The Beginning….
I arrived at Crossbasket about 9am when Hair & Makeup arrived. It’s always nerve-wracking when you arrive at a venue you’ve never shot at before and you have no idea what the getting-ready room is going to be like! But then you walk into a room with full height windows, glorious old furniture, a huge bathroom and stunning decor! Your little photographer brain starts whirring like an out of control overexcited toddler leaving you unable to remember to even greet your bride!! Your eyes dart around the room with thoughts of “Ooooooh..this there and that there and omg I’m soooooo excited, look at that freaking WARDROBE!”
And so you control yourself (to a point!) and say hello to people, introduce yourself and sliently squeal inside. Except I don’t silently squeal, I very much tell my bride how excited I am with the room! I mean, look at the room people, it’s dreamy!!
The next few hours were spent capturing the venue, indoor and out, the girls getting ready, plus all those little details shots. These details shots like the veil hanging over the bath, and the special framed photo of her and her dad, are important memories.
I always try to take photos that are slightly different, a different way of looking of things I guess! For example, using the shower for the back of the dress to also get a reflection of that chandelier, using a puddle to get a close-up of the castle tower, shooting through larger objects or my favourite, using mirrors!
The Boys….
Most of the morning is taken up with the girls, the dress, the details, the flowers etc, but the boys should always feature if at all possible! Every part of their story needs to be told, and just because they take a fraction of the time to get ready, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a little bit of their story told! (If the truth me known, the boys went to the driving range after breakfast!!) I always try and encourage the boys to have some fun groomsmen (or groomslady!) images taken, and this venue offerend up the perfect opportunity! From my first sniff around, I knew I wanted to use the library to get some solid ‘boy shots’ and they were ever so accommodating!
Once I’d got some shots of the boys, it was back to the girls for those fabulous photos where they’re getting into their dresses, final make-up touches and that all important pre wedding shot of something to calm the nerves!
The Middle…
It was finally time for the ceremony, so I left the girls and hoofed it down to the ceremony room, checked the lighting, put in a fresh battery and captured some before bits that’s the couple don’t always see until they get the photos back.
It’s obviously important to capture to capture the really important parts of the ceremony, but I always try to capture the little moments that they’ll miss because, well, they’re getting married! The little moments of the Groom (or bride!) waiting, the reactions of their guests, the piper and the nervous giggles! In this wedding, Nicola’s dad wasn’t there to walk her down the aisle, so Colin let her make her glorious entrance then walked up the aisle to walk her down himself, and I’m not gonna lie, it was such a beautiful thing to do I almost shed a wee tear!
The ceremony was full of laughter and joy, and again, this is the part where I can get a sneaky little shot of the pride in a son’s eyes, or the best friend looking a little emotional, and I love it when someone cries!
The Cat Herding….
Yes, this is what I call The Cat Herding! It’s that short window of opportunity after the ceremony when we can get a full guest shot (not always possible but this time it was!) any group shots (this is normally family at this point) and of course, bridal shots! This window is small and group shots are like a military operation, but always fun! I never take my couple away for any longer than 30 minutes because they want to be with their guests, and rightly so!
Once we have the bridal shots nailed, I know that any shots after this are all candid, and there is always the chance later in the day once everyone is slightly more well-oiled (shall we say!) to get groups shots with friends.
As you can see, these shots are always fun, no one wants to have a memory of ‘that hour we were awkwardly posed and missed most of the party’!
The Speeches….
This is one of my favourite parts of the day and it’s always, without fail, the part where you’re get laughter and tears! And this wedding was no exception! I love shooting these completely candid moments where you can capture a loving glance, a look of pride, people peeing themselves with laughter, and it’s all just so natural and beautiful! It’s a deep honour to be an observer at someones wedding, so I make sure to capture as much of the joy as possible.
And capturing people p**ing themselves laughing is just soooo much fun!
The end…
Another favourite part of the day for me, the paaaaaartay! I usually stay for 4-5 dances, but sometimes there’s just too much fun to capture and I simply can’t walk away!
I managed to persuade the groom and his men to come putside for their ‘Reservoire Dog’ photo, and Nicola and I popped up to the Honeymoon Suite for some fun photos after she’d touched up her makeup! It’s amazing how some prosecco can encourage my brides to be photographed in a bath (clothed I might add!
With Big Vern & The Shootah’s entertaining the masses, this was an epic party!
