender and red berries, bound with the groom’s family tartan ribbon. The boys and fathers wore roses, berries and eucalyptus. The mothers wore corsages of orchids to match their outfits. Eucalyptus was included in all arrangements, to represent the bride’s Australian heritage. Church and table arrangements were tall arrangments of the same flowers, with fairy-lights woven through twigs. These arrangements were tied so that the guests could take them home.
LA Wedding Cars provided a 1940′s Beardmore taxi which took the bride and her parents to the church.
The processional in both weddings was Pachelbels’s Canon in d minor – played by string quartet in Australia and on a pipe organ in Glasgow. Glasgow had been preceded by fanfare from Te Deum – played at the start of Eurovision song contest. Both Cilla’s parents walked her down the aisle.
The wedding cake was provided by Top Tier and was a triple stacked gingerbread cake (groom’s favourite) with ivory icing, silk roses and lace detail. Larry’s aunt Morag had passed away at the start of 2010 and she had always planned to provide the couple’s wedding cake. To remember her, Larry and Cilla had a framed photo of her beside the cake. The harpist booked for the wedding unfortunately had to cancel at last minute due to a family illness so the dining music was supplied by iPod with music from the couple’s Australian wedding. Larry told us “We had had a music failure in Australia, so we couldn’t come into our reception to our planned music – Sigur Rόs ‘Hopipolla’ (Theme from Planet Earth). Because our Glasgow musician couldn’t make it, we were able to come into the second reception to this music.” Later in the evening, ceilidh band Benachally provided the entertainment. Larry told us “they were concerned to see a fairly small group in a fairly small room, but everyone had a fantastic time”.
Cilla and Larry told us that they “got a copy of the Scottish Wedding Directory and checked out the websites of every single photographer. Mark of Archibald Photography was one of the first we looked at but we kept coming back to it after going through them all – we liked the look of his work.”
Larry and Cilla describe their day as “magical”. As they said “not everything went the way we planned, but everything felt just the way the way it should have been.”
Susie + Paul | Mavis Hall Park | A beautiful wedding in the rain
Friday, June 17th, 2011Many of our clients ask us “what will we do if it rains on our wedding day”and with this in mind, I’d like to show you the lovely Susie and Paul’s wedding photography from Mavis Hall Park. These images answer that question completely – if it rains, it’s all still part of the story and you’ll have just as much fun. Susie and Paul’s wedding guests donned their wellies and brollies and trekked through fields down to a marquee at the lochside through a torrential downpour – check out the smiles!
Susie and Paul originally met through Susie’s brother Matt, who was Paul’s boss at the time. They had met a few times at the pub and always got on really well, talking mostly about snowboarding! They got together over seven years ago after Susie had gone with Matt to a paintballing day organised by his work. Paul came to the pub after to meet his colleagues and when Susie headed off to a club Paul quickly followed. They spent the rest of the night in this club laughing.
Paul proposed to Susie in New York in December two and a half years ago. He had whisked her away for her 30th birthday and had already bought the ring, so it was just a case of deciding when to propose. He thought about doing it on the plane but was a little nervous that if she said no it would be an awkward 9 hours and 3 day trip. They got to New York and Paul thought about proposing at so many different points and bottled it each time, it got to day 2 and time was running out and the plan was to do a spot of shopping and then head to Central Park, so Paul thought – perfect I’ll propose in Central Park – ideally romantic albeit a little unplanned. As they walked down Susie thought he was acting strange, squeezing her hand really tight and not saying much but just thought he was distracted by how much he’d just spent on a new watch! They went and sat on the grass by the lake in Central Park and within 5 minutes Susie got restless and became a bit grumpy that they weren’t ‘achieving’ much. So she suggested they went for a wander and a coffee, but Paul was reluctant, he was determined that this was the place and was building himself up to it. And as his behavior got stranger Susie says she started to realise what was going on and thought ‘oh wow’. And then he rolled over onto both knees in the mud and said ‘you know I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me’ and produced the beautiful ring. Through her sobs Susie said yes.
The couple chose Scotland for their wedding because Paul was born and spent his childhood in Selkirk and Susie was born in Dumfries and, although her family moved south when she was still very young she spent all her holidays in Powfoot, where her grandparents lived, until she was in her twenties. Scotland is very close to both of their hearts. They wanted a venue which felt relaxed and informal and could offer a real Scottish feel – they only looked at one venue and totally fell in love with it. Mavis Hall Park is a family run farm that has been converted for events. The couple first saw the barns and loved their character (especially the hens that greet you as you arrive) and inside they thought they were such a perfect blank canvas. Then Fiona, the owner, took them down to the loch to show them where we could get married and they were totally blown away. It was so beautiful and Susie and Paul just remember standing there in awe and all they could hear were birds.
The wedding party (family and close friends) stayed at Dalhousie Castle the day before and the night of the wedding. Dalhousie gave them the Orangery Restaurant for exclusive use for the night before the wedding, which is in a lovely conservatory overlooking the grounds. Nearly 30 of their family and friends took over the restaurant and had a lovely meal to kick start the celebrations, and according to Susie “it felt amazing having all our family and closest friends with us”.
Susie told us that “the wedding day was just amazing. Calling it the ‘best day of your life’ sounds clichéd but it was just brilliant, we had so much fun. Both Dalhousie Castle and Mavis Hall Park were perfect and were a perfect combination for us: we got to stay in a beautiful castle but we had the wedding in a character filled farm whose relaxed and intimate feel was more ‘us’ than a the formal setting of the castle. The ceremony was so lovely, really relaxed. We loved that everyone was stood, gathered around us, some with a beer in their hand, watching us make special promises to one another. Mavis Hall Park was the perfect venue, so many of our guests told us they thought it was an incredible place – they were blown away by how beautiful it was down by the loch, how cool the barns were and just how well run everything was. Fiona and her team are so professional and so lovely, they couldn’t do enough for us and they organised the day to perfection. And there were no complaints from Fiona when she received last minute emails about giant balloons and surprise guests on the day! We couldn’t recommend Mavis Hall highly enough.”
Susie’s dress was called Paris and was designed by Forget Me Not, a British design team based on the Isle of Wight. Susie said “I knew I didn’t want anything too ‘traditional’ and I tended to be drawn to material rather than shape – anything vintage looking and lacey. I had been to a few shops with my bridesmaids, including vintage wedding dress shops in London where I had tried a wide range of styles on. Then I went shopping at home with my Mum and sister and my nieces. Sophia, who was about a year old at the time came for the morning and in the afternoon my older niece, Anneliese (who was four at the time) came. Lynn, my sister and I, were looking through the dresses on a rail and pulled out this dress which was just the most beautiful material – it was a creamy, champagne gold colour and lacey. Because Lynn is almost 6 foot and I am about 5 foot 5 we couldn’t work out how long the dress was – it looked long for me but super short for Lynn. Anyway, before I tried anything on I said to Anneliese ‘just tell me if you think I look pretty, if you don’t think I do it doesn’t matter just say so but if you think I do look pretty say Aunty Susie I like this one’. So I tried three or four other dresses on and walked out the dressing room to show my Mum, Lynn and Anneliese who were sat at the end of the mirrors and Anneliese said ‘no, no, no’ to each one. Then I walked out in the dress I ended up getting and she just said ‘yes, that’s the one’ and punched the air! Then she fell asleep for the afternoon. Job done!
There is a lot of pressure to find ‘the one’ all I knew is that I loved the dress because I couldn’t stop smiling when I was wearing it. There were other dresses that I thought were gorgeous but I just felt really special in Paris. The style of the dress ‘fitted’ our venue and our plans for a day that would be fun, relaxed and informal. I loved the full skirt and the length was perfect for our day which was going to be spent on grass and walking through woods! I absolutely loved the detail too – the belt was unusual and the whole look made the dress have a vintage feel, which is what I wanted. I kept coming back to Paris and when I took my bridesmaids, Annie (my sister) and Kate (my friend), and my mother in law June they all loved it. Everywhere I tried on the dress it was almost a perfect fit, so I decided to see if I could get hold of a sample. I looked online for suppliers and phoned around shops that were within an hour of my parents house in Birmingham and my flat in London. I eventually got it from a shop in Ironbridge, near Telford, called ‘She’. Angie, the owner offered me a great deal and was just so lovely and a total perfectionist.”
Susie decided against a veil, as “it just didn’t feel very me. I wanted something again that was informal and relaxed so I found a gold flower in a haberdashery shop in London, I just used grips to put it in my hair.” Susie made her bracelet from two small pearl bracelets that she had bought when she was a bridesmaid for her best friend. She told us “I bought some small ribbon bows from a craft shop, sewed one onto the bracelets and then attached a locket that my best friend had bought for me before the wedding. I put a picture of my mum and my dad in. My parents died when I was younger so it was important to have them near to me on the day. I also wore my Mum’s engagement ring. It upset me putting it on on the day, as it was a reminder that she couldn’t be with me, but I loved having it on too knowing that my mum was wearing the same ring on her special day.”
Susie borrowed her earrings from her sister Annie. Susie’s sister had bought them in New York for her wedding. Susie said “I was blown away when I saw them, they were so beautiful and looked amazing in her photos. I was a little nervous asking but Annie was so happy to let me borrow them.”
A humanist ceremony was chosen by the couple and the celebrant was Ivan Middleton. Susie told us “when we first met Ivan we thought he was lovely and on the day our guests thought he was great, really funny. We really believed in the humanist values of love and respect and loved that we could make the ceremony really personal by writing most of it.
Susie knew she would prefer smaller heels, as she said she is “not brilliant at walking in sky scrapers, and given I would be walking on grass and cobbles I thought I had to be a bit practical. Had I known that I would wear wellies for that part of the day I wouldn’t have worried! My dress shop recommended Rachel Simpson shoes so I looked online. I ended up getting them on ebay and absolutely loved them. But I had really wanted bows on the front of my shoes to go with the whole 50’s style of the dress, so I went to an amazing vintage wedding shop in London called ‘Fur Coat No Knickers’ and they sewed gorgeous little ivory bows on the shoes for me. I loved them. As I said, I ended up wearing wellies for most of the day. To cut a long story short, it was raining we wanted to keep the ceremony outside and I was told everyone was wearing wellies down at the loch so I thought ‘well if they are I probably should’. Luckily my friend works for Hunters and, as a wedding gift, bought me a gorgeous pair of pink wellies. They looked great against the cream of the dress. Lots of people since have commented on how much they liked the welly look. At least it meant my feet didn’t hurt and I could dance in my heels all night.”
Susie and Paul’s adult bridesmaids wore cornflower blue dresses from Coast. As soon as Susie saw the colour, she knew it would be perfect. They chose their own gold shoes and jewellery and both looked gorgeous. The couple also had 3 flowergirls – Susie’s niece, Anneliese, and Paul’s niece Amelia both wore cream and Susie’s little niece Sophia wore pink. They were all brilliant and very cute.
Lynne Deherdt did Susie’s make up and her and a lovely lady called Agneshka did the make up for the bridesmaids, the mothers and my sister. Agneshka also did our nails. Susie did her own hair. She told us “I was a little nervous about it as I hadn’t really had much time to practice. But it was fine, I just curled it with straighteners and my sister, Annie, helped me get it right.”
Susie had a meeting with her florist, Fiona Cumming at her home in Edinburgh and they talked about what she wanted. They settled on blue hydrangeas and large cream roses for Susie and bright pink peonies and cream roses for the older bridesmaids. Susie then wanted lots of petals to put into little baskets she had bought for the little bridesmaids. Susie told us “The table centres were jugs, that I had bought from a market local to me, with jam jars dotted around. I asked Fiona to use any flowers that looked relaxed, bright and pretty. These placed in the jugs and then individual stems were put into the jam jars. It looked so pretty when they were all together on the day.”
Paul wore a grey spirit kilt, but with a relaxed approach and socks down. Black and grey kilt, black shirt, black waistcoat and grey jacket. Susie gave Paul some cufflinks on the morning of the wedding, which were steering wheels – he loves cars. Paul’s best man and the ushers all wore the same as Paul – even Paul’s English friends were made to wear a kilt and no pants were allowed.
The couple chose not to have a cake as there wasn’t anything they wanted. Similarly, they chose not to have favours as Susie said “we didn’t want to do them for the sake of it when we couldn’t think of anything interesting or relevant to do for them.” Susie and Paul hired a Bentley GTC for 5 days and drove it from London to their venue and back again which they summed up as an “amazing experience”. A friend had recommended Premier Velocity in Ware, England.
The couple had Scottish slang as the table names, like “Merrit”, “Haud yer weesht” and “blootered” and bird cages hanging from the old beams in the barns. Susie and her new mother in law decorated the bird cages with ivy (from the florist), paper flower garlands and small sequined birds. Ivy and fairy lights were wrapped around the pillars in the barn.
Susie and Paul bought the rings from Dominic Carr of London, again recommended by a friend They would recommend him to anyone buying rings in London as he provided “a very individual personal experience”.
The couple’s piper (Kenny Patterson) piped Susie down the aisle and then stood behind the marquee playing relaxed bag pipe tunes. Then after the ceremony, they had highland games for all our guests including games for the kids. This was organised by Mavis Hall and was “brilliant fun”. Luckily the sunshine came out just in time for them.
Susie and Paul asked friends and family to video the day, and they told us “they have produced an amazing record of the day for us. We asked some good friends to walk round and take Polaroid shots of everyone, which we have since stuck onto the frame we used as a table plan on the day. We also set up a video camera in a room upstairs in the barns, and we asked all our guests to make a little speech giving 3 words about Paul and 3 words about Susie and a message to send us on our way. This after a couple of drinks was highly amusing and a lovely keepsake. We intended to do one too but didn’t get the time.” Susie and Paul hired a live band called Wildcard which they said “were great. They played lots of up to date music and some old classics. They also included some Scottish dancing sporadically throughout the night. It got everyone up on the dance floor, and the choice to have it in between the other songs was a good call, as it was tiring for some of the older guests (and us!). Our first dance was a song called State of mind by Goldie, a nice relaxed drum and bass tune with heart felt lyrics are really relevant to us. We asked the band to play ‘500 miles’ by The Proclaimers as soon as our first dance was finished to get everyone jumping around on the dance floor. It worked!”
Susie and Paul told us that they first saw Archibald Photography online and “just thought their photos were amazing. We then made a swift trip to a wedding fair and met Donna and Mark there. We were really impressed with their work and really liked Mark which is something people always say is important for your photographer. We have so many favourite images, we can’t choose one! We love the one of the two of us holding hands, where you can’t see our heads! We also love the ones in the woods, with Paul holding the balloon the colours are amazing. And the picture of us in the distance holding hands in front of the cool house and large tree. And also the one of us kissing with Susie holding the umbrella under the trees. Oh and the one of the little girls holding the baskets. And the ones of the boys in front of the castle and the ones of Susie with her bridesmaids. There really are too many.”
When we asked Susie and Paul about the best part of their day, they told us “everything! The relaxed ceremony, amazing Mavis Hall venue, the friendly staff, the lochside wedding, the highland games, the spit hog roast, the live band. Weirdly the rain made the day, we loved that our guests were happy to take their shoes/stiletto’s off and put on wellies to walk down to the loch side under their umbrellas, which they have since told us felt cosy. It also meant that the ceremony felt intimate because everyone was huddled round, although we were pleased to see the sunshine coming out just after we were married. Oh and one other thing – the last dance! The band surprised us with ‘you take the high road’ and Paul and I danced and jumped around in the middle of a circle of all our family and friends holding hands – it felt so amazing, a very happy ‘moment’.
We had so many worries before the wedding about the weather and checked forecast hour by hour as we thought it was so important it to be dry so we could have the ceremony down by the loch. On the day it was raining and that actually made it. It certainly made it different, not many people have been to a wedding where everyone (including the bride) is wearing wellies. Everyone raved about it. So our advice is: don’t worry about the weather it definitely won’t spoil your day.”
Susie and Paul would sum their day up as “just the most fantastic day: relaxed, fun and filled with love.”
Helen and Adam | Pre-wedding shoot | Gleneagles Hotel
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011Later this year, Mark will be photographing the wedding of Helen and Adam at the beautiful and luxurious Gleneagles Hotel. A few weeks ago, they met up with Mark at their Gleneagles timeshare to chat through the running order of the wedding day and to have a mini portrait photoshoot. For Mark, it was lovely to meet up with Helen’s family and get to know them. It was also great that Helen and Adam didn’t mind getting their feet wet so they could have a walk and explore some of the tree paths which were pretty muddy from the thaw of snow.
Here are some of our favourites from the day:
Leigh and Chris’s wedding photography | Cornhill House | Lanarkshire
Sunday, March 13th, 2011Leigh and Chris met when they decided to take part in Camp America during Leigh’s third year of university. As she told us “I was sent to a children’s summer camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. Chris was the surf instructor and we got together within the first week…he loved my accent! At the end of the summer we weren’t sure if we’d stay together because we lived so far apart but as soon as we were apart we realised how much we missed each other and decided to give it a go…four years later we got engaged!”
Chris proposed to Leigh in Venice, Italy. Leigh said, “ He’d taken me there for my birthday. He proposed on a water taxi between Venice and Murano…I cried, then said yes”.
Leigh and Chris chose Cornhill House because they’d visited it during one of Chris’s visits to Scotland and felt that it “perfectly embodied what we were looking for in a ‘Scottish’ venue…beautiful scenery, and classic decor. We were so glad we chose Cornhill, Mae Fraoli (the owner) was absolutely wonderful, she took care of every detail and I never felt like I had to worry about anything-she totally had it under control.”
Leigh and her bridemaid’s make up was done by Alex from Healing Hands in Lanark. Peter from The Directors Box, also in Lanark did Leigh’s hair.
Leigh told us, “My dress was a Benjamin Roberts dress from Anne Priscilla in Glasgow which I’d seen in a magazine and knew was ‘the one’, I also got my shoes from there. My jewellery came from Mica, also in Glasgow. I wore my grandmothers pearl earrings which now belong to my mother as my something old and borrowed.”
The flowers were done by Floral n’ Hardy in Lanark and the cake was supplied by Special Days.
According to Leigh & Chris, “Our minister Melville Schofield was wonderful and everyone enjoyed our service along with the Cairn String Quartet who played during the ceremony and immediately after.” Leigh told us, “I walked down the aisle to ‘Falling Slowly‘ from the movie ‘Once’ which the string quartet played beautifully…I believe quite a few people cried! We both have a huge love for movies and that one is particularly special to both of us. For our first dance we’d taken classes and had a whole choreographed routine which was so fun to do. I got to live out my ‘Strictly Come Dancing‘ fantasy.”
Chris and Leigh explained that, “We had a ‘modern’ ceilidh, provided by The Tatties. It was amazing! We were so impressed by how much our American guests really got into the spirit of it and gave everything a go. I even managed to dance in my dress…which I never thought I could have! Our favourite moment was probably during the final 12 minute ‘Strip the Willows’ (yes, that’s 12 minutes!) when the band worked in The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’”.
For photography Leigh and Chris chose Archibald Photography because Leigh remembered meeting Mark at a wedding fair quite a few years before when she was working for her Dad. As she told us “his style was exactly what we were looking for, informal and modern but also very beautiful. We were thrilled with our photographs and we both cried when we saw them for the first time.”
“It’s so hard to choose a favourite image”, confessed Leigh, “I love the one of us laughing together in the line-up, to me it really sums up our relationship and how fun the day was but I also love the one of us in front on the Cornhill which we actually have blown up in our living room.”
The best bit of the wedding day for Leigh and Chris was, “having all the people we loved with us. Our relationship has been a crazy ride and the whole visa process for me to live in the US took so long, it was just wonderful to know that it was over and we were finally together for good”.
Chris and Leigh put it simply by telling us it was, “The best day of our lives! Totally cheesy…but absolutely true”.
Vicki and Scott | House for an Art Lover | Wedding Photography Glasgow
Friday, March 11th, 2011Vicki and Scott met at Heriot-Watt University in their final year. Scott proposed when they were back in Scotland for Christmas visiting family. Vicki told us, “ he gave me an advent calendar that year with a present in each pocket (sweets, make up etc). When I opened the present on the 24th, it was a ring! Actually, it was my Mum’s ring borrowed for the day as I always told him never to choose an engagement ring for me! We had been together over 10 years and it was a big surprise!”.
Scott and Vicki chose House for an Art Lover for their ceremony and reception because it was so unique and quite contemporary. Vicki said, “We also loved the fact that we could use a different room in the house for each part of the wedding and that the entire house was ours for the day. It was the perfect venue for us and we can’t wait to go there to visit again next time we are home.”
Vicki’s dress was by Mori Lee and was bought in the Glass Slipper in Dunfermline. Vicki wanted classic, simple, and old style Hollywood glamour, she especially loved the back of it.
Vicki took a limo to the venue organised through Platinum Limo, she said, “that meant I could travel together with all of the bridal party – I’d highly recommend it”.
Vicki has her shoes custom made in Hong Kong where they live. Vicki confessed, “I’m a shoe queen and had to have a pair of shoes that I could wear again. They were a brilliant blue/purple (something ‘blue’). Not sure how I managed to not wear them until the wedding day actually…. I wore my Gran’s pearl necklace as a bracelet (something ‘old’ and ‘borrowed’) and my hair piece and earrings were also from Hong Kong. My earrings had jade in them which is a hugely popular in Hong Kong – we’ve been in Hong Kong for over 6 years now and it was important to include a little of Hong Kong in our day. My lace bolero was made for me in Hoi An, Vietnam when we were on holiday there. I sent Scott to the bar across from the tailors so he wouldn’t see it.”
Vicki’s hair was done by LOX Hair Design in Dunfermline and my make up was done by Gillian at Eclipse Beauty Treatments in Inverkeithing, Vicki said, “ they came to my parents house which was great”. Vicki used Poppy Floral Design. Vicki explained, “I wanted a really simple hand tied bouquet with a pale pink lotus flower in it – it’s a flower I associate so much with my travels in Asia and totally love when it’s in bud form.”
Scott hired his entire kilt outfit from McCalls in Glasgow and chose the Sheriff Muir Jacket with the mandarin collar. He had his shirt tailored in Hong Kong.
Vicki and Scott told us, “ We chose Archibald Photography before we even had a venue or a date for our wedding”. Vicki explained, “ I met Mark at a wedding show and fell in love with his style of photography. Candid shots of your day as it happens, rather than the usual official line up which is not our style at all.” Vicki told us her favourite photograph of the day is the shot of them in the oval room.
They hired their band “Wildcard” through Music for Scotland, “both of which were excellent”, Vicki told us. She further explained, “We were able to go along to a practice session and talk to them to make sure they were right for us. They played songs from pretty much all of our favourite bands mixed with a few golden oldies to keep our parents, aunts and uncles happy! We had a lot of great feedback on the band and they were even happy to let our friend jam with them on the night which was pretty special for us”.
Vicki and Scott’s cake was by Celebration Cakes in Dunoon. They told them what they liked and they made them an “amazing” chocolate cake.
Vicki and Scott said, “The best thing about our day was having all our friends and family from across the world in the same place at the same time”.
Vicki told us, “There was so much potential for things to go wrong. The volcanic ash and constant airline strikes were a bit stressful for us in the lead up to the wedding. Just in the wedding party alone, we had us flying in from Hong Kong, the best man from Shanghai and one of our bridesmaids from Canada. Thankfully, we all made it and everything went perfectly on the day”.
Vicki was piped in to Highland Cathedral and told us, “Our first dance was ‘Even When I’m Sleeping’ chosen by Scott several years before we got married. We were the only people in the room who knew it and the band had learned it especially for the night”.
Vicki and Scott said, “ It was amazing – we want to do it all over again”!
Wedding favours that help others | Contact the Elderly
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011Last year Mark photographed the wedding of Rob and Kirsten at the City Halls in Glasgow followed by a reception at 29 Royal Exchange Square. Kirsten and Rob came up with a novel and very generous idea to replace wedding favours. They decided to donate the money they would have spent to the charity Contact the Elderly.
As Kirsten said “we decided to choose Contact the Elderly as I remembered seeing something about the charity on the BBC Lifeline Appeal a few years before and thinking it was such a great idea. There are so many isolated older people and I know from personal experience how isolated my gran became after my papa died. I also think that charities for older people are probably donated to less than a lot of other charities as unfortunately in our society they’re not as emotive as e.g. children’s or cancer charities.”
The couple had information on each table telling their guests what they had decided to do and Contact the Elderly keyrings were also on the table for guests to take as a reminder.
You can read more about this story on the Contact the Elderly website
Sue and Chris’s Wedding Photography | Lennoxlove House | East Lothian
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011In December 2010, Scotland experienced crazy winter weather – airports were closed and hundreds of motorists were stranded overnight in cars. Sue and Chris’s wedding was scheduled for the 4th of December at the stunning Lennoxlove House. I won’t pretend Mark was not a little concerned about getting to East Lothian with several feet of snow on the ground but we kept in touch with the staff at Lennoxlove and they had done a fantastic job of clearing the grounds and access roads to the house.
Lennoxlove House has recently (and unsurprisingly) retained it’s 5 star status awarded by the Scottish Tourist Board. The house provides luxurious accommodation available for exclusive hire. With gorgeous grounds and beautiful interiors, it’s one of Mark’s favourite wedding venues. Sue and Chris opted for the amazing floral designers, Planet Flowers, to dress the venue. Planet Flowers are always guaranteed to come up with something dramatic and different from the norm – read our feature Planet Flowers here. Charlotte from Heritage Portfolio provided all of the event design for the wedding including linens, glassware, cutlery, menu planning, wines, menu cards etc (apart from flowers, which Planet Flowers executed perfectly). Heritage Portfolio also ran the wedding reception at Lennoxlove House.
Mark has never met a couple who have laughed so much as Sue and Chris on their wedding day – it was completely infectious and the couple, their guests and Mark just giggled all day long. You can see some of our favourite images in the slideshow below (turn down the volume if you are at work!).
Chris and Sue – we have loved being involved in your wedding and can’t wait to produce an amazing album of your favourite images. Mark would also like to say that he loved watching your guests who had never ceilidh danced before making a great attempt!
Venue – Lennoxlove House
Flowers – Planet Flowers
Dress – The Bridal House
Kilt – Slanj Kilts
Band – Reel Time Events
Kirsty and Melvin’s Wedding Photography | Glenskirlie Castle | Central Scotland
Saturday, February 19th, 2011Back in January 2010 when the winter snow was melting fast, Kirsty and Melvin got married at the fabulous Glenskirlie Castle. In the heart of Central Scotland, Glenskirlie Castle is a sumptuous boutique style hotel with a great team of staff who ensure a wedding day runs extremely smoothly.
The snow had turned to a freezing drizzle discouraging anyone from venturing outside but the amazing interior of Glenskirlie Castle meant that Mark was able to provide Kirsty and Melvin with a stunning set of images telling the story of their wedding day. Kirsty looked gorgeous and reminded everyone of a Greek goddess – Melvin looked pretty good too!
Kirsty and Melvin met at work on a management assessment day. Kirsty told us, “Melvin was thrilled when they explained that part of the day would be role playing and replied ‘I’ll be Russell Crowe then!”. After Melvin asking Kirsty’s father in a traditional manner, Melvin proposed to Kirsty on Christmas day.
They chose Glenskirlie because they said, “it was beautiful, the food was amazing, the staff were attentive and the honeymoon suite was stunning!”
Kirsty’s dress was by Ellis Bridals bought in Signature in Glasgow. It was the first one she tried on and she said, “When my bridesmaid shed a tear I knew it was the one for me!” Kirsty’s hair was done by Bensons in Lanark and her make up by Esther. Melvin chose his outfit from Mackenzie Menswear, Glasgow
Kirsty wanted her flowers to tie everything in and the bridesmaids were in red so after one visit to Gifted in Carluke everything was sorted, “no hassle at all”, Kirsty told us. Kirsty and Melvin’s cake was purchased from Marks and Spencer.
Kirsty and Melvin told us they booked “R4. The best band ever!! They did say our wedding was one of the best they had ever played – the dancefloor was jumping all night!”. The couple’s first dance was the Proclaimers ‘I want to spend my life with you!’ Kirsty told us, “It was a jolly, upbeat song and the words were relevant to us”. They also had a magician who was incredible, Mick Magic – he kept the guests entertained during the bands break.
Kirsty told us, “My dad loved Mark’s work when he was searching the internet and then when we came to meet you both we were really impressed with how little time was going to be spent having photos taken – It was my idea of hell spending hours getting photos taken – I loved how natural Marks photos were”.
“I think my favourite picture”, Kirsty told us, “is the picture with my mum and I – we both look really happy!”
Kirsty’s niece also featured in their special day, Kirsty told us, “She played the piano to a lovely piece of music as I walked down the aisle.”
Melvin and I loved every moment but Kirsty confessed that she loved getting ready and feeling pampered in the morning. Both Melvin and Kirsty told us they had experienced, “The Perfect Day.”
Paul and Pamela’s Wedding Photography | Motherwell Cathedral & Dunblane Hydro
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011Paul and Pamela met through a mutual friend at school about 10 years ago. Paul proposed to Pamela in the perfect setting; on top of the Eiffel Tower when they went Christmas Shopping in Paris.
When Pamela was a child she visited Dunblane and it held great memories for her. As they wanted a large venue where their guest could do their own thing, Dunblane Hydro was the perfect setting and as Pamela said “the tall ceilings and the gardens at the venue were a plus”. Motherwell Cathedral provided the dramatic backdrop for their ceremony.
Pamela bought a Suzanne Neville dress from Eleganza Sponza in Glasgow, she worked with the seamstress and added her own details to make it the dress she always dreamed of, Pamela said, “it was simply and classy”. Pamela accompanied the dress with the most sparkly Jimmy Choos she could find, “they were stunning” Pamela said. “they were a great alternative to the usual satin wedding shoe”.
Floral and Hardy in Lanark supplied the orchids in Pamela’s feminine flower bouquet. Pamela confessed to us that “the flowers at the venue were a big expense but what an impact they made”. The following day at lunch Pamela gifted the flowers to all her Aunties. Not forgetting Paul’s button hole which was lovely against his black kilt jacket.
For Mark, Pamela and Paul’s wedding was great to photograph; the weather was stunning and the couple had booked two dramatic venues by choosing Dunblane Hydro and Motherwell Cathedral. Probably the only challenge of the day was coping with just how bright and sunny it was!
Paul wore the Black Island Tartan Kilt, “he wasn’t too sure at first”, Pamela said “but as soon as he tried the whole outfit on he loved it”.
Paul and Pamela told us they chose Archibald Photography as Mark’s style was very relaxed. The couple don’t like having their photographs taken but said “when we came for our preview we couldn’t even remember Mark taking some of the pictures”.
The cars; “I loved our cars”, said Pamela, “we had a Rolls Royce along with two Bentleys” provided by Sinclair Cars in Uddingston. “The drivers were fantastic and kept me very calm”, said Pamela.
Pamela wanted a simple but classy cake, Special Days Cakes in Uddingston made the four tier cake decorated with orchids, “I loved it”, said Pamela and “it all tied in very well”.
The evening entertainment was supplied by Big Night Out Band. They were fantastic and did a mixture of music, “We were on our feet all night”, said Paul and Pamela.
Pamela said “The whole day was amazing from start to finish ……. I loved every minute!!”. Everything went as it should have ……”well actually”, Pamela told us, “Paul decided to tell me that his wedding ring didn’t fit and forgot he was all miked up for the video!”.
Simply put by Paul and Pamela “It was the best day of our lives we just smiled and laughed the whole day. Thanks to Archibald Photography for the memories you have captured from our wonderful day!”
Hannah and David’s motor sports influenced wedding| Eilean Donan Photography
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011In August last year, Mark was up in the Highlands of Scotland to photograph the wedding of Hannah and David at the breathtakingly beautiful location of Eilean Donan Castle. You may have already read the earlier post with landscape shots of Eilean Donan and the amazing changing landscape you view on the journey north through Glencoe.
David and Hannah met at college when they were 18 years old; they were both studying for qualifications in photography. They kept in touch and then got chatting on Facebook in June 2009, 2 months later they got engaged. David proposed to Hannah, just ahead of her doing the same, in the kitchen at their home after they’d been for fish and chips!
They spent a whole day scanning the internet for suitable wedding locations and were just about to give up when Hannah accidentally touched a button on the laptop and a little thumbnail of Eilean Donan appeared at the bottom of the page. They both knew that was the perfect place and were very relieved to find out that they could actually get married there. The wedding day at Eilean Donan turned out to be perfect and everything they had dreamed of.
Hannah’s dress was made by a local lady from Shardlow, called Ruth Keefe. Hannah gave her an idea of the style of dress that she liked and she worked on it until it was absolutely perfect. Hannah chose the style of dress because she very much like chinese dresses and wanted have a dress that was influenced by this style but also had a twist of something slightly fairy tale. Hannah’s shoes were made by Rachel Simpson and she chose them as they were a little more unusual than most mainstream wedding shoes. The jewellery that Hannah chose was made in South Africa buy a very talented artist, Nic Bladen.
Hannah’s mum made and decorated the wedding cake. She has been making and decorating cakes to a high standard for some years and had retired, so it meant a lot to David and Hannah to have one of her beautiful cakes for their wedding.
They chose Archibald Photography because according to Hannah “Mark’s style of photography is unusual and not mainstream in its appearance. His images have far more depth and content than most, which appealed to our artistic natures.”
When asked, Hannah and David chose their favourite images taken on the wedding day to be, firstly the one of them standing, kissing in front of the castle arch doorway and secondly the stig lid image with David grinning!
Hannah and David said, “The whole day was very special but one of our favourite moments would have to be the entrance to ‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac. As we are both very much in to motor sports, it was the perfect surprise for David and made me grin from ear to ear!”
Hannah told us, “Amusingly, David had to give a speech that he really wasn’t expecting. The best man had written a poem which initially seemed to be about David’s love for me, but turned out to be all about his car!”
David and Hannah summarised their day as being, “Scary, incredible, amazing and perfect!”
Lynne & Paul’s Wedding Album | Dunblane Cathedral & Glenbervie House Hotel
Thursday, October 28th, 2010We get to meet and become friends with some great couples in this job. Lynne and Paul were no exception to this and Mark had such a laugh with this pair when he photographed their wedding at Dunblane Cathedral with a reception at Glenbervie House Hotel. We both hope we stay in contact with them and perhaps meet their new puppy, Blue, sometime!
We delivered Lynne and Paul’s leather bound wedding album to them last week and they emailed to say:
“Just a quick mail to let you know that the album arrived this morning and it is fantastic. We’re both so so pleased with it and Lynne is, as I type, on her way up to Kinross to show her mum! ….. Can we say again a massive thank you to both yourself and Mark. It’s been an absolute pleasure dealing with you guys and you’ve made everything so simple and fun, exactly what we knew we’d found when we met you. We are just so proud of the album and will be showing it off to anyone and everyone. If there’s ever anything we can do to help with recommendations, references etc then please, just let us know.”
Awww shucks!
Here’s a slideshow of their finished album:
Heather and Arron’s Wedding | Balbirnie House Hotel | Fife Wedding Photography
Sunday, September 19th, 2010Earlier this year Mark had the pleasure of photographing Heather and Arron’s wedding at the lovely Balbirnie House Hotel, a privately owned luxury country house hotel in Fife.
The couple met when they both finished University and were working in Debenhams in Dundee together. When Heather and Arron were in their last week of a year long travelling stint around the world in 2008, Arron asked Heather to marry him. He surprised her under the Christmas tree at the Rockerfella Centre in New York on bended knee.
Heather and Arron chose Balbirnie House Hotel as they did not want a church wedding being non-religious but didn’t want a registry office. As Heather told us “Balbirnie had a feeling of grandure, nice architecture and was a place for our guests to relax all day. The service was excellent and the food was top class.”
The couple found many of their suppliers online:
- The cake was made by Scrumptious Cakes based in Dundee
- The wedding band was called Athens and Heather says “they were amazing, and we found them on Music for Scotland website”
- A local florist in their hometown of Carnoustie called Olives provided the wedding flowers. Heather mentioned that the florist was “an old family friend so it was a personal touch”
- Heather’s dress was Benjamin Adams from Bows and Bells in Dundee
- Arron’s kilt was from Keith Scott and was made in Rangers tartan.
Heather and Arron also found Archibald Photography with an online search and loved Mark’s images. As Heather told us “they were the look that we wanted for our day and we weren’t disappointed.”
Here are some of our favourites from their day:
Photography to make you smile and remember good times
Sunday, September 5th, 2010As we have been finalising the album from Lynne and Paul’s wedding at Dunblane Cathedral and Glenbervie House Hotel, I was reminded of how much the images from their wedding speeches make us laugh. Mark tells me the speeches were a riot and Lynne and Paul’s reactions make me smile every time I look at them. There’s nothing quite like just pressing the shutter at the right time to capture laughter and emotion. I hope Lynne and Paul will also smile and remember good times when they look at these images in years to come.
Vintage 1920s wedding dress gorgeousness | Fashion Photography
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010Over the past couple of years, we have loved photographing the extensive wedding dress collection of bridal designers, Lindsay Fleming. Their 1920s vintage inspired collection ‘All That Jazz’ has been receiving lots of publicity lately and Lindsay Fleming have been travelling to London to hold appointments with brides to keep up with the high level of interest in their designs.
Recently, one of the images from a shoot of their 1920s vintage style dresses, won Mark the title of Fashion Photographer of the Year at the Scottish Master Photographer Awards. Thought we would just share some of our other favourite images from this photoshoot:
Dresses – Lindsay Fleming
Headpieces – Baba-C Designs
Make-up – Ainsley M
Hair – Volume Hair
Becky and Godfrey’s Wedding Photography | Glenapp Castle | Gorgeous Vera Wang wedding dress
Friday, August 13th, 2010Becky and Godfrey met each other 7 years ago. Becky had just started at GB Airways as cabin crew and Godfrey was First Officer on the day of her first flight. He proposed to her on one knee on the Bow Bridge in Central Park on a surprise trip to Manhattan.
The couple kept every detail of their wedding secret from their 7 guests. All they were told was they were flying into Glasgow. A coach met their guests and transported them to the exclusive Glenapp Castle – at which point the couple could hear their guests gasp. The day started with clay pigeon shooting before the couple got ready for their beautiful ceremony in the intimate Glenapp Church.
In choosing their venue, the couple felt as though they had visited every castle in Scotland and Glenapp Castle was the last venue for them to see before heading back to West Sussex. As Becky told us “It was superior in every respect. Unique in terms of the incredible location and stunning, sympathetic restoration by Graham and Fay it ticked all the boxes for us. It was also the most accessible which was important because one or two of our guests have mobility problems (there is a lift in one of the turrets!) We were very impressed by John Orr’s knowledge, confidence and expertise regarding exclusive use weddings at the castle, and the various options open to us when entertaining our guests. Because we had very few guests this meant we had more choice, we chose to have clay pigeon shooting in the morning (the ceremony was at 3pm) and an interactive falconry display after the ceremony whilst we were with Mark, our photographer. After a fabulous five course wedding breakfast, we finished our special day off with a spectacular fireworks display. All the activities were provided by companies that were recommended to us by John, who took care of all the arrangements. Glenapp only recommend suppliers/companies who’ve been to the castle many times before and consistently do a great job.”
Becky’s dress was by Vera Wang found in the Wedding Shop at Selfridges. It was an ivory v-neck bias cut sheath dress of satin back crepe, with picot edged drapes and jewelled straps. Becky saw it on the hanger and got very excited, when she tried it on she jumped up and down! As she told us “I ordered one there and then, who wouldn’t? Kiko, the very kind and warm gentleman who fitted my gown, made me feel ten feet tall. I knew it was the one, a vintage circa 1930s/40s design and not the typical princess cut. I was looking at dresses with a very specific idea of what I wanted, luckily found it after trying on only two dresses elsewhere.”
Becky also had a very long veil of ivory silk tulle which also came from Vera Wang. Becky said “I wanted to be quite old fashioned with the veil so I wore the blush over my face, which my dad then lifted at the altar. The length of the veil only added to the shape of the dress. I had a small crystal and pearl comb in my hair (which was in a low bun) that complimented the jewelled straps on the dress. My shoes were dove grey/ silver satin round toe court shoes from LK Bennett. I think the heels were approx three inches. Beautiful!”
Becky did her own makeup as she wanted to look like herself and her hairdresser Jeanna Hyslop (recommended by Glenapp Castle) did a beautiful job of her hair – a low bun with a little softness and body.
Becky travelled to the wedding ceremony in a vintage 1954 Riley which is owned and has been lovingly restored by Graham Cowan (one of the owners of Glenapp Castle)
Sam Murdoch is the florist for Glenapp Castle and he did all the couple’s floral arrangements. The couple had a theme of the same blooms in all the decorations, shades of purple/blue, small white roses and thistles. Becky’s bouquet also included some loops of Douglas Modern tartan ribbon interspersed among the blooms to match the groom’s kilt and plaid. The ladies all had corsages featuring a white rose and a purple spray flower. The men’s buttonholes featured a thistle, the purple spray and a little greenery. Godfrey and Becky had only seven guests so this was a nice touch.
Becky and her Dad were piped into Glenapp Church by a piper playing Highland Cathedral and according to Becky “there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That piece of music always makes me feel quite emotional and hearing it on the bagpipes is just a little bit of magic.”
Godfrey looked incredibly handsome on the day and wore a gorgeous Douglas Modern tartan kilt and plaid with a navy blue Prince Charlie jacket, black dress sporran, finished with a decorative plaid brooch, kilt pin and a ‘sgian dubh’ (Scottish ceremonial knife). Godfrey’s best man wore the same kilt without the shoulder plaid.
We asked the couple why they chose Archibald Photography. “We felt that Mark’s work had a superior quality to it, we researched many other wedding photographers and their work but kept coming back to Archibald Photography. Mark was the only one we both agreed on. Godfrey and I both liked the inclusion of elements of architecture and the story-telling style of his work. Godfrey also had the opportunity to travel up to Scotland and meet Mark a few weeks beforehand, they got on very well. When I met him on the day of the wedding, he helped me to feel at ease very quickly and comfortable in front of the camera. I felt like a model for the day!”
Becky made the most stunning bride – elegant, serene and wholly beautiful. Her choice of this 1940s vintage inspired Vera Wang gown was perfect – how gorgeous does she look?
The best bit for Becky was that the day was “all about us, and a celebration of everything we’ve been through together in the seven years we’ve known each other. Aside from a couple of minor deviations from the plans, it was the most wonderful, emotional and fun day.” For Godfrey, it was when he saw Becky walking down the aisle.
The couple’s cake came from Sugar and Spice and according to Becky was “very delicious”. Becky chose their ‘Highland Dreams’ design consisting of two tiers, one fruit cake and the other vanilla sponge. They chose this design because the sugar craft was so delicate and intricate. The colours of the flowers can be changed to suit a theme. For favours, the couple chose small pearlised ivory boxes finished with ivory ribbon which were placed on the dinner table filled with the traditional five sugared almonds.
There’s always something unplanned that happens on a wedding day. As Becky recalled “We did some clay pigeon shooting on the morning of the wedding, when it came to my dad’s turn he managed to shoot the machine! Every single clay was broken and the machine had a rather large dent in it. We were all laughing so hard that no-one could speak for several minutes!”
Looking back, Becky would say “it was an incredible day that I will never forget. Plus I got to marry my best pal, how many people can say that.” And her advice to others would be “Take a few moments out to savour the experiences of the day. Just stop and appreciate all the hard work and organisation that has gone into your day because it will go past in a blur.”
Feeling on top of the world | Edinburgh Photography
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010Mark recently met up with Lisa and Robert and took a few relaxed shots of the two of them in advance of their wedding in August at the Royal College of Physicians. The couple chose the location for their pre-wedding shoot as it was a place Rob went to a lot as a boy, but more importantly it was where he proposed!! Robert and Lisa are both from Edinburgh and loved having the stunning view across Edinburgh out as far as across to Fife while still feeling out in the countryside.
Lisa told us she thought the images were “gorgeous”. As added, “the light meant we couldn’t get too many shots across the view of Edinburgh but in amongst the trees was magical, I felt like the fairies that live at the end of the garden.”
Here are some of our favourites:
How to Rock your Frock
Friday, July 9th, 2010Most brides, after their wedding day, have their dress carefully cleaned and then packed away in tissue never to be seen again. Rather than being left with an expensive frock that you only wear once, some couples are choosing to organise a photoshoot where they ‘rock the frock’ or ‘cherish the dress’. The start of a trend called ‘trash the dress’ is credited to John Michael Cooper, a Las Vegas photographer who has been taking what he refers to as ‘antibridal’ images since 2000 and there are entire websites dedicated to brides who opt to ‘trash’ their dresses. To be honest, we’d be kinda horrified if we ‘trashed’ someone’s dress but it’s great fun to get a couple on their own after a wedding day where they are relaxed and not having to worry if their guests are being looked after.
We recently shot a post wedding photoshoot for Lisa and Michael around some of their favourite parts of Ayrshire. The weather on Lisa and Michael’s actual wedding day had been horrendous so this ‘rock the frock’ photoshoot gave them a chance to get some gorgeous relaxed shots of the two of them outdoors with some of their favourite backdrops. As Lisa told us “The photographs took my breath away. I had imagined beautiful pictures by the sea and castle but was blown away by how natural and unique the images were! The colours and textures are incredible – Mark totally captured the magic of the day. We couldn’t ask for more.”
Lisa’s wedding dress was ‘Serena’ by Alan Hannah, hair by Volume Hair and makeup by Looking Good. The images were taken at Culzean Castle and at a local beach location. Here are some of our favourite shots from the shoot:
How to choose a band and entertainment for your wedding day in Scotland
Thursday, June 24th, 2010One of the wedding decisions which gives our couples much food for thought is who to book to provide their evening entertainment on their wedding day. Full on ceilidh? Cheesy disco? Jazz and blues? Or as one of our couples decided on recently Dub Reggae? I thought I would ask some of our recent wedding clients who they opted for, how successful the night was and what advice they would provide to others planning their wedding.
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
