The Isle of Arran is one of favourite Scottish Islands. I actually started my career as a photographer there, helping produce photographs for the Ayrshire and Arran tourist brochures many years ago. It’s also somewhere I’ve taken my family on holiday many times, so it was extra special when Caroline and Ross asked me to be the photographer for their wedding at Brodick Castle.

Brodick Castle Wedding

I’d been to Brodick Castle many times as a visitor but not with a view to wedding photography there so  always it was still important to do a recce of a location. Fortunately, when they booked me I was due to go on holiday to the Island so it was a perfect opportunity to have a look round and also meet the wedding co-ordinator.

When their wedding day finally came, the weather couldn’t have been much better. I went over the night before and stayed in a guest house as I didn’t want to risk any problems with the ferries on the day of the wedding itself. This also allowed me to do a further check of the location as I hadn’t been there for 8 months and wanted to see if anything had changed.

As Brodick Castle is a National Trust property and not an hotel, Caroline and Ross where getting ready at the Auchrannie Hotel in Brodick. This also brought back fond memories as it’s where I’d stayed on holiday with the family the year before. After taking candid photographs of Caroline getting ready with her bridesmaids and Ross outside with his best man and groomsmen, I headed up to Brodick Castle for the wedding ceremony.

Walled Garden

The ceremony was being held in the walled gardens at Brodick Castle which had been specially closed off for the wedding. What an amazing location with everyone sat round the fountain. Caroline arrived and was led down the steps from the castle which made for a great entrance. I do love open air weddings and despite the vagaries of the Scottish weather I’ve photographed quite a few.

Afterwards, we did some family groups in the gardens with a lovely view of Arran in the background. I then took Caroline and Ross further into the gardens to take some shots of them together. One particularly interesting feature is the old summer house which was great for photos. After that I let Caroline and Ross mingle with their guests and enjoy the unique location while I took candid shots.

Lucky With The Weather

We were so lucky with the weather. I started to pour with rain just as everyone was gathering for the evening meal and then cleared up again after the meal, so I was able to get some evening shots of them together. Although I’d done a recce and thought about ideas previously, I’m always on the look out for potential shots. Sometimes they don’t present themselves until you seen them in a certain light or time of day. It was then I saw the potential for a unique looking tree which sat just outside the marquee with a view of the Arran hills in the distance. Thinking it would frame Caroline and Ross perfectly, I asked them to stand on the lawn and enjoy the moment while I took some shots. After that it was into the dancing and a perfect end to a perfect day.

Please see below a selection of photos from Caroline and Ross’s wedding. If I photograph the whole day I usually take between 500 and 600 photos. To make these easier to view I’ve reduced them to about 180.