Lynhurst Hotel Wedding - Caleih and Douglas

This was my first Lynhurst Hotel Wedding for many years. When I shot weddings in Paisley this was a venue I came to quite a lot and in the intervening years the hotel has had a major refurbishment and it looks terrific ! As did Caleih, a beautiful bride who has two key loves in her life Shadow her dog and Dougie her (now) husband. It stood to reason that dog lover Caleihs pride and joy would be at the wedding. Caleih looked so elegant and I have to say that this wedding was just a lovely experience all round. Not just because of the couple but because their whole wedding was filled with warm wishes from all their friends and family who helped 'make the day'



After a couple of group shots inside the Lynhurst we explored the gardens and lots more of the indoor space. There was lots of lovely areas both inside and outside the hotel. It's a venue I hope to work at again soon. As for the couple themselves. I honestly didn't think I would get half the shots that I did never mind that last shot above with Caleih and Dougie. What I havent mentioned so far is that Caleih is very very camera-shy. I know that on the day she never really felt at ease getting as much attention as she did but I am sure you will agree that the resulting photographs are beautiful.

Loch Lomond Wedding (Cameron House) - Claire and Ian

Loch Lomond Wedding

Claire and Ian's wedding on Loch Lomond was a crazy day and lots of fun. It was an intimate affair with both the bride and groom getting ready at Cameron House, before making their way down to the marina and climbing aboard the Silver Dolphin boat. Once on board we sailed up to a lovely quiet spot on the Loch for the ceremony to take place.







Claire and Ian had come over from Ireland to enjoy some wonderful Scottish scenery and sunshine. As you can probably see from the pictures this couple were a brilliant laugh and the 'craic' was flowing all day. Relaxed, personal and more fun that it probably should have been. The perfect Loch Lomond Wedding !

Cameron House Wedding - Shelly and Ryan

Cameron House Wedding

What can I say about Shelly and Ryans Cameron House Wedding. Intimate, classy, personal, an amazing dress, fantastic views, great banter and all with two of the nicest people you could ever meet.

Ryan and Shelly had come down from Aberdeenshire to marry on Loch Lomond and Cameron House was the obvious choice for their wedding. With its great views, amazing architecture and fantastic service its hard to beat, especially for more intimate weddings like this. We started off in Shelly's room as the finishing touches were applied and caught some beautiful shots of her before we made our way downstairs to the ceremony. With a bridal party of 30 ish it meant that the couple married in the Morning Room of Cameron House, held their drinks reception in the library, popped outside for pictures and then returned to the Morning Room for dinner.



 

We also got the very rare chance to take the couple out onto the jetty, now the permanent home to the sea plane, thanks to the generosity of the seaplane staff. They granted us permission to grab a few shots there while the plane was out on a tour. As you can see - the weather was perfect (for a photographer). Calm, still and offering us beautiful light. It really was just a lovely day and one which Gillian and I really enjoyed and look back on with great fondness.
Even better was last week while shooting at Cameron House, who did we run into? Ryan and Shelly celebrating their first anniversary ! It was fantastic to see them both again. I couldn't believe a year had passed since the pictures above but the couple looked exactly the same (minus the formal attire obviously). Running into them was like running into a couple of old friends. Congratulations Ryan and Shelly, one of our favouate weddings of all time.

Cameron House Wedding - Tawny and Shawn

Cameron House Wedding

Wow, just look at this Cameron House wedding !!! And just look at one of the most amazing wedding dresses you will see this year. So bold, so dazzling yet so completely appropriate to such a beautiful bride.

I have said before that I dont want to pick out favourites on my blog but this for me was possibly dress of the year. Possibly couple of the year as well ! Amazing considering the first time I met US couple Tawny and Shawn was on the day of the wedding. There are some people you just immediately hit it off with and these guys, and for that matter their guests too, were just brilliant.







Too often on this blog I will mention how the Scottish weather lets a destination wedding down - not this day . It was a sublime day on the banks of Loch Lomond and I was thrilled. This couple had come to Scotland to get married from California. Of course I told them there weather was always like this at Cameron House and that Scotland's climate was pretty similar to that of California anyway (aye right!!) We had a lovely little civil ceremony, drinks, fantastic pictures with some terrific laughs and then to top it off the bride surprised the groom with a sea plane trip that evening. I was so relaxed that I sat and enjoyed the company of the guests for a few hours before I made my own way home.

One of the best days..........

Wedding at The Cruin, Loch Lomond - Victoria & Gordon

Wedding at The Cruin Loch Lomond

Still a Loch Lomond wedding but this time a wedding at The Cruin Loch Lomond with Victoria and Gordon. I am really lucky in my job that there are so many nice couples with whom I actually enjoy their company and Victoria and Gordon fall into that category. Starting off at the lovely Auchenheglish lodges we then made our way again to Luss Church before making our way to The Cruin. Despite visiting the same church twice in the space of 2 days we ended up with a completely different set of shots than that of Kirsty and Thomas!





Then it was onto The Cruin and one of the funniest moments of 2012 as we risked life and limb on the somewhat choppy waters of Loch Lomond to get onto the small pier at the Cruin, for those iconic shots of the couple on Loch Lomond. Honestly, the bridesmaids face setting foot onto the pier ........ Anyway. I am delighted to report that on delivery of Victoria and Gordons wedding album they gave me news of another delivery on the way soon. Our heartiest congratulations to them both, we are genuinely delighted for them!!

A Cruin Wedding, Loch Lomond - Kirsty and Kelvin

A Cruin Wedding, Loch Lomond - Kirsty and Kelvin

Kirsty and Kelvins lovely summery Cruin wedding, Loch Lomond has already popped up a few times on the blog already and been featured on the We Fell in Love Scottish wedding blog. However here it is again in all its glory. What you possibly already knew was that Kelvin is a marine and Kirsty was a little late (see Rev Ian Miller picture) however you may not have seen the bouncy castle, vintage bus (with real vintage bus tickets!) and the fantastic acid coloured wedding cake, complete with mini Kirsty (Barbie) and mini Kelvin (Action Man)



 

It was such a lovely day. When the sun comes out on Loch Lomond it really is hard to beat for scenery and atmosphere. The final word on the day goes to Kirsty who has great advice for all brides and grooms to be -

"Just relax don’t worry about all the small things they don’t matter on the day… remember why you are doing it." and when it comes to the pictures

"Thank you so much for being really great it was such a great experience and your work was fantastic! I can't thank you enough or be more happy with my album and photos"

With many couples coming into the Loch Lomond area to get married there is a fantastic resource available. Weddings at Loch Lomond is a fantastic directory service listing only professional services from wedding suppliers ONLY based in the Loch Lomond area. From Fireworks to Flowers - Pipers to (obviously) Photographers. Well worth a look even if your wedding isnt at Loch Lomond!!

 

Piperdam Wedding - Ian Andrew & Lisa

Piperdam Wedding

Again, this week we turn the blog over to the bride to fill you in on her big day. Take it away Lisa.....

WHERE WAS IT & WHY ? : We got married in St Marnoch's Church in Fowlis which is a small, 16th century building with private gardens... the perfect location for our wedding ceremony. Our cousin, Rev Greg Macdonald conducted the ceremony which added an extra special touch to our day and my friend, Ruth did a super job of piping me into the church.

When looking and deciding on our venue - We considered many types; including a converted barn, castle, and country house but we both agreed that Piperdam, Dundee was perfect for us! The big wooden effect, reception room is a great size and the dance floor was perfect for all the ceilidh dancing to the music from our band,  Torridon.   Our first dance, which was beautifully sang by our close friend, Sinead Cunningham, is a moment we will treasure forever. Piperdam's relaxed setting gave us the opportunity to bring our families and friends together, before and after the wedding day, staying in the on-site lodges.

THEME OR STYLE: Blue was the main theme for our day - with the bridesmaids and accesories this colour - nothing to do with a particular football team.. ahem! (not Stranraer Football Club).

BRIDE’S DRESS : Bought from Bridal Studios, Glasgow.  I went shopping for this dress with my mum, sister and niece. I must have tried on over 30 dresses.  However, the last dress that I tried on was from the Veromia collection, it is an a-line with side flare which is laced up the back. I wasn't 100% sure that I had chose the right dress - but at my final fitting - I was delighted at how it looked- no need for any adjustments - I knew I had picked the right dress - I do love my dress - but it's now safely packed away for our future little Afrins who may want to wear it at their special day!

JEWELLERY/ACCESSORIES: The jewellery was bought from Debenhams - the collection was from Jon Richard - simple, inexpensive, yet timeless!  I bought my tiara from Frasers Bridal Studio, Glasgow - I didn't want it to be too big or glitzy as my dress had a lot of 'bling' detail on it!

HAIR & MAKEUP: I wanted to do my own make-up, but the girls of the Bobbi Brown counter in Glasgow were excellent, offering me many useful tips and hints, especially Emma. However, on the day, my 'beauty expert' friend Lindsey, (www.blush-beauty.me.uk) was on hand to help out!  Hair was done by Emma Kettles, Dundee - Emma was excellent - very professional and what a great job she done!

GROOMS DUTIES? Iain Andrew was brilliant getting lots of things organised throughout the planning process, right up to the wedding day...checking all the final touches were in place and that everything was just right!  Despite the distracting tactic from Andrew (cousin/piper), Craig (best man) and Fat Sams, the night before the wedding, Iain Andrew did an excellent job of the speech!  I'm a lucky lady :)

THE FLOWERS: Flowers by Rosebud, Dundee - hand tied ivory rose bouquet with small diamantees - they were beautiful and they smelled gorgeous!

THE CAKE: Marks and Spencers!

INVITATIONS & STATIONERY: Kullakita Cards (www.kullakitacards.co.uk) made our invitations - this was Iain Andrew's choice after we spotted Emma's work at George Square Wedding Fayre event.  The banner was made by a friend of the family from Stornoway! We made the rest of the stationery ourselves - our creative skills came in handy here and patience, especially for the name place cards which took...forever...but it was totally worth all the effort as they looked fantastic on the tables!

A MEMORABLE MOMENT: When we walked back down the aisle after we were offically husband and wife!  What a great feeling!  We were buzzing with excitment!

FAVOURITE PICTURE?: We love so many of the photos - it would be too difficult to choose... probably any of the ones taken at the church!

Well we argree with Lisa, the shots at the church are lovely - this is our favourite shot from the day as Lisa has a chuckle to herself -

WHERE WAS IT & WHY ?: We got married in St Marnoch's Church in Fowlis which is a small, 16th century building with private gardens... the perfect location for our wedding ceremony. Our cousin, Rev Greg Macdonald conducted the ceremony which added an extra special touch to our day and my friend, Ruth did a super job of piping me into the church.

When looking and deciding on our venue - We considered many types; including a converted barn, castle, and country house but we both agreed that Piperdam, Dundee was perfect for us! The big wooden effect, reception room is a great size and the dance floor was perfect for all the ceilidh dancing to the music from our band,  Torridon.   Our first dance, which was beautifully sang by our close friend, Sinead Cunningham, is a moment we will treasure forever. Piperdam's relaxed setting gave us the opportunity to bring our families and friends together, before and after the wedding day, staying in the on-site lodges.   The Vegas Lodge was fantastic, as we continued our celebrations with our family and friends the next day... great food, quality whiskey, Kopparberg, Let's Dance, Jacuzzi and many other special moments!

THEME OR STYLE:  Blue was the main theme for our day - with the bridesmaids and accesories this colour - nothing to do with a particular football team.. ahem! (not Stranraer Football Club).

BRIDE’S DRESS : Bought from Bridal Studios, Glasgow.  I went shopping for this dress with my mum, sister and niece. I must have tried on over 30 dresses.  However, the last dress that I tried on was from the Veromia collection, it is an a-line with side flare which is laced up the back. I wasn't 100% sure that I had chose the right dress - but at my final fitting - I was delighted at how it looked- no need for any adjustments - I knew I had picked the right dress - I do love my dress - but it's now safely packed away for our future little Afrins who may want to wear it at their special day!

JEWELLERY/ACCESSORIES:  The jewellery was bought from Debenhams - the collection was from Jon Richard - simple, inexpensive, yet timeless!  I bought my tiara from Frasers Bridal Studio, Glasgow - I didn't want it to be too big or glitzy as my dress had a lot of 'bling' detail on it!

HAIR & MAKEUP: I wanted to do my own make-up, but the girls of the Bobbi Brown counter in Glasgow were excellent, offering me many useful tips and hints, especially Emma. However, on the day, my 'beauty expert' friend Lindsey, (www.blush-beauty.me.uk) was on hand to help out!  Hair was done by Emma Kettles, Dundee - Emma was excellent - very professional and what a great job she done!

GROOMS DUTIES? Iain Andrew was brilliant getting lots of things organised throughout the planning process, right up to the wedding day...checking all the final touches were in place and that everything was just right!  Despite the distracting tactic from Andrew (cousin/piper), Craig (best man) and Fat Sams, the night before the wedding, Iain Andrew did an excellent job of the speech!  I'm a lucky lady :)

THE FLOWERS: Flowers by Rosebud, Dundee - hand tied ivory rose bouquet with small diamantees - they were beautiful and they smelled gorgeous!

THE CAKE: Marks and Spencers!

INVITATIONS & STATIONERY: Kullakita Cards (www.kullakitacards.co.uk) made our invitations - this was Iain Andrew's choice after we spotted Emma's work at George Square Wedding Fayre event.  The banner was made by a friend of the family from Stornoway! We made the rest of the stationery ourselves - our creative skills came in handy here and patience, especially for the name place cards which took...forever...but it was totally worth all the effort as they looked fantastic on the tables!


THE HONEYMOON: Private Villa in Lanzarote for 2 weeks - great way to relax and unwind... its a shame that a speeding ticket arrived 4months later... oops!

A MEMORABLE MOMENT:  When we walked back down the aisle after we were offically husband and wife!  What a great feeling!  We were buzzing with excitment!

FAVOURITE PICTURE?: We love so many of the photos - it would be too difficult to choose... probably any of the ones taken at the church!