Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

When I met up with Claire and Kelly to chat about the photography for the day, they had a few requests, one of which was to have a shot of all their wedding guests taken in the shape of a heart using a drone. I often do large group photos but one in the shape of a heart was something I hadn’t done before. When I’m planning the photography for a wedding, one of the most important things is to make sure the day flows naturally, especially when photographing large groups, as you don’t want everyone hanging around for a long time when they want to have a drink and catch up with friends and family. I therefore thought the quickest and easiest way to do this would be to trace the outline of a heart with some small cones and then ask everyone to stand within these. That way, I wouldn’t have to use up valuable time trying to move people around into the shape of a heart!

The day started with me planning the best place where this could be done. Taking into account the direction of the sun, I laid out some cones and did a test with my drone before heading back into the hotel to photograph Claire and Kelly getting ready. I always enjoy this part of the day as you always get some nice expressions when people are chatting and looking forward to the day ahead. It was also good opportunity to get some shots of Claire and Kelly in their dresses.

All You Need is Love

The original plan had been to hold the wedding ceremony inside but the weather was so good Claire and Kelly decided to have it outside instead. I’ve photographed a lot of outside weddings before but this was the first time all the guests were asked to sing All You Need Is Love while accompanied by a string quartet. As well as being one of my favourite songs, it was also a perfect way to celebrate Claire and Kelly’s marriage and get everyone in the mood for the rest of the day.

After the ceremony, everyone headed over to the lawns for a the big group shot in the shape of a heart. Thankfully, all the planning had worked out and everyone was in place very quickly. After a few family shots it was time to spend a little time with Claire and Kelly together.

Good Day Sunshine

Although, bright sunny days are what most people tend to dream of on a wedding day, they do present a few extra challenges to wedding photographers, which is why I always plan for this when I do my location recce. The most important thing is shade or the ability to take shot sin such a way that either you don’t get people squinting at the camera or get lots of lens flare. When I did my recce I saw the potential of the driveway leading up to Glenbervie House. As well as offering a nice backdrop for photos, it offered perfect shade. Claire and Kelly were very natural together and didn’t need much direction, so I just encouraged them to enjoy the moment and be themselves while I took some shots.

All Together Now

As well as the group shot and singing All You Need is Love, another unique thing about Claire and Kelly’s wedding was the table dash before the speeches. The idea behind this is that you quickly dash round all your guests’ tables and have a quick photo taken with each one while a particular song is played. You need to do this before the song ends which is about 3 minutes! I often take shots of groups of guests at a wedding but this was a great way to make sure you had a shot with absolutely everyone there. There isn’t any time to arrange the shots, so they are very much quick snaps but it is quite a fun thing for everyone to take part in.

Golden Slumbers

After the meal I popped outside to check on the weather and saw that there was some lovely soft evening light coming across the golf course at the side of Glenbervie House, so I suggested to Claire and Kelly that we popped out for a few more shots. I was already very pleased with the shots I’d taken earlier in the day but these ones just topped if for me. Claire and Kelly looked great together and the lighting was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Please see below a selection of photos from Claire and Kelly’s wedding. For a full day you’d usually receive between 500 and 600 shots. These have been edited down to about 150 make them quicker to view.