I always like to arrive extra early at a wedding so I can check all the locations I’m thinking of using on the day. Although we had a lovely winter’s day for Ella and John’s wedding at Boclair House, it did present a few problems which I need to work out.

Frosty Day

The first of these was that although we had sun and lovely blue skies, it was also very frosty with ice on the front steps leading up to Boclair House. This is a brilliant location for a big group photo, which Ella and John wanted but it was far too icy for all their wedding guests. As it was a bit of a safety concern so I asked the staff at Boclair House if they could put some salt down on the steps so we could use it for photos, which they kindly did. I should add that the main driveway and the steps at the front of the hotel entrance all had salt put down earlier but the stairs down to the wedding pagoda weren’t essential for access which is why they probably had’t been included.

The other technical issue I had to work out was the very low sun at the beginning of January. This meant that is was very likely to shine right in people’s faces causing them to squint very badly, so I had to work out which angles I could use in order to avoid this.

Ella and John didn’t want any bridal or groom prep but there was time for a few shots of Ella in her dress along with shots of her Mum and Dad and bridesmaids in the bridal suite before they went down for the ceremony.

Embracing The Imperfections!

Ella and John’s ceremony had some lovely moments, including both their Mum’s lighting candles together (something which I remember from my own wedding) and Ella and John then using these to light the middle candle thus representing the joining of the two families. As it happened, both their Mum’s lit the middle candle by mistake, so when it came to Ella and John’s turn to light it, it was already lit! They happily laughed it off though, blew it out and then lit it again as planned. These moments are lovely to have at weddings but it’s a good idea to not take them too seriously or get too worked up about everything going to plan. It just makes the day more fun if you embrace the imperfections!

Naval Arch

After the ceremony it was time for the big group photo on the steps outside but before that there was one little extra thing to add. As John is in the Royal Navy, some of his military friends decided to do a sword arch with their military swords. I’d never photographed one of these before so I had a quick chat with them before they did it so I knew where to stand and capture it.

It’s Cold Outside!

As it was very cold outside, we decided to do the family shots inside in front of the Xmas tree. This made in much easier to organise everyone as well as keep them warm! As it was so cold outside, I didn’t want to have Ella and John outside for longer than necessary, so I let them mingle with their guests for a while so I could check the outside locations again. I often ask couples to walk along hand in hand but as it was so icy and slippy on the grass I didn’t feel this was safe, so I asked Ella and John to stand with Boclair House and the Pagoda as a background and encouraged them to enjoy the moment while I took some shots.

Everything had gone very smoothly which meant that there was plenty of time to take candid shots of Ella and John and their guests during the drinks reception. The speeches were very entertaining, particularly the best man’s speech. I always enjoy capturing everyone’s expressions at this point in the day.

Evening Shots

During a winter wedding, it’s too dark after the meal to do evening shots using natural light, so I often do a few staged ones which can be fun to do. As a wedding venue Boclair House is particularly good for this type of wedding photography as the lit arches and tower at the front of the house make for a great background.

After that is was Ella and John’s first dance with an amazing band which was a perfect end to the day!

Please see below a wider selection of Ella and John’s wedding photography at Glasgow wedding venue Boclair House Hotel. For a full day wedding without bridal prep I usually produce about 400 photos. I’ve edited these for you to make them easier to view.