Yesterday I met Lisa Small and Ally Mackenzie, for a pre wedding shoot in the countryside near Bonar Bridge. It was an abandoned croft house where Lisa’s great grandmother lived until several years ago. It was a trek to get to it, but worth it as it was a very cool place with lots of derelict sheds and buildings. We got attacked by midges and clegs but got some great shots before we had to leave. The couple get married later this year at Dornoch Cathedral.
Second shoot from my Aberdeen trip, this time with Sharron Cook and Ben Macdonald, who get married at Cruden Bay later this year. We chose nearby Slains Castle for this shoot, and another great choice it was. Fantastic venue and we had a load of fun. Top marks to Sharron for her adventurous approach to getting the best shots!
I was recently in Aberdeen to do a pre wedding shoot with Nikki Stewart and Rikki Wood, who get married at Ardoe House in 2012. We went to Dunnottar Castle for the shoot. We did a few shots on the cliffs with the castle behind and then down on the shore beneath the castle.
On the 3rd of July I was at the Newton Hotel, Nairn to shoot the wedding of Jill Urquhart and Martin Davidson. I was looking forward to this one for a while as we had done a lovely pre wedding shoot on Nairn beach in late January and I knew we were going to have a great time. What I hadn’t expected was for it to be such an emotion filled day. Martin is the only man I have met who is more emotional than me! Tears when Jill walked up the aisle, tears when Jill’s brother Calum read out his poem (not a dry eye in the chapel myself included), tears at the speeches and tears at the end when I had to leave. Ok I made that part up. It really was a beautiful day and made me feel so lucky yet again to be part of something that is so special to the people involved. Anyway it was a great day, which began at Jill’s house in the morning before heading to the Newton. The weather was beautiful which meant we got back to Nairn beach for some shots as well as shooting some great spots in the hotel grounds. A great day yet again, with great people.
Venue: The Newton Hotel, Nairn. It was a great venue and we had our ceremony in the chapel there. The staff at the Newton were amazing, especially Claire who thought of every little detail. She made sure that everything ran so smoothly during the day; and that everything and everyone was taken care of.
Dress: Ian Stuart. I found a fabulous dress maker Tina, who made a beautiful job of altering my dress at very short notice!
Shoes: Dune
Cake: We got our cake from Harry Gow. Fran was lovely, and so helpful. She just asked us to email her a picture of the cake we wanted and she made sure it was delivered to the venue on the day. It was just what we wanted and it tasted fab too.
Rings: John MacIntyre & Son, Glasgow
Hair: My friend Gillian.
Cars: My Uncle took me and my Dad in his car and my wee brother took my bridesmaids and my Mum in my Dads car.
Videographer: Colin Sinclair, Video Viewpoint. We are so glad that we decided to get a DVD. The day passes by so quickly and the whole family are dying to see it all again on the DVD – even the ones who were dreading being filmed!!!
Chair Covers: Dress the Day, Nairn
Flowers: Stephen Seedhouse
Pianist: Ken Burnett played prior to and during the ceremony. He also kept our guests entertained whilst we were having our photographs taken. He was lovely and he even learned two pieces of music that we wanted to be played whilst I was walking down the aisle and then while we were signing the register.
Band: Ghost, they were fantastic, the dance floor was full all night!
What was your favourite moment of the day?
I loved the whole day from start to finish. The ceremony in particular was very special for us, very personal just the way we wanted it to be. Our minister Rev Maureen Wilson was fantastic and my brother Calum wrote a beautiful poem for us which he read out during the ceremony. It was one of the highlights of the day for us and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the Chapel!!
What advice would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
Be organised because you never know what will crop up the last few days before the wedding! Try not to stress or get too nervous, enjoy the preparations and enjoy every minute of your wedding day. Everyone tells you that it will go by in a flash and it really does!
Most importantly of all, invest in a fabulous photographer who will take better photos than you will ever imagine (John!), and a videographer with a good reputation (Colin!). After all, once the big day is over you will have your photographs and your DVD forever so they are worth every penny!
On the 2nd of July, Fiona Mackay and Gary Manson got married at Strathmore Lodge, which is a remote lodge in a beautiful part of the countryside, not far from Halkirk. When I met Fiona and Gary up there a couple of weeks beforehand we were savaged by huge clouds of midges, so I was well stocked up with industrial size bottles of Avon Skin So Soft, but needn’t have worried, as there was a strong wind, which was a great relief. It was a beautiful day, one of those days where everyone but me is delighted with the bright sunshine. We went up to Loch More for some photographs after the ceremony, which was a great location. The wind was a slight problem in some parts but we found some great areas which were sheltered and I think we got some great stuff. It helps when the bride and groom are both posers…. I mean good in front of the camera…. Seriously, everyone was great fun and really got into what I was trying to do, so I think that shows in the end results.
Ceremony Venue: Strathmore Lodge, Westerdale, By Halkirk, Caithness
Reception venue: As above
Dress: Suzanne Neville @ Eleganza Sposa
Shoes: Belle London
Cake: Carol Smith, Gary’s Godmother
Rings: Fraser Hart, Glasgow
Hair: Hair@21
Make Up: Monica Barnetson
Cars: A friend of Fiona’s jaguar
Videographer: Colin Sinclair, Video Viewpoint
Caterers – Stephen Robertson Carswell & Leslie Campbell
Stationery – Claire Murray. Claire is one of my best friends and a creative genius! She kindly offered to make all our wedding stationery and did the most fantastic job
Flowers – Amanda’s Creative Florist
Chair Covers – KG Events
Marquee Hire – North Highland Marquee hire
Jewellery, hair piece & brooch – bespoke by mica jewellery
Band – Jude
Photography – We chose John to be our wedding photographer as, there is no-one else out there capable of taking the photos he can! Gary and I both know John as did most of our guests so we all immediately felt at ease and able to have lots of giggles throughout the day!
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle and seeing Gary’s cheeky smile
What advice would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
Relax, it’s very easy to get caught up in the details of it all but remember the real reason you are getting married – that’s what makes your day extra special
Was there anything you’d have done differently?
Nothing, organising everything ourselves made it so personal and special
Lyndsay Edwards and Daniel Mackay were married at the beautiful Bunchrew House which is just outside Inverness on the shores of the Beauly Firth. It’s a stunning location for a wedding.
It was a lovely day, although there was a bit of a cool breeze down near the water, and we had a lot of fun doing the photography as there are so many cool spots to use around the venue.
I even had a go at being bridesmaid for the day when the ladies got into trouble tying the back of Lyndsay’s dress!
Here’s all the details from Lyndsay:
Ceremony Venue: Bunchrew House Hotel, Inverness
Reception venue: Bunchrew House Hotel, Inverness
Dress: from Avorio Bridal in Fochabers
Shoes: comfy satin ballet shoes with silk flowers from Faith
Cake: from Andrea Webster, bottom tier of lemon meringue sponge and top tier of dark chocolate and Cointreau, yum!
Rings: from Sheila Fleet, Tankerness, Orkney
Hair: The Head Gardener, Inverness
Make Up: Sleeping Beauty Salon, Inverness
Videographer: Cal Fea
Piper was Pipe Major John MacDonald
Special Thank you to my fantastic mum Joyce who made the jewellery for myself and my bridesmaids and was also an absolute star and huge help the whole run up to the wedding and on the day itself!
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Becoming Mrs Mackay!
What advice would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
Just enjoy the time you spend with your family and friends planning your wedding, it is great fun to throw ideas around and don’t be afraid to explore every avenue!
Was there anything you’d have done differently?
Not a thing, we had a fab day – the sun shone and everybody was relaxed and having fun, including me and Daniel!
Any other stories or comments
Bunchrew is a fantastic venue, the food is wonderful and the staff are so warm and friendly, particularly Anne and Deborah the wedding co-ordinators who are two of the loveliest ladies you could ever hope to meet!
Special mention of course for our fabulous photographer John who made everybody feel so at ease, even those who don’t normally ‘do’ photographs and who was the calm in the quickly brewing storm over getting my dress laced up.
We just had a wee wedding during the week and then a big party the following weekend with all our friends, this meant that not only did I get to wear my beautiful dress twice but that the celebratory feeling lasted even longer!
I was very lucky to be chosen to photograph the wedding of local celebrity Diane Knox (Knoxy on Moray Firth Radio) and Craig Campbell (former Ross County star, now with Nairn County) last month at the fantastic Achnagairn House, Kirkhill, near Inverness.
It was a fantastic day, with just perfect weather conditions (not often I say that) and a great bunch of people, who really made me feel part of the family for the day! I don’t think I remember seeing a more excited bride than Diane, which made for great photographs, especially when she opened her present from Craig (what a smooth fella!). The couple were so good in front of the camera and really enjoyed it, which makes the job so much easier, although Craig did want too many kissing pictures for my liking. Altogether a fantastic day and I met lots of amazing people.Special thanks to bridesmaids Lucy and Stef who were a huge help and great posers as well.
Over to Diane for the next part:
We got our cake from Andrea Webster, not only did it look fantastic but tasted gorgeous – we had black and white cupcakes to suit our theme with a top tier.
Our florist was Angela Hunter, we always knew we wanted Angela as her style is so sophisticated and a bit different from normal wedding flowers. We stuck with cream roses and calla lilies and Angela added some additional flowers to compliment. Our table centres were nice and tall with sparkly black branches and crystal drops.
Caterer was John Lockhart – we can’t say enough good things about John and his team, they went above and beyond the call of duty and made the day a huge success. We went for a buffet also, so our guests had lots of food!
Chair covers and styling came from Sitting Prettier, they transformed the Ballroom and were completely fantastic.
Ceremony Venue: Achnagairn House
Reception venue: Achnagairn House
Dress:Hollywood Dreams, custom made
Shoes: Christian Louboutin, silver and sparkly!
Cake: Andrea Webster, see above
Rings: Colin Campbell, Inverness
Hair: Lucinda and Gemma at Halo
Make Up: The fabulous Stephanie Mcdonald at Halo, my bridesmaid J
Videographer: Callum Mackay from Invergordon
Others: Spud the Piper
The Shire – best band I’ve EVER heard at a wedding!
John the Prof and Ronnie on the fiddle and accordian
Craig Noble from MFR, DJ
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle, I’ll never forget it. Dad and I walked down the stairs at Achnagairn and Spud told us to walk slow and take it all in. Mum and my brother Russell were piped in first to ‘Mhairi’s Wedding’, and then Spud came back for us. He started ‘Highland Cathedral’ and we went for it – it was Craig’s choice of song and it was incredible. He found it very emotional and I saw him look at me and have to look away. My Dad and I enjoyed every minute of the walk, I just remember smiling from ear to ear when I saw all our friends and family, and then my gorgeous fiancé. I was so happy to see him, but know that will always be a special moment for both my Dad and I, and Craig and I.
What advice would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
Enjoy every minute! During the ceremony, meal and reception I stopped so many times to just look around and take it all in and so glad I did, it was an amazing feeling. And be organised, the last week is always crazy no matter how well prepared you are but don’t stress the small things, on the day they don’t even matter.
Was there anything you’d have done differently?
Absolutely nothing, it was all perfect and beyond my expectations.
Any other stories or comments?
I had a lot of fun with my dress, it wasn’t what people expected from me! It was massive and made me feel like a princess, great fun to dance with. As soon as John saw it he knew we were going to get some fantastic pictures. We had a great time with John, I’m really glad we did the pre-wedding shoot as we got to know him and his style and it really made us relax on the day. I’d do it all again tomorrow
Last week I was at Dalhousie Castle, near Edinburgh for the wedding of Beatrice Hughes and Michael Costas, who came over from Arizona to get married. The wedding was arranged through Highland Country Weddings. Dalhousie is a great location for a wedding and especially with the amazing weather we had. It was just the happy couple and two friends, so that meant no rushing and stressing over time, just relax and get some nice images!
A local venue for a change and also one of my favourites! Dunbeath Castle, Caithness was the chosen location for the wedding of Debbie Youngson and Jason Park from Thurso. I don’t do as many weddings locally as I used to, so when I do have one it is great not having to travel far, but it’s especially nice when you know the couple and their families, and this was certainly the case for this one. We all had great fun on the day and the atmosphere was very relaxed. The weather was very nice as well, with enough cloud cover to keep me from moaning about the sunshine, but no rain or midges either!
Ceremony Venue: Dunbeath Castle Gardens
Reception venue: Weigh Inn Hotel, Thurso
Dress: Avorio Bridal, Fochabers
Shoes: Fleur, Nairn
Cake: Macdonalds Bakery, Wick
Rings: Ernest Jones, Inverness
Hair: Curl Up ‘N’ Dye, Wick
Make Up: Gorgeous, Thurso
Cars: Mr & Mrs Elder, Thurso – family friends
Videographer: Colin Sinclair, Video Viewpoint, Thurso
Florist – The Flower Shop, Thurso & Wick
Kilts – Mcallans, Thurso & Wick
Over to Debbie:
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Our favourite moment was having our photographs taken. It was nice to just be the two of us and was the only time throughout the day that we had to ourselves. Having the photographs taken was really fun and exciting, with the added bonus of being the first newlyweds to get photographs taken in the new garden at Dunbeath Castle!
What advice would you give to other brides planning their wedding?
Try not to get too stressed or nervous beforehand if things don’t seem to be coming together. It all works out in the end and if anything is forgotten about, no one else knows about it so it doesn’t matter anyway! The day goes in very quickly so savour what you can of it.
Was there anything you’d have done differently?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently in my wedding plans but I would have liked to have taken more time to speak to people at our evening reception. I love to dance so spent most of the time on the dance floor
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