I've skipped a whole load of this year's weddings as I just fancied showing this one that I shot on the 5th November whilst it was fresh in my mind - I'll go back to the others though when I have more time in the quieter winter months!
Saffron and Tom booked me a bit later than usual, in September in fact, but luckily for me the date was free and I jumped at the chance for the opportunity to photograph yet another wedding at one of my very favourite locations, the
Lodge on Loch Goil. In the winter, in Scotland, I dream of getting a bright, sunny and dry day and I was not sure whether this day would be the one as I awoke to think fog. The fog, in fact, continued all the way alongside Loch Lomond and only dissipated when I reached the summit of the Rest and Be Thankful, at which point the sun broke through the damp misty air and I descended down the windy road to the head of Loch Goil.
After the usual warm greeting from Alice and Kelly at the Lodge I was introduced, for the first time, to Tom and Saffron and their friends and families who made my day so enjoyable. I hadn't actually met either the bride or groom before but that didn't matter at all. In fact I am finding that pre-wedding meetings are, for me, at least, becoming less and less normal and I often don't meet the happy couple until the day itself. Saffron and I had spoken about the day over the telephone though so I still had a good idea of the coverage she and Craig wanted.
Unlike the
other weddings I had photographed at the Lodge this year the wedding ceremony was to be held in the Arts and Crafts room inside the main Lodge itself (the others were all in the treehouse). It was a great room for a ceremony with natural light streaming through the big bay windows at the far end and a log fire to keep everything cosy. The civil ceremony was interspersed with a couple of lovely readings, a song and some unintended humour when the registrar (and then Craig himself) mispronounced his wife's surname, Sabine.
After the ceremony we all popped outside for a few formal pictures, a big shot of everybody taken from a balcony above and just a few pictures of Tom and Saffron themselves at various points around the gardens. With such a magical setting it would be a shame not to make the most of it! Whilst it stayed dry for the whole afternoon the sun had, by this time, slipped just over the hill behind us and there was definitely a wee nip in the air so it was time to retreat back inside to get cosy next to one of the fires again.
Most, if not all, of the weddings I have been to are based around a set format - ceremony, drinks reception, dinner and then some dancing. Today, however, was different and Tom and Saffron had organised an afternoon ceilidh courtesy of the fantastic
Canned Haggis band. Personally I thought it was an excellent idea and the guests certainly seemed to have a whale of a time. I only witnessed one minor accident so it went pretty well.
When everyone had worked up an appetite all the guests, and the bride and groom, were led by two fiddlers from the band into the large conservatory for dinner. As usual (at The Lodge, at least) I was fed and can say that the food really was top notch and I could recommend the venue on that point alone! After dinner there were the usual speeches although I think special mention should go to Tom's young son, and best-man, who read his amusing speech very well indeed.
