One of the most common questions I’m asked about by couples prior to their wedding is the weather and one thing I’m always able to reassure them with is that having photographed hundreds of weddings, it’s very rare that a day is completely rained off. There’s always a break, especially in Scotland!

Getting Ready

The day started off with Holly getting ready with her bridesmaids in one of the suites at Enterkine. I mainly take natural candid shots during this part of the day but the balcony offered a great opportunity to get a shots of Holly with all her bridesmaids together. At this point is was looking like rain so I suggested we all went outside while the sun was breaking through the clouds.

The Big Reveal

After an hour or so Alex arrived with the best men and the groomsmen, so I started by taking some shots of them walking along outside the hotel which made for some great shots of them together. After that they headed into the whisky snug in the hotel, so I took a few more shots them there before I headed back up to photograph Holly getting ready. By this time she was in her dress and it was time for the big reveal. It was raining outside, so I took a shot of Holly in her dress by the window before her Dad came in to see her. These are always great moments, often with a few happy tears!

Little Moments

The ceremony was held in the wedding barn at Enterkine. This is such a lovely venue for a wedding, with a view of the hills outside. I cover this part of the day candidly, looking out for all the little moments and expressions during the ceremony.  Holy and Alex wanted to have a confetti shower, which we just managed to do before it started pouring down. Thankfully, I’d already planned for this so I set up my lights in the foyer for some family group photos. Enterkine is one of my favourite venues for this as the foyer is a perfect setting for group shots. It’s also separate from the wedding barn so you have plenty of room and it’s easier to bring people over from the reception.

As if by magic!

As if by magic, as soon as we’d finished the group shots, the sun came out so I had great opportunity to take some shots of Holly and Alex together. I’d done a recce previously, so I knew exactly where to go. I’d also used my sun compass to work out exactly where the sun was going to be at any given time so I knew beforehand what backgrounds would work. I always like a couple’s shoot to be as relaxed as possible and just feel like a natural part of the day, so it’s important to have all these technical details worked out in advance.

Holly and Alex were very natural together, so once I’d suggested a background for the photos, my job was just to encourage them to enjoy the moment and be themselves with a little gentle direction.

Here comes the rain again!

Just as we were finishing, it started to rain again! Thankfully, it was time to head back to the reception for the speeches. I always enjoy this part of the day as it’s great for capturing people’s emotions and expressions.

After the reception, I usually like to do some evening shots but as it was still raining outside I had to be creative and use the inside of the hotel. During my recce prior to the wedding, I’d spotted a very striking chair just at the bottom of the stairs which I’d never used before. I thought the best angle was actually looking down on the chair, so I asked Holly and Alex to sit on the chair and kiss each other while I took some shots from above. This turned out to be one of my favourite shots from the wedding.

After that it was onto the cutting of the cake and the evening reception which was quite something. I don’t think I’ve ever seen quite so many people up on the dance floor this early in the evening! It was perfect way to finish a fantastic day.