What do you look for in a wedding venue? Romantic surroundings, breathtaking scenery, excellent food and comfortable surroundings, then you need look no further than the Ardnaiseig Hotel on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll.
John and Katrina on a trip to Scotland last year stayed at the Ardnaiseig Hotel for a night and just knew this was the place where they wanted to get married. I was delighted to be invited to be their photographer and spend part of their day with them and their family. The Ardnaiseig specialises in small intimate weddings of up to about fifty people and they certainly do it with style.
John and Katrina were a great couple to be around and work with. I had not had the chance to meet them before their wedding as they live in Ireland, so all of our contact was by email or on the phone but when we met we just seemed to hit it off. Katrina was a stylish and beautiful bride with a fantastic personality, John was a very lucky man and he knew it.
I look forward to the next opportunity I have to photograph a wedding at the Ardnaiseig. All the pictures from the wedding can be seen at www.ronniecairns.com and by going to events and then weddings. A password is required.
Donna and Maxwell were married recently in St. Johns Church in Dunoon by the Rev Joe Stewart and then on to the Royal Marine Hotel for the reception. Although the day started out well, weather-wise, there was always the threat of rain so we made good use of the church grounds for the formal shots. As the wedding guests made their way to the Royal Marine for the drinks reception, I took advantage of the days remaining sunshine and took Donna and Maxwell down to the pier for some fun shots, much to the amusement from some passers-by!
As we arrived at the hotel signs of rain were showing so we only had time to get one large group shot before the heavens opened but a bit of rain was not going to put the dampers on this wedding.
Martin Greig and his staff at the Royal Marine Staff looked after everyone’s needs and after the speeches and the meal it was time to get down to some serious boogie with the most incredible band. Nightshift, are to be recommended to anyone looking for the perfect band to get their wedding reception going. I really enjoyed my day and as I left around about 10pm the party was in full swing and I’m sure kept swinging until the early hours. All the photographs are on www.ronniecairns.com and you can view them by going to events and then weddings. Please note that the album is password protected.
I recently found myself back in the heart of Burns Country and in Alloway Kirk. I was delighted to have been asked to photograph Honorine and Fraser’s wedding at Alloway and then at the Loch Green House Hotel in Troon.
This was a wedding that brought the old alliance of Scotland and France together again; the wedding service was conducted in both French and English by the Rev Fraser Aitken.
Honorine was a stunning bride and very natural in front of the camera as were her bridesmaids Kirsty and Lyndsay. Many comments were made about Honorine’s wedding dress and how perfect it was for her. Both the brides and the bridesmaid’s dresses were made by Maggie Rodman.
Following the ceremony in Alloway, the bridal party and their guests made the short drive along the coast to the Loch Green House Hotel in Troon for the reception. The Lochgreen is a perfect wedding venue with first class service and comes very highly recommended as does it’s sister hotel the Brig O’ Doon.
Honorine and Fraser were such a great couple to work with, they were so happy and full of fun and it was a pleasure to be their wedding photographer.
Je voudrai`s souhaiter `a Honorine et Fraser le Bonheur pour leur vie future ensemble.
How did you spend your Easter weekend? Well I went down to the Scottish Borders to Roberton, which is near Hawick, and to Hoscote House. Why did you go there Ronnie I hear you ask – no other reason than to photograph the wedding of Joslyn and Alasdair. I have known Joslyn and Alasdair for some time now and was delighted that they asked me to photograph their wedding. The venue was new to me and after checking it out on the website I was excited at the prospect of working in such a nice place. You can be a bit apprehensive about working in a venue to which you have never been: Will it meet your expectations? Will it really look as good as it does on the website?
I can truly say that the Hoscote Website does not do justice to the venue and I don’t know how it could; you have to go there to fully appreciate the quality and the beauty of the place. This five star rated exclusive venue deserves every accolade it gets.
Choosing the right venue is, in my mind, as important as choosing the right photographer (said with a big smile – and why not) but the main ingredients for a good wedding are a happy couple, a great family and a fun group of friends with whom to share your day. In Joslyn and Alasdair’s case all the ingredients came together in just the right quantities and with a touch of the Northern Irish and a touch of the Scottish for garnish we were set for a true wedding feast.
I know Alasdair and Joslyn put a lot of work in to planning their big day and, with the help of Hoscote’s dedicated wedding coordinator, Lyndsay, everything was perfect from start to finish.
I made the trip back over to Crear recently to photograph Paul and Clare’s wedding. Crear is near Kilberry on the West Coast of Scotland and looks over towards the Paps of Jura. I’m afraid the Paps of Jura were nowhere to be seen on this day, the West Coast can be one of the most scenic places on a good day but on Paul and Clares wedding day it was far from good with high winds and driving rain all day. Once you accept that you can’t change the weather, then you just get on and enjoy your wedding day and Paul and Clare along with their families just did that.
Crear is an exclusive use venue with it’s own accommodation for guests with the main function room holding up to about 150 people comfortably.
I had the pleasure of photographing Camille and Andy’s wedding on Saturday at St Andrew’s in the Square in Glasgow. The whole day was a success from start to finish with everybody out to enjoy themselves. I arrived at the venue early as I always do, just to check things out. I met up with the florists Laura and Jayne from Flowers by Cherry Blossom, they were doing a marvellous job of all the floral arrangements. This is the first wedding I have photographed at this venue and I was not disappointed. St Andrew’s in the square is a great setting for a wedding. There is enough room to hold the ceremony, then while the guests enjoy a drinks reception on the balcony, the venue is swiftly arranged for the meal which again is transformed for the evenings entertainment. The staff at St Andrews in the Square were excellent, with everything being co-ordinated well by in-house wedding planner Jacqui. I am already looking forward to covering another wedding there.
Andy and Camille were a pleasure to work with and I’m sure David McGowan, the videographer from beautiful bride wedding videography would agree with me. Camille was stunning in her wedding dress and I must say for a scouser, Andy you realy suited that kilt. I must however take my hat off to Camille who when asked to leave the warmth of the venue to venture outside in which was a very cold evening, she never complained and just said lets do it. Good on you Camille.
Jen and Charlie were married on in Toward Parish Church and then to Castle Toward for the reception.
I had a great day photographing Jen and Charlie’s wedding. Jen and Charlie both work in the Foreign Office and have been based in Pakistan so we never got managed to get much time together to discuss their wedding apart from our initial meeting and a couple of emails.
I met up with Charlie the day before the wedding to take a look around the venue. Toward Castle is an outdoor activity centre during the week but in readiness for the wedding the staff had transformed it in to a great wedding venue. As I arrived most of the work had been done although the florist Jackie was still putting the finishing touches to some awesome floral arrangements. Jackie is the proprietor of Bloomers, which is one of the local florists based in Dunoon.
After looking around with Charlie I could see that everything had been well planned, the venue looked great and all that was needed was the weather to hold out, some guests, a Bride and Groom and we were all set.
Weather-wise the day could not have been better, I met up with Jen and her bridesmaid in the Beauty Box where they were getting their hair done with Victoria, It was then back to the house for makeup by Kirsty Lauder.
Charlie and his groomsmen gathered at the picturesque Toward Church with the guests following on shortly, everything was set. Jen and her father arrived shortly after. Jen was a picture as she and her father walked down the isle and Charlie’s face lit up, just the way a grooms should.
The rest of the day ran smoothly; Peter and the staff at Toward Castle were great and looked after all the guest needs so professionally. The entertainment in the evening was provided by local entertainer Alec Pollock and his Ceilidh band along with DJ Robert MacGregor who kept the guests on the floor, dancing in to the small hours.
Church – Toward Parish Church
Reception Venue – Toward Castle, Toward, Dunoon, Argyll
Flowers by – Bloomers – www.bloomersdunoon.co.uk
Hair by – Victoria @ Beauty Box, Dunoon
Make-up by – Kirsty Lauder @ Beauty Box, Dunoon
I am always going on about the great wedding venues we have around Scotland but the Brig O’ Doon Hotel in Ayr is up there with the best. Recently I had the pleasure of covering Adam & Debbie Nutt’s wedding there and it was a fantastic day.
Like all Brides Debbie had planned her perfect day and she was not disappointed, a great bunch of people, a picturesque church (Alloway Kirk) and a superb reception venue. All that was needed was good weather, similar to the beautiful day Debbie, Adam and I had when they took me to look round the Brig O’ Doon. Sadly it was not to be, the weather was blustery with some heavy showers of rain but between that there was sunshine and as luck would have it just at the right times, which allowed us to get some photographs outside.
Here is a selection of images from the day:
As a photographer you are always looking at the shots you did not get and I was sorry that we were not able to make better use of the exquisite grounds around the Brig o’ Doon and did not manage to get on to the Brig to get a shot due to the weather.
Adam and Debbie and their families were great to work with and I had a very enjoyable day.
I must make mention of the staff at the Brig O’ Doon who were fantastic about the way they went about their business in such a professional way. I would have no hesitation in recommending the Brig O’ Doon to any couple looking for a first class wedding venue. I very much look forward to the next opportunity I have to work at the Brig O’ Doon.
