A Scottish Wedding at Ardgowan Estate

A west of Scotland
Stately Home Hideaway

I can count on one hand venues across Scotland that truly deliver from a wedding photography point of view. Ardgowan Estate doesn’t disappoint and is included in that list and should definitely make your shortlist of venues when you come to planning your own wedding.

Below is the kind of thing that I will create for a wedding at Ardgowan Estate. I’ll let the images speak for themselves, but if you’re interested, scroll to the bottom where I’ve selected a few images and explained what I’m looking for and/or how I created the shot.

Some background behind the images

The library

I always try to avoid using flash if I can help it. I moved a big old arm chair to face the huge window here to make the most of the huge amount of natural light. I also switched a lamp on in the background to retain some ambient light. The result is some lovely skin tones.

The stairs

Most photographers have done the big wide shot of the main staircase and why not, it’s spectacular. I wanted to focus on the colours - the stairs, the walls, the bannisters and the light bouncing off the dress, flowers and brides face.

Tree Swing

Who doesn’t love a tree swing?! Located in the beautiful private gardens of the house, this swing was erected by the BBC for the filming of their Agatha Christie drama Ordeal By Innocence. Nice of them to leave it up.

Main Staircase

Probably the shot I’m most proud of. The light in this image travels from three floors up from the sky light dome, illuminating only half of this sofa. It’s all I needed and I was later told by the owner that no other photographer had used that spot.

The walkway

The history of Ardgowan House is so interesting. This was an old covered private walkway for the family to get to their chapel, now in ruins. The windows used to be internal windows! I can’t help but get lost in my thoughts imagining the people who used to walk here.

The bench

A small bench within a cutaway hedge, the perfect place to get lost and have a break from the main wedding, yet only 30 seconds from the main house. The light in this space is so nice too.

So there you go, some insight into the amazing spaces around Ardgowan Estate and I’ve only touched the surface. There are so many places to explore in and around the main house. Fancy joining me for an adventure and immersing yourself in some Scottish history for your wedding day?

It’s worth pointing out that the images you see above where all created by myself with a fantastic small team of people. I wanted to showcase the lovely spaces in and around Ardgowan House that were the complete opposite to the classic look of a stately home. Here’s the team who were part of it.

Venue - Ardgowan Estate

Wedding Blog - Braw Brides

Flowers - Briar Rose Flowers

Wedding Planner - Fin Flükra

Wedding Dress - Flossy & Dossy

Hair/Makeup - Kim Boyd

Grooms Outfit - models own

Jewellery - Fire White Jewellery

Models - Real life couple Jen and Jack, who aren’t even models but did a fantastic job here.

THANK YOU TO ALL INVOLVED!

Scotland Wedding: The Cruin, Loch Lomond

We had the most spectacularly sunny day for Karen and Alan's wedding meaning an outdoor ceremony and a clear view up Loch Lomond over to Ben Lomond. Fabulous.

Once again, lots of my friends from Braw Brides worked tirelessly to make this wedding what it was (links at the bottom).

Karen has an amazing eye for details and she didn't disappoint from her cake to her geometric table centres. The room at The Cruin looked awesome.

I'll never forget the look on Karen's dads face as he walked into the room to see her in her wedding dress for the first time. There were also lots of tears during the ceremony with so many happy emotions, it was just lovely to watch.

Having Karen and Alan place their trust in what I could potentially create for them paid off. During dinner, together with the video guys, we hatched a plan to try and catch the sunset, but it would involve a 10 minute drive. Karen and Alan's response was priceless and went something like this: "Yes that sounds great, but can we just wait for dessert as it tastes amazing"! Well, we couldn't argue with that. Anyway, you'll see the results below, a trip that was very worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy looking through this handful of images and please check out all the awesome suppliers at the bottom.

Now, go and check out these awesome people who created their magic:

Second photographer: Heather Johnston Photography
Videographer: Chas & Gavin from Sole Productions
Flowers: Emma from Betty Bluebell
Cake: Claire Cameron Cakes
Make Up: Cat Robertson
Hair: Lana from Cameo Bridal Styling
Band: Earl Blue & The Sessions
Dress: Point Nouveau

Teaser Slideshow:

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:

Scotland Wedding, St Andrews in the Square, Glasgow

After a week of gale force winds and torrential rain, Saturday's weather with its blue skies and sunshine was very welcome. Lynsey and Colin were married at the stunning St Andrews in the Square, a perfect location for a wee walkabout in the afternoon too around the streets of Merchant City in Glasgow.

They both kept telling me how much better they felt about being photographed on their wedding day, which was just lovely to hear. They were so relaxed and the whole day was just lovely, amazing to be a part of it.

So without further ado, here is a small sneak peek from throughout the day for you all to enjoy.

Scotland Wedding Elopement, Luss, Loch Lomond

As far as elopements go, this was a belter! Since 2008, Cheryl and David have been visiting Scotland all the way from Australia and taking tours with Craig from Mini Tours Scotland. Their ancestors are from Ayrshire and the surrounding areas of Glasgow and so it was befitting that they chose to get married here after being together for over 20 years.

Cheryl's mum also flew over to give Cheryl away. With just the four of them, myself and the celebrant, they were married at the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel in Luss. After the wedding, we all had lunch together due to the heavy showers outside. We then went for a walk around Luss taking photos along the way before returning for coffee. The perfect day spent with amazing people.

Here is a little sneak peek for you all to enjoy.