Blairquhan Castle: Scotland Wedding Venue, Ayrshire

Every now and again I’ll take some time out to explore new places, just me and my camera. Recently I was invited to Blairquhan Castle in Maybole, Ayrshire and given full access and the freedom to roam. It’s the best way to do it as there’s no time pressures and I can take my time to walk the corridors, explore the basement and stand and admire all the little details.

Blairquhan Castle didn’t disappoint. Standing in the places where servants worked and the Hunter-Blair family once walked, it gave me a chance to lose myself in my imagination. If you want to know a bit more about the history of the castle, you can here.

The main reason for my visit though was to explore all the areas where I would take a wedding couple, both inside and out. The castle is so vast and there’s plenty of spaces to choose from. Then there’s the outside with it’s quaint little courtyard and stable buildings. Taking rustic to the next level. Below are a collection of images I captured which will hopefully give you an insight into what Blairquhan Castle has to offer, especially if you have never been.

Join me at the Blairquhan Castle Wedding Open Day on Sunday 28 October. More details here.

Scotland Wedding: Lochside House Hotel, Ayrshire

I was very excited when Claire and Mick suggested we meet at their wedding venue for their engagement session. Lochside House Hotel didn't disappoint as we looked round the old and the new and explored its shapes and lush green gardens.

It's hard to believe that the morning of Claire and Mick's wedding included heavy relentless rain, a sight that must fill any couple with dread as they look out their window! But in my experience, it's never worth worrying about the weather as in Scotland, it can change so quickly. And change it most definitely did. The afternoon dried up and then into the evening we were blessed with the most idyllic of sunsets at the back of the hotel. Perfect.

Lochside House has an amazing ceremony room with a huge window at one end that overlooks the loch. The light coming in that window is perfect for a ceremony, lighting up everyones faces on the front row. And as far as candids of everybody enjoying themselves, there are so many open spaces for guests to relax and have a drink, both inside and out. And what with the weather drying up, everybody were out on the patio area.

Always a decision made towards the end of a wedding day is whether or not it's worth venturing out for another shoot. With the help of a handy app, I knew exactly where and when the sun would be setting. So I had a quick scout about and worked out a tiny spot where it would be ideal to take Claire and Mick. I had about a 15 minute window of it being that lovely golden light and then the sun disappearing behind the horizon. A quick word with Claire and Mick and I soon had them outside and exactly where I wanted them. What happened next was the most amazing of sunsets. And not only that, a murmaration of starlings was taking place as I willed them to fly over Claire and Mick, they didn't disappoint! And finally, once the sun had disappeared, we were presented with a perfect blue/orange sky with the moon making an appearance. Wow wow wow!

Here's a small selection from Claire and Mick's beautiful wedding day.

The amazing team behind Claire and Mick's Wedding:

Flowers: Murray's Florist
Dress: Anne Priscilla Bridal
Band: Revolution 7
Cake: Sugar and Spice
Event Decor: Cover the Big Day
Videographer: Showreel Media

Scotland Wedding: Lochgreen House Hotel, Ayrshire

When you have an absolutely amazing time with a couple on their engagement session, they're up for pretty much anything on their wedding day and it turns out to be one of the hottest days of the year, you know you're on to a winner!

Laura and Dave were married at St Patrick's Church in Greenock before travelling down to Lochgreen House Hotel in Troon. And it really couldn't have been a nicer day weather wise - pure blue skies, sunshine and temperatures to match.

Laura and Dave were incredibly relaxed, taking their wedding in their stride. The cool cats! Great atmosphere in the morning which carried through the entire day. 

I'm always keen to do something different at a venue so I decided to take them into the woods opposite the hotel building. Of course, I still used the band stand and the venue with its red roof as a back drop is a no brainer really. But it's always nice to try and create something a bit different and we were rewarded with some dappled light shining through the tree canopies, happy days.

Laura and Dave had the most incredible team of people who worked behind the scenes, see the bottom of this post for links and make sure you check them out! For now, here are a selection of images that will tell the story of their amazing day!

The amazing team behind Laura and Dave's wedding:

Second Photographer: Heather Johnston Photography
Band: Daytura
Flowers: Studio Flowers
Videographer: CF Productions
Wedding Dress: Vintage Bridal Couture
Makeup: Ana Inga
Hair: Lana at Cameo Bridal Styling
 

Scotland Wedding: The Barn at Dalduff Farm

This was one of the most delightful weddings to photograph as it combined rustic with pure and simple style! Plus I got to work with lots of my friends from Braw Brides (links at the bottom).

Spending the day with their closest friends and family was the most important thing for Anne and Dave. The sheer effort they went to as well to fill Dalduff with the most intricate details, from signage to things on the tables, they literally thought of everything.

Anne and Dave put their complete trust in me which meant I could be a little creative. I worked out where and when the sun was going to set. To make the most of it, we needed to delay the speeches by 25 minutes. A quick discussion with Anne, Dave and the venue resulted in a fantastic early evening shoot in a barley field. Love it when a plan comes together.

Here is a small selection of images that tell Anne and Dave's Dalduff wedding story! Enjoy.

Some awesome people involved in this wedding who you will want to check out!

Second Photographer: Sarah at Joy Story
Dress: Wendy at Flossy & Dossy
Flowers: Emma at Betty Bluebell
Stationary & leather jacket detailing: Claire at Daisy Bisley
Hair: Gillian at Pin Up Hair Glasgow
Make Up: Cat Robertson
Video: James at Strangeworx
Event Styling: Blue Parrot Company
Venue: Dalduff Farm
Humanist Celebrant: Sandy Geddes

Teaser Slideshow:

Claire & Mick's Engagement Session, Lochside House Hotel

I'd never been to Lochside House Hotel before, so it was lovely to join Claire and Mick for a quick coffee before taking a look around. It doesn't happen too often, but whilst exploring the grounds of Lochside, I also did their engagement session as well as working out a plan for their wedding day.

There was also a wedding on whilst we were there, so there were lots of trying to avoid the wedding couple and their photographer so we didn't get in their shots! What I love about going exploring is discovering the unlikeliest of places to shoot and here was no different.

Here's some images to show you what we got up to.

The slideshow - turn up the volume, sit back, relax and enjoy!