Ardgowan Estate, Scottish Wedding Venue

Ardgowan Estate is one of the most magical and fascinating places I've ever visited. And it's a stones throw away from where I live! A few months ago I was invited to meet Sir Ludovic Shaw Stewart who gave me a quick tour of the place. It would make the most amazing wedding venue with so much to explore, more details about that right here.

I recently returned with my camera where I was given the freedom to explore. I walked into many of the grand rooms that looked out on to the estate. I was completely in awe of the place as I unearthed many of its hidden treasures that revealed some of its history. I ventured outside and stood at the door to the ruined chapel, imagining the people who once walked in and out of its grand entrance. Through the gardens, across the lawn and through the woodland. Ardgowan Estate has a heartbeat that's ready to come to life again and is about to begin another exciting journey. But right now, explore with me through the collection of images I captured. (oh and if you scroll to the bottom, you can see some aerial footage shot with a drone of the estate, amazing stuff!)

Ardgowan Estate from Ardgowan Estate on Vimeo.

Aerial film by Quantum Altitude Vision

Lifestyle Family Shoot: Harvey & Family, Greenock, Scotland

Having one grandchild in any family is a very special time as was the case with Harvey. Everybody dotes on him, lots of fun is always had with him and all involved are left wondering what on earth did they do before he came along.

I loved my time with Harvey and co and simply watched them all play together. So many smiles and a great opportunity to bring family members together. Harvey was the centre of attention as I’m sure he always is. It was great to float about capturing them playing and laughing. We spent some time indoors and then ventured out into the garden.

Here is a selection of what I captured that day, enjoy!

Three Sisters Bake Wedding Showcase, Killearn Village Hall

For couples planning their wedding, there was only one place to go this weekend, a wedding showcase hosted by Three Sisters Bake at Killearn Village Hall.

Situated in stunning surroundings and overlooking the hills and Loch Lomond in the distance, Killearn is Three Sister’s Bakes’ second cafe. But it’s so much more than that. Adjoining the cafe is the village hall, a blank canvas for you to style however you like for your wedding. And more recently, the newly renovated garden room located directly beneath the cafe allows your guests to mingle and gain access to the lawn.

The wedding showcase was no ordinary wedding show/fair/fayre (delete as appropriate!). It brought together suppliers with a passion for what they do. The result was a relaxed atmosphere with an incredible vibe for people to explore and experience.

Lemonbox Studios came together with Kendrick Blooms and between them they created a little magic which you can see in the images below. It was incredible seeing the ideas they came up with to make a warm and inviting room. 

So take a look through the selection below and imagine your own wedding and what it could look like.

Lemonbox Studios

All the lighting, signage and styling was lovingly created by Laura and Natalie at Lemonbox Studios.

Endrick Blooms

All floral displays by Endrick Blooms and combined with the styling of Lemonbox Studios.

Three Sisters Bake

The most beautiful cake selection lovingly baked by Three Sisters Bake. 

One Big Picture Photography

My bespoke wedding display with hand painted fruit crates and vintage photo stand.

I Love Letters

As well as having every letter in the alphabet, I Love Letters can produce bespoke signs too. 

Three Sisters Bake

Lovely little touches added by Three Sisters Bake to their gin bar.

Go 2 Event Hire

As well as I Love Letters, Go 2 Event Hire also hire vintage games to keep your guests highly entertained on your wedding day.

Three Sisters Bake

This is Three Sister's Bakes' stunning new garden room complete with moveable bar for your guests to mingle.

We all worked really hard to make this event a success. Please go and take a look at everyone who was involved to see more of their work:

Lemonbox Studios - styling, signage and lighting

Endrick Blooms - all floral displays on tables, around lighting and on the entrance stairs

Three Sisters Bake - wedding catering, cakes and venue hire

RPL Weddings - wedding films (they have even filmed aerial footage of Killearn)

Snapdragon - creators of lovely bespoke wedding favours and other interesting things

I Love Letters/Go 2 Event Hire - bringing a room to life and providing entertainment for your guests

Brollybucket - everything you could possibly imagine in an umbrella

Chris Whitehouse Jazz Quartet - create some lovely background ambience

I Am David Laing, Gourock singer songwriter

A bit of a throwback this one. I was incredibly privileged to spend a morning with David Laing, a singer songwriter from Gourock on the west coast of Scotland. We hit the pub early (well, it would have been rude not to), purely for photography reasons of course! After that, we headed up to Cornalees and did some crazy things.

Now, what would make a fantastic Christmas gift is David's brand new album 'Please Don't Mind the Words' which was released in October. Download it on iTunes here. Go and give him a like on Facebook where you can keep up to date with his latest gigs.

Here's a small selection of the images I captured of him. Scroll to the bottom to watch the 'Marmalade' video!

Gillian & Paul's Engagement Shoot

It’s fair to say that Gillian and Paul were a little bit nervous ahead of their engagement shoot. The only way to fix that is of course, coffee and a good old chin wag! So that’s exactly what we did down at Cafe Riva in Inverkip Marina. It had been a while since we had last sat down and talked about the wedding so it was really lovely to be able to talk about all sorts with them again.

After lots of coffee and wedding words, we eventually set out to Inverkip Beach. I wanted to do a mix of on the beach before heading into the woods. Gillian and Paul were amazing, eventually taking to it like ducks to water. I think they had a pretty fab time and so much lovely light in the woods to be had too!

Here is a small selection for you all to enjoy.