The blog of award winning scottish photographers, Archibald Photography. Real life wedding photography stories and recommended suppliers from weddings in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Scotland and destinations overseas.
Back 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.”
Most 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:
We’ve received some lovely emails and comments in the last few days thanking us for our work. We do love what we do! Here’s a few to share with you:
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?
If you are planning your wedding and are looking for amazing flowers, I would say look no further than Planet Flowers. We love when our couples have chosen to work with Planet Flowers because you can be guaranteed that their floral art will be dramatic, classy or a little different from the norm.
Planet Flowers are a mother and daughter team who have always had flowers in their lives. Mum Rachel had been involved with flowers from a young age as her father was a keen gardener which progressed to her training in flower shops in Australia. Gemma, her daughter, always went along with her Mum to work and so it seemed like a natural progression to also start working in the flower business. After Gemma left school, she trained in Holland and received a Dutch Masters Diploma in floral art and shortly after began work with her Mum, Rachel.
Planet Flowers has now been trading for just over 12 years. After Rachel gained a wealth of experience managing flower shops over 25 years, she decided to start an Event Floristry business that would specialise in event, wedding and hospitality flowers only. Planet Flowers offers a team of highly trained florists that strive to deliver the highest quality of flowers and design without compromising traditional floristry skills. As Gemma told me “We think outside the box and constantly try to inspire our clients to move on with floral design and try something different. We want each and every wedding to have a different look and feel. Each wedding should be unique to each bride and groom – it is their special day so the flower design should be designed just for them. No matter whether it is designing or executing the design we are passionate about our work and we think this shows through to our clients.”
I wondered what their favourite arrangement or event had been. Gemma said “This is such a hard question! There are so many memorable events for all different reasons! One of the most amazing experiences was designing and executing a wedding at Hotel de Paris, Monaco back in 2008. It was a lifetime experience that we will never forget. More recently we designed the flowers for a wedding at the stunning venue Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh. It was a truly magnificent wedding – it was such a modern, sleek design. For the last five years we have also supplied the flowers for the Queens Summer Party at Holyrood Palace – which we are very proud about – sadly we have never seen a Corgi in the grounds… maybe this year!”
So what do Planet Flowers foresee for the next few years? They plan on continuing to provide the very best in Event and Corporate floristry. They would also love to continue traveling further afield to experience the rewards of tackling the most challenging work. Check out some of their stunning designs on their blog.
One of our favourite couples from last year (Jen and Derek) chose Planet Flowers to provide gorgeous arrangements on their wedding day.
Rosa and Barry met whilst on holiday in Mailia in 2002. Barry proposed to Rosa on 22nd December 2007 having booked for a surprise overnight stay at the Glasshouse Hotel in Edinburgh. Barry ended up popping the question in the honesty bar at the hotel – after two ‘failed’ attempts at asking Rosa earlier in the day! The couple were sat on a sofa and Barry lent down (Rosa thought he was tying his shoe lace) & the next thing she knew he was on one knee in front of her!
Barry and Rosa looked at quite a few venues before picking Glenbervie House Hotel (a 5 star luxury hotel in Larbert, Central Scotland) but as soon as they drove up the driveway, they both knew it was perfect. They loved the fact that you get exclusive use of the house which they said “makes it that bit more special!”. They felt the service at Glenbervie House was brilliant throughout the run up to the wedding and on the actual day of the wedding. Rosa told us “the staff at the venue made sure the day flowed perfectly which allowed me to just enjoy it without worrying about what needed to be done or what was happening next”.
Rosa’s dress was bought from a small independent bridal shop in West Yorkshire called Perfect Daze. As Rosa told us “I originally tried the dress on about a year and a half before the wedding and nothing I saw after that would compare! When I went back to Perfect Daze to order the dress, I was told that the designer, Catherine Jane had gone into receivership and therefore I wouldn’t be able to get the dress. Emma (the owner of Perfect Daze) saw how upset I was and managed to get a final one off made for me! I love everything about my dress and I’m so sad I’ll never get to wear it again!”
Rosa’s veil and tiara were her ‘something borrowed’ (from a friend) and her Mum and Dad bought her jewellery for her, which matched her tiara really well. Rosa’s shoes were ivory pointed toes with a low heel and she got them from the Westend Wedding Boutique in Glasgow.
Millennium Hair Design in Wishaw did Rosa and her bridesmaids’ hair and Rosa commented “the girls in there were fab”. Rosa’s make-up was done locally to the Glenbervie at Airth Castle Spa.
Flowers were provided by Alison’s Flowers in Stonehouse. Rosa chose neutral (ivory & white) flowers to to work with their chosen colour scheme at Glenbervie House. Roses and white thistles were the main flowers used to connect the Yorkshire and Scottish backgrounds of the couple. Their cake was made by Barry’s old Home Economics teacher.
Kilts were from Kilt Pin in Falkirk who won Best Groomswear Company 2009 at the recent VOWS Awards.
For entertainment in the evening, the couple had a band called Red Hot Poker Band. Rosa told us that “everyone commented on how good the band were in the days and weeks after the wedding – its was a brilliant night”. The couple’s first dance was ‘Rhythms del Mundo’ – a cuban mix of Jack Johnson’s ‘Better Together’ because as Rosa pointed out “it is better when we’re together!!”
Rosa also spoke very highly of John McIntyres in Glasgow where the couple purchased their rings. Rosa told us that “the service was brilliant. When you purchase your wedding ring’s there you get 10% discount on any further purchases, which is good for bridesmaids gifts and jewellery. I would recommend them to everyone!”
I was interested to find out why Barry and Rosa had chosen Archibald Photography as their photographers. Rosa said “I first saw your photographs when I searched for wedding photographers online and I knew Marks images were just the style we wanted. After visiting your studio and meeting you both we were certain that you would produce the type/style of album we wanted. I love the images of Barry and I walking down the drive with the trees behind us. They are just beautiful, I still can’t believe its us in the pictures!”
For Barry and Rosa, the best thing about the day (other than the marriage ceremony) was having all their friends and family together in one place at one time. As Rosa pointed out “it’s not likely to happen again anytime soon and so really does make the day extra special.” Barry sums up the day as “awesome!”
On any wedding day, there is usually something funny that happens or doesn’t go as planned. For Rosa and Barry, it was the cutting of their wedding cake. According to Rosa “we did under estimate how hard it would be to cut the cake – that was quite funny and made some pretty good photos!”
From our point of view, we loved watching the slideshow for the first time with Rosa and Barry. The sequence of images from their speeches had us all in fits of giggles and we hope their images will provide them with a fantastic lasting record of a fabulous day.
Here’s a slideshow of our favourite images from their day (turn off the volume if at work!):
A few weeks ago, Mark was at the wedding of Laura and James for their ceremony at the University of Glasgow Chapel followed by a reception at the stylish 29 Royal Exchange Square. Laura and James met when she was just 17 and James 18 through a friend while at a gig. James proposed to Laura on their 5th anniversary of dating. He hired a suite at the Golf Hotel in St Andrews, which is a place with special meaning to the couple. James proposed with a plastic cat ring on top of a cupcake and they went to pick the real ring the next day!
Laura has a figure to die for and choose a gorgeous vintage style dress by Suzanne Neville. Laura wore Mirabeau by Suzanne Neville, a designer at the forefront of British couture wedding design. Her dresses are well known for their perfectly structured bodices and Laura’s choice of dress had an elegant style reminiscent of vintage French cafe society in the 1950s.
Laura had a vintage style headpiece made for her by William Chambers Millinery who have just been nominated as Accessory Designer of the Year in the Scottish Fashion Awards for the third year running.
Evening Entertainment – Fat Sam’s Band who Laura said “were absolutely fantastic!” As Laura told us “my different groups of friends all bonded over dancing manically to the swing music” Laura and James danced their first dance to ‘Kiss’ by Dean Martin because it “felt just right and had a classic old feel”.
Laura told us that she chose Archibald Photography because “the quality of photographs was very high, I really loved the reportage sort of style, and we both felt really comfortable with Mark and that we clicked with him.”
Laura had many favourite parts of the day. As she told us “I really enjoyed getting ready with the girls in the hotel. My own speech was impromptu and I’m glad I did it. The band were absolutely fantastic and I really enjoyed seeing all my different groups of friends get on really well; here was a really laid back atmosphere all day. We weren’t allowed confetti at the church, but my family surprised us with it as we left the reception at night! I really enjoyed spending a short amount of time alone with James in the car after the ceremony, as it went down Kelvin Way on a sunny day with some champagne and my bridesmaids also surprised me with candles and rose petals in the hotel room at night. Walking down the aisle was so nerve-racking at the rehearsal, but lovely and exciting on the day.”
Laura and James’ day went very much as planned but amusingly, as the car was open topped and the couple had to go through the centre of Glasgow (down Argyle Street and up Queen Street), they got a lot of clapping and cheering. As Laura recalled “one particularly memorable drunk shouted ‘quality’ at us. Then on the way home, the car had to move up the street a bit whilst waiting for us because some drunks tried to get in it – I’d probably pick a more discreet car for going home if I was to change anything! My dress also was completely filthy at the end of the day, but that was OK. I lost my gloves, feather shrug, and one stocking by the end of the night!”
Laura would sum up the whole experience as “just exactly as I had imagined it would be. It was remarkably stress free, and I felt so comfortable leaving Mark alone to do his thing with the photos because I knew they’d be great, and they were. Really lovely and happy.”
Here are some of our favourite images of their day:
In the Autumn of 2009, Mark was at Airth Castle in Falkirk for the wedding of Pamela and Ross.
Ross and Pamela met in a pub in Sauchiehall Street on Christmas Eve which Pamela says is “not the most romantic story I guess!” Pamela told us that Ross would quite frequently tease her by pretending he was going to propose, getting down on one knee and then asking if she’d him the honour of holding his coat while he tied his shoe! So Pamela was surprised after 3 years when he actually did propose when they were on holiday in New York. The couple had a perfect day out on a row boat on Central Park and then Ross took Pamela to Tiffanys and proposed.
They both liked Airth Castle as soon as they saw it and thought that would be the perfect location for their wedding.
The couple had some favourite suppliers on the day including the MC at Airth Castle and the piper from Scotia Pipers. Flowers were provided by Grace Flowers on Byres Road.
Pamela and Ross have lots of favourite images and thought Mark did a really good job of capturing the day. They particularly liked the images of them both immediately after the ceremony, the shots of Pamela’s veil blowing in the wind and all the men in kilts walking across the lawn. The couple chose Archibald Photography because “we liked Mark’s style looking at his previous work. And he came to our flat to visit and show us his work and meet him beforehand which was great.”
In summary, the couple felt they had a “brilliant day”. They were really laid back about it and didn’t try the food or taste the wine or anything until the day but were happy with everything. The only thing Pamela thinks they should have done is learn to dance! She laughed as she told us “that was a bit embarrassing”. Pamela and Ross’s first dance track was You and Me Song by The Wannadies.
Here are some of our favourite images of their wedding:
The weather on this day at the Forest Hills Hotel was very wet. However like most of the couples I photograph this didn’t faze them. They kept dry under their brollies and I took a soaking (but who cares…I’m waterproof).
I’ve photographed at this venue many times and I can honestly say that these were the ideal weather conditions to show the drama of the loch. This photograph is often a favourite when I show it to couples about to tie the knot. Everyone tells you to pray for good weather on your wedding day. I suppose it depends on how you look at it. For me this was good weather because it gave me the light to make a beautiful image. No two days are ever the same in Scotland. What a boon to have the fortune to be a photographer here. This photograph is a moment which could never be replicated. It makes me happy I pressed the shutter when I did.
Last year we photographed the wedding of Jen and Derek with the ceremony at Craigmillar Castle followed by a reception at The George Hotel, Edinburgh. We finalised their album with them at the end of 2009 and I’ve been meaning to share it with you for a while as it’s a bit of a favourite of ours. Jen and Derek opted for an extremely classy leather bound matted album to display their favourite images and emailled us after we delivered it to them to say:
“OMG… the faces all look familiar, but was that really our wedding? Did that really happen, or has Mark got some sort of pixie dust in his camera? Thank you both. Rather enormously. D&J -x-P.S. Looks like we will indeed need a bigger coffee table / house. And I hold you both personally responsible!”
Following their wedding ceremony at the fantastic Craigmillar Castle, Derek had arranged a surprise horse drawn carriage ride for Jen. With a ceremony running very late and no parking seemingly available in the centre of Edinburgh on Easter Sunday, it was looking impossible.
Mark drove Derek & Jen to Arthur’s Seat to meet the carriage, abandoned his car in the Grass Market then ran (according to Derek “like Forrest Gump”) to beat the horse and carriage to the High Street. Stunning urban photography was achieved despite the Easter crowds then Mark managed to beat them to The George Hotel to record their arrival.
This bridal portrait is a favourite of mine on so many different levels. In the chaos of the bridal preparations, it represents an oasis of calm. The light in the room was really quite exquisite, I loved her veil and Lorna was perfectly beautiful.
We were recently commissioned by a guest at a client’s wedding to put together 5 images taken of his baby daughter as a composite frame. This was a surprise gift for his wife.
We offer a service where a list of favourite images can be emailed to us and we will produce a draft layout showing how we would frame the images together. We also offer a choice of different frame mouldings to complement the selection including silver, gold, black, wood and bronze.
With this order, five black and white images were put together in a composite layout as below, framed in a premium silver frame moulding and the finished presentation was couriered down to London:
Composite frame produced from wedding images
Our customer was delighted with the finished result and emailed to say “Thanks for an excellent service”.
We were flattered to find out we were the featured photographer on the Blogs of Photographers this week. Blogs of Photogs is owned by Mary Hanson, of Mary Hanson Photography who reviews the blogs of photographers, what a job! Mary’s review of our site was very complimentary to our site:
“make sure you scroll down a bit to get to the wonderful wedding photography featuring some of the most amazing backdrops (and men in kilts! Love that!) and architecture. Amazing castles and ruins and more… and I love the processing on some of the images, gives them such an otherworldly feel. You can access their portrait work via the top bar links as well, some great stuff here.”
What a lovely email we have just received from Donna & Warren Palacci after they received their A3 Storybook telling the story of their wedding at the Cross Kirk ruin in Peebles earlier this year. Donna and Warren had a totally unique wedding at the Cross Kirk ruin which was founded in 1261. They were blessed with fantastic weather (the gamble paid off since Cross Kirk has no shelter!) and then transferred for a big party to the Memorial Hall in Innerleithen which Donna had painstakingly decorated like a sumptious film set!
“Just received our album and its amazing! We love it, love it, love it. The pictures look even better(if that’s possible) in the album – the design is just superb! Been texting all our friends and family to come and have a look over the weekend. Cried when I saw some of the pictures – it just takes us back to the day like you wouldn’t believe, because the album tells the story so well. Lots of laughing, lots of emotion. Thank you so much to the both of you – the service you provide is second to none! We wish you all the luck for the future and I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon for canvas shots etc when our building site/house is ready for wall pictures.” Donna & Warren Palacci
2007 wedding season is now officially over!The final wedding of last year was another relaxed affair at Biggar Kirk and Cornhill House.What a great time I had with Kirsty and Andrew.One of the perks of my work is that I tend to get people booking me I can imagine as friends.I’ve often wondered why this is.I reckon it must come through in the photography.I think wedding photographs are at their best when they capture people looking like themselves and having a good time.A lot of the wedding photography I look at really bores me because there is no personality in the faces of the bride or groom.A lot of the time it looks like the photographer wishes he was at a fashion event rather than a party.
Kirsty and Andrew had a party and I think that comes through in their piccies.I wish we’d had a bit more time together, but that’s always the way at a winter wedding when the light dies so quickly.The sun will insist on setting early in December!
