Small and intimate wedding at Stonefield Castle near Tarbert, Scotland

Holly and Josh, whilst visiting Scotland, stumbled upon Stonefield Castle and decided that one day, that’s where they would get married. They invited just 16 of their closest friends and family along for their spectacular wedding day.

Stonefield Castle is surrounded by woodland with paths that take you through fabulous trees that have been there almost a century. Eventually you’ll reach the water where you can walk around what is almost an island.

I arrived at Stonefield Castle on what was a typical Scottish autumnal day, somewhat damp and lots of orange leaves that had been blown from the trees. I joined Holly and her five bridesmaids as they got ready making sure they each looked their best. With Holly in her amazing wedding dress, her dad walked in to see her for the very first time. He was crying, the bridesmaids were crying, I was crying!! What an amazing moment to be a part of.

Lorna from Argyll and Bute Registrars delivered a lovely ceremony before there were drinks, confetti and woodland walks! A mini adventure where we took in the huge trees and that autumnal feel. We returned for the most emotional speeches you’ve ever heard (everyone, including me, where crying again!). Once we had all eaten, there was a little dance by Holly and Josh, surrounded by the people they love most in the world.

And just like that, the most amazing day was over. Lots of memories made and yet another day I’ll never forget.

Here’s some photos from the day for you all to enjoy.

Three Sisters Bake Wedding, Killearn Village Hall

Lauren & Euan’s Wedding Story

Lauren and Euan were incredibly nervous about having their photo taken. So, like most wedding couples I work with, I took them up to Balmaha for an engagement session. It’s the absolute best way to help a couple overcome their anxieties about being in front of the camera. And I’m pleased to say that they felt a lot better after it.

So on to the wedding day, my goodness, what a day they had, perfect weather looking out from Killearn Village Hall towards Loch Lomond, superb. The team at Three Sisters Bake are one of the most helpful wedding teams there is in my experience of working with venues. They just make everything happen seamlessly and Sheena does an incredible job.

Although I’ve photographed lots of weddings at Killearn Village Hall, this was my first time capturing a wedding ceremony within Killearn Kirk, right next door. A beautiful village church in idyllic surroundings was the perfect accompaniment to a wedding reception at Killearn Village Hall.

They day finished with the most spectacular of sunsets casting a warm orange glow on to the building. Due to timings, I had to take Lauren and Euan out just before golden hour with all their guests on the balcony looking over them. The sunset came a bit later.

Here are some images for you to enjoy, scroll to the bottom to find out the team behind Lauren and Euan’s wedding day.

“Thanks so much for sending our wedding gallery through, we’re delighted to receive them! They look great, you’ve captured the day so well!”

— Lauren & Euan

Lauren & Euan’s awesome wedding team:

Venue: Killearn Kirk then Three Sisters Bake, Killearn Village Hall
Second Photographer: Lyall from Lyall Gallacher Photography
Band: Flung Aboot
Cake: Three Sisters Bake
Flowers: Betty Bluebell
Make Up: Marisa Brown Make Up
Hair: The Hair Boutique
Wedding Dress: Sarah Louise Bridal

Royal College of Surgeons Wedding, Edinburgh

Sylvana & Jeremy’s Wedding Story

I remember the first time I met Sylvana and Jeremy, we met for coffee in Edinburgh before exploring the streets for their engagement session. It was a thoroughly enjoyable time and we even got to take a look at the Royal College of Surgeons, my first time shooting there. What a place!

The grandeur of this building is incredible with its long corridors, ornate staircase and huge rooms. The day began in Ten Hill Place across the road from the Royal College of Surgeons. A bright room with a fabulous view over Edinburgh. The square was the perfect setting to walk over to get married too where much hilarity ensued.

A highlight that got everybody talking was at the drinks reception after the ceremony, a traditional steel band as Sylvana’s parents had Trinidadian roots. What a sound that echoed around the place, just incredible!

An amazing day spent with amazing people. Here’s a collection of images for you all to enjoy and if you scroll to the bottom, you’ll see Sylvana and Jeremy’s amazing team of suppliers who had a part to play in their fabulous wedding day. A special thank you goes to Sarah from Fotomaki Photography who was my second photographer for the day.

“You really put us at ease and it was great to meet up with you again. We really had the best day of our lives, thanks for being a part of it and for documenting all the fun!

Thanks for organising all the family for the group shots!”

— Sylvana & Jeremy

Sylvana & Jeremy’s awesome wedding team:

Venue: Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Second Photographer: Sarah from Joy Story
Band: Norman MacKay’s Ceilidh Experience
Cake: 3D Cakes
Flowers: The Stockbridge Flower Company
Celebrant: Catherine Owen from Humanist Society Scotland
Steel Band: Pantasy Steel Band
Make Up: Helen McNeill Bridal Makeup
Bridal Preparation: Ten Hill Place

Sloan's Wedding, Glasgow

Isa & Ross’ Wedding Story

Don’t get me wrong, I love every wedding I photograph. But I do love the small and intimate ones and Isa and Ross’ wedding was just that. The absolute closest people in their lives that they loved very much, together in a cool place to witness them get married. Perfect! Sloan’s just has that lovely warm and intimate vibe about it with lots of little nooks and crannies to explore. Which is good as for Isa and Ross, they relished the opportunity to disappear for a while, just me and them. A breather is always welcome on any wedding day!

The great thing about Sloan’s is that it’s attached to the Argyle Arcade and if you have a quiet word in a certain ear, you can have access to it once the public have gone home and it’s all locked up. Uh huh!

Here’s a hand picked selection of images from Isa and Ross’ wonderful Sloan’s Wedding day for you all to enjoy.

“I got quite emotional when I opened it up. Thanks also for the engagement photo prints and the chocolates (my favourite kind).

We are very grateful for everything that you have done to help make our wedding a very special time.”

— Isa & Ross

Isa & Ross’ Awesome Wedding Team:

Venue: Sloans
Cake: Isa’s mum Susan!!
Flowers: Anne from A&E Flowers
Dress: True Bride
Band: Real Easy
Celebrant: Susan Douglas-Scott
Make-up: Linda Arbuckle
Hair: Lynsey from Love Hair

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!