Edinburgh Wedding Photographer - Susan & Dan

Spend a wonderful day with Susan & Dan in and around Edinburgh for their wedding. We got amazing weather, which to be fair, we've had all summer which has been amazing. Susan & Dan were married at London Road Parish Church but afterwards, rather than the traditional taking family photos, we headed to the church hall for a bit of a picnic. It was brilliant! There was bunting, cakes, sandwiches, fizzy drinks and of course lot's of wine. Everyone one had a brilliant time. Then it was off to The Rowantree in the Cowgate for some drinks with the guests. Susan and Dan were keen to wait for the right light for their portraits, wise couple. It paid off. I love the pictures we got that day. Perfect.

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Claire & Lindsey's Rufflets Hotel Wedding

Claire & Lindsey's wedding at Rufflets near St Andrews was easily one of my favourite weddings of the year. Claire and Lindsey are two of the nicest people you'd ever be privileged to meet. The girls got ready for the wedding in separate lodges before meeting minutes before the ceremony so they could take turns walking down the aisle. Little white lanterns lit their way as guest looked on. After the service we headed out for the group photographs and I have to say, everyone was just brilliant. We got the shots we needed in no time at all. This was great as it really looked like it was going to pour down with rain very soon.

Lindsey, Claire and I then wandered the spectacular gardens at Rufflets for photographs of the girls. You just can't go wrong with Claire and Lindsey and adding the grounds in to the mix my job was made easy. Just in the nick of time we finished the shots before the heavens opened.

It was then time for speeches and the party into the wee small hours. I genuinely can't thank you both enough for making me part of your very special and perfect wedding day.

Lisa & Chad's Wedding at Dalhousie Castle

Lisa and Chad flew all the way from The United States for their wedding at Dalhousie Castle this Autumn. Lisa's sister and her partner also hopped over the pond to witness the special day. A bride a groom and two guests....well, three guests including myself. That's how Lisa and Chad made me feel. It was really a pleasure to be part of their special day. Carmen, Lisa's sister, is hilarious too. Kept me chuckling all afternoon. I was kindly asked in for a wee dram after the photos and we ended up chatting for a good hour about back home and their travel plans while in the UK. Carmen even had a go at taking some photographs with my camera so apologies for the last couple of photos on the blog, I was doing my best Freemans catalogue poses.

Toni & Martin's Wedding at Dalhousie Castle

Dalhousie Castle weddings are great. Not only is it one of Scotland's premier wedding venues, it's only 10 minutes from the studio. As always at Dalhousie, the staff were tremendous with Graham and his team looking after, Toni, Martin and the guests. Toni and Martin are from West Sussex and came up to Dalhousie for their e-session too. We did also visit, Crichton Castle which is a ruin but equally stunning. One of my favourite places for an e-shoot, as long as it's not too windy at Crichton. That's another story though.

What can I say about Dalhousie that hasn't already been said. One of my favourite venues, amazing team and when you pair that with a brilliant couple like Toni and Martin and I really couldn't go wrong. The families were great too. Toni's brother is Head Chef at The Horseshoe in Eddleston and I have dined their a couple of times this year. His food is exceptional! I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area checking out the castle. It's only around 20 minutes from Dalhousie but easily one of the best restaurants in The Borders. All this talk of The Horseshoe is making me hungry, looks like I might need to pay Alastair another visit!

Norton House Hotel Wedding Photography - Ashleigh & Paul

I Don't think I've met anyone who laughs as much as Ashleigh and Paul. They got married at St Mary's Star Of The Sea Church in Leith before heading accross town to The Norton House Hotel garden Suite. Trust me when I tell you, they never stopped laughing and smiling all day! It was great to see their happiness rub off on every guest. I hope you can tell from the photographs that my job was a very easy one that day. Everywhere I pointed the camera, there was a happy smily face. Can't beat it. After the meal, we headed round the grounds for more photos and before Ashleigh and Paul went back to mingling with guests, I got a shot of Ashleigh with her dress against the wall at The Norton. One of my fave's this year.

Gemma & Scott's Wedding at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh

The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh is thee premier venue in the city for weddings, dinner, accommodation, you name it, it's awesome. It's iconic clock tower  is famously set four minutes fast so no one misses their train at nearby Waverley Station. The perfect setting then for Gemma and Scott's wedding. After the ceremony we headed to Princes Street Gardens for the family group photographs but Gemma had other things on her mind. Ice cream! No it's not cravings... The ice Cream parlour in the gardens is called Scott's and with her brand new husband called Scott it seemed very fitting. Loved the photos from "Scott's" too. Hilarious.

All in all, another perfect day! Here are some of the highlights:

Rosemary & Phil's Wedding in Dalkeith and Gigi's, Bonnyrigg

One of those amazing days when I felt like a guest at the wedding. Rosemary and Phil are an amazing couple who were really up for some fun. The ceremony took place at Dallkeith registry office and after the group photographs, I took the happy couple to the grounds of the stunning, Newbattle Abbey College for some more photos. Finally we headed to Gigi's in Bonnyrigg who did a fantastic job of hospitality considering it was their first wedding. you'd never have know. Everything was perfect!

George Hotel Wedding Photography - Lindsay & Andrew

I had never been in the grounds of Loretto School in Musselburgh before, so had no idea what to expect when I headed down early to take a little look around. The church reminds me a little bit of the Sydney Opera House inside with all it's beautifully finished curved wooden architecture. After the ceremony we headed in the wedding car (with me onboard) to The George Hotel for the reception. The George Hotel really do know how to put a wedding on and they were at their best again for Lindsay and Andrew. After the wedding breakfast we headed down to Princes Street and the National Galleries for some typical spectacular Edinburgh backdrops. Finally we headed up to the Panoramic Suite on the roof of the hotel for some nice shots at sunset.

George Heriots Wedding Photography With Merchant Hall Reception - Jackie & Gordon

What a fantastic day in June it was. Jackie and Gordon's wedding day at George Heriots was so special for so many reasons. I've known Jackie for a long time now as she has played a big part in the develoment, especially on the social side of things with my son, Blair. Blair is Autistic and Jackie had a massive infulence on Blair's development growing up. Add to this the fact that I attended George Heriots School when I was a youngster, loads of years ago. Too many to even think about in fact. So to be heading back to my old school with Jackie and Gordon, I knew it was going to be a wee bit special and that's exactly what it was. The rain that was forcast never materialised, the ceremony in the school chapel was beautiful, the food by McKenzie's was wonderful and the band had everyone up singing. No seriously, "When You Say Nothing At All." (You know who you are.)

The perfect day.

Suppliers:

Venues George Heriots School & Merchant Hall

Jackie's Dress: Kavelle Bridal

Bridesmaid's Dresses: Simply Bridesmaids

Band: Sound Cradle

Catering: MacKenzies Catering

Accessories: LHG Designs

George Heriots Wedding

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Inchcolm Abbey Wedding Photography Bernada & Matt

This was a first trip on The Maid Of The Forth for me. The destination for the wedding was Inchcolm Abbey, which is around a half hour by boat in the middle of the Firth of Forth. Bernada and Matt had travelled a long way to celebrate their wedding in Scotland....A very long way! They hail from the West Coast of Canada but they have ancient family ties with Scotland so decided this was the place to get married. Friends and family from all over the globe decended by Hawes Pier which is shadowed by the Forth Bridge. The perfect backdrop for some dramatic wedding photographs. This was easily one of the most emotional ceremonies I have had the pleasure to photograph. You could really see what today really meant. It was a genuine honour to be there.

Emma & Craig's Wedding ar Orocco Pier - South Queensferry.

Orocco Pier specialise in intimate and less formal weddings. So far from my experience anyway. Every time I shoot a wedding at Orocco Pier, there's an air of relaxation. Everyone is having a great time and it's always stress free. The staff are brilliant and nothing is ever too much trouble. Then you have that awesome backdrop of the Forth Bridges. Emma and Craig made the perfect choice when choosing Orocco Pier. I started just before the bride arrived at the venue, photographed the ceremony and family groups before whisking Emma and Craig away for some bride and groom photographs by the Forth Bridge. I had a brilliant time with Emma and Craig and looks like another family wedding is on the horizon! Happy days!

Aswanley Wedding - Lois & John

Aswanley is one the best venues in the north of Scotland. You really can't go wrong with a venue that caters only for your wedding guests and therefor giving their full attention to you, your friends and family. It's set in stunning countryside around 7 miles south of Huntly. Inside it's beautifully set up for you. Long tables where guests can chat and laugh along with the speeches. I was delighted to be asked to photograph Lois and John's wedding reception at this beautiful venue. First it was off to Lois' parent's farm in Muiryfold. It was quite calm and relaxed as the girls were pampered and sipped champagne before getting ready to head to the church. On the way to the church, I popped in to see how John was getting along with his preparations at his parent's farm. he was all ready by the time I got there and looking very smart indeed. We grabbed a few fun shots with his family before it was time to take the short trip to the church.

Lois arrived looking absolutely stunning. It was a glorious day day too , it really couldn't have gone any better.

After the ceremony we took the 25 minute drive to Aswanley where we took more family photos while grabbing little candid shots of guests mingling and sipping champagne, not to mention the odd single malt. the sun was shining down on Lois and John's wedding day. Lois, John and I then grabbed a few portraits before it was time for the speeches.

After the meal, the guests danced the night away to a traditional ceilidh.

Theresa & Andy's Pre-Wedding Shoot in Perthshire

I headed up to the beautiful Perthshire countryside for Theresa and Andy's e-session. Only a couple of days before the wedding, way up in Arasaig in the Western Highlands. Brillaint laugh as you can see and believe me, the wedding pictures are no different. Great fun! Here is a selection of the shots from the e-session.

Kyla & Rob's Wedding in Nairn

How unlucky can you be? The best summer in donkeys years and Kyla and Rob have by far the wettest wedding of the year. You'd never know it though. I never stopped laughing all day, it was brilliant. Rob and Kyla really didn't care about the weather outside as inside there was a party going on....Big time! I was actually sorely tempted to stay overnight and even reserved a room at The Newton Hotel but family commitments meant I had to trudge back down to Edinburgh.

Nairn is a lovely little town, a wet little town but lovely none the less. The reception was in the excellent aforementioned  Newton Hotel, just minutes from the church.

Amazing day guys!.....What rain?

Laura & Scott's E-Session in Edinburgh

Think we must be having the best summer ever! The perfect way to spend the evening with laura and Scott who travelled all the way down from Dundee! I'll be returning the favour by heading all the way up to Perthshire for the wedding next week though. We started on Arthurs Seat which has amazing views over the city but it was pretty windy and way too much glare from the sun so we headed for the Meadows next for some nice colourful shots by the lock-ups. Finally we headed to Calton Hill for some iconic shots with Edinburgh as the backdrop.

I wanted to shoot and edit in a few different style as Laura has her own dress making business and it would be great if she had some different styles to choose from if some of the shots are going on her website. Check out her facebook page here:

Made*Her designs

Here are just some of the shots:

Dawn & Jason's Wedding At Piper Dam, Dundee

Dawn & Jason's wedding at Piper Dam was by far the hottest wedding I've ever attended. It was roasting!! For Dawn and Jason though, weather like this in Scotland is a rare thing indeed and the Sun also meant the happy couple could tie the know outside. It was a beautiful setting.

Dawn and Jason's laughed and giggled their way through the day and some of the antics of the groomsmen had me stitches too. Brilliant wedding...hot, hot , hot day!

Lisa & Colin's Wedding at The Norton House Hotel

A truly international wedding at The Norton House Hotel today. Lisa, Colin and their family had traveled all the way from sunny Dubai (My fave city in the world) to get married at this prestigious venue. Colin is originally from Livingston and it was great to see him catch up with old friends on the day. Everyone spent the afternoon laughing and joking at one of the happiest weddings of the year. I was only there for a couple of hours as it was a very intimate, close family affair but those two hours whizzed by. Thank you both for very kindly offering to meet up next time I'm out in Dubai and I'll definitely take you guys up on that.

Botanics E-Session - Ashleigh & Paul

Last weekend I met up with Ashleigh and Paul for their e-session at the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. Another gorgeous day in the capital, we're finally getting a summer by the loosk of things. here are a few highlights.

Balbirnie House Wedding - Fiona & Simon

Fiona and Simon chose the picturesque village of Falkland for their wedding. Falkland is a beautiful little place made all the better by the fact that the local village pub is right across the road from the the church, much to the joy of all the guests. Nothing wrong with a wee refreshment before the beautiful bride arrives. After the service we headed to a local beauty spot before heading of the the stunning Balbirnie Hotel in Markinch. Balbirnie has it all. Gorgeous interior, spacious grounds and the staff were brilliant.

After the speeches Fiona and Simon danced the night away with all their friends and family. Another perfect wedding.

Jennifer & Gregor's Wedding at The Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh

Getting married under the redwood trees at Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens has a real fairytale feel about it. It's just such a lovely place to tell the one you love that you will be with them forever. The red carpet, the white chairs and of course, those huge trees make the perfect wedding venue. The rain made an appearance but only for a few minutes. The Botanics have erected a small permanent marquee next to Caledonian House for when the Scottish weather decides to act all "normal" and starts raining. Tom and his staff were brilliant as usual.

Jennifer and Gregor are a brilliant couple! They laughed and had fun with family and friends all day at The Botanics before heading down to East Lothian for the receptions at Ducks of Aberlady.