A Wedding at Rufflets, St Andrews

I recently photographed a lovely wedding at Rufflets Hotel in St Andrews.   The bride and groom, Heather and Peter, were just wonderful to work with and we spent time beforehand discussing the photographs that were most important to them along with the timescales so that I knew how to plan their photography.  It all went without a hitch and even the weather stayed fair for us!

Peter and Heather stayed in separate lodges in the grounds of Rufflets on the eve of their wedding so I arrived early in the day to photograph them getting ready and with their respective families.  I always think it’s so important to capture all the small details on the day too as after wards it’s the photographs that preserve the memories.                                                   Aren’t her shoes just great!                                                                         

      Once they were ready I took some individual photos of them making sure neither could see the other and then photographed them with their families.  Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world, photographing people in their finest and happy and excited to be part of a wedding.       

               I left Rufflets and journeyed down to Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews, in time to photograph Peter and his groomsmen and Heather’s arrival.  Holy Trinity is a truly beautiful church set in lovely grounds so it is a joy to photograph there too.       

  After the ceremony was over Peter, Heather and I went back inside to take a few more photos.  My favourite is this one of Heather, the ambient light was just perfect.    After photographing the happy couple with friends and family we headed off to the West Sands which is such a popular location for wedding photography in St Andrews and no wonder – it’s a beautiful beach and I walk it almost everyday with my dog!

   We left there in plenty of time (good planning you see) to get back for a drinks reception and I photographed Heather and Pete and all their guests in the formal gardens of Rufflets, then shot some more photos with them and friends and family.  The gardens are so extensive and beautiful there, I am really spoiled for choice but at every wedding I try to move around to lend more interest by changing the backdrop.                                

Once the guest had all been called in to be seated for the wedding breakfast I had the opportunity to get some more lovely couple shots around the gardens.

             

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We headed up to the reception and I photographed the speeches.  I always think that photos of the speeches make such wonderful candid shots – very natural - and they always compliment the more formal photos in an album perfectly.

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  I guess the great advantage of photographing a wedding in St Andrews, for me, is that I can leave at the wedding breakfast and head home for a bite to eat before coming back to photograph the first three dances.  It’s usually such a hectic schedule that there is never any time to grab a drink or a light bite to eat so I'm always in need of a drink especially by the evening.  Heather and Peter’s first dance was beautifully choreographed and executed, they had obviously spent a lot of time practising but it paid off as their guest were enthralled. 

 

 

After the first two dances the ceilidh began and what fun the guests had trying to follow all the steps, they had a ball………..

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Next week I’ll let you see a wedding at Fingask Castle, by Dundee and not too far from St Andrews.

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Some Portraits

There are so many students attending St Andrews University that stay far afield and who know it is unlikely they will return to the town.  I was contacted recently by Simone who lives in Brazil, the fiancee of Vicente, a student in his final year at St Andrews University.  She planned to visit St Andrews and return to Brazil with Vicente.  They had recently got engaged and wanted engagement photos in various locations around the town.  There was little room for flexibility regarding their availability to be photographed but thankfully the weather remained clement.

   We had such an enjoyable evening and I took photos of them on the pier, the elephant rock and along the West Sands.  They were leaving the very next day so I had to work on their photos immediately as they wanted to collect them the next day before their departure to the airport.  One of the great things about being a photographer is that I always get instant feedback on the work I produce and I’m very glad to say that Simone and Vicente were delighted with their images.

  Erin, who is studying makeup artistry (for TV and film) contacted me recently to photograph some of her work for a portfolio.  She was looking to go to LA to further her studies – I believe she is in fact now there.  She had designed a mermaid outfit but wanted more authentic shots on a beach rather than studio portraits.  We went down to the East Sands and photographed Alison, her model on the rocks there.  The skirt was so tight it was very difficult for Alison to manoeuvre in but she was an absolute star and with the help of Erin and myself she managed even to lie down on the rocks for photos.  The day was anything but warm and she was so uncomfortable and cold but her efforts paid off.

                       Erin also asked me if I would photograph other work for her and I took along portable studio lighting to her home, where she concentrated on making up the models face.  I felt the look was dramatic but with a slight geisha girl tendency so I lit the model to emphasise her face and de-saturated the image in Photoshop.                                                    Next week, I’ll show you some images from a wedding I photographed at the weekend, here in St Andrews at All Saints Church and Rufflets Hotel.

West Coast Wedding

Although the bulk of weddings I photograph nowadays take place in or around St Andrews, I was recently commissioned to photograph a wedding in Plockton.  If you’ve never been there it is most definitely worth a visit.

 

    Kirsty (our bride) used to live there and met Brad (her husband) near there although they now live in Tasmania and many guests travelled all that way to be with them both on their special day.  They too were delighted with Plockton – what’s not to like?  They got married outside, in the gardens of Duirnish Lodge overlooking the most spectacular views of Skye.   The weather was warm and sunny all day, so everyone was very relaxed and happy to be outside in such marvellous surroundings..  After the wedding breakfast Kirsty, Brad and their guests left the lodge and headed back to Plockton where they were piped from the centre of the village to the Village Hall for their evening reception and ceilidh.   A truly Scottish Wedding – but with a Tasmanian twist!

 

 

    

 

Next week I’ll show you some portraits I’ve been working on.