Zena and Scott's wedding, Barony Castle

So here’s the plan. Get to Barony Castle for 12 noon for photographs with Scott and the groomsmen, who will all be adorned in their finest kilts, around the castle entrance. That allows plenty of time to drive into Eddlestone and get to the Horseshoe Inn where Zena and her bridesmaids will be ready for 12.30 for some nice pre-wedding portraits.
Then I’m to go up the road to the church for 1pm and photograph Scott and the guys arriving with a few informal shots too before Zena and the bridesmaids arrive for the 1.30pm ceremony.

So I leave in plenty of time, picking up my coffee from costa to sip on the drive down, and arrive at Barony Castle for 11.30am. I came down last week for a good look around but I still like to do a quick double check that nothings changed. Which I did, and it hadn‘t! lol. So I’m in the lobby awaiting Scott and his bestman and two groomsmen at the appointed time of 12 noon. When no one shows up I talk a walk along to Scott’s room. Scott was stood out in the corridor talking to his bestman so we see each other as soon as I turn the corner into the corridor. He’s still in his jeans and t-shirt! So is the bestman! We both burst out laughing!

We have a chat for a few minutes and decide that as it’s pouring down with rain anyway we’ll skip the 'guys outside the castle' photos and I’ll meet him up at the church just before 1pm. This is fine as it will give me a little extra time with Zena and the bridesmaids at the Inn, which has plenty of rooms for inside photographs so we don’t need worry about the rain. However, when I arrive there I find she too is nowhere near ready, lol.

This is fairly typical of a wedding day where the best laid plans seldom work out 100% accurately. Zena was full apologies but I assured her I was used to it and she had nothing to worry about. I got some shots of the wedding dress while I was there which we wouldn’t have got if everything had gone strictly to plan anyway. I very much like to photograph the day naturally, as it unfolds so I’m never fazed by anything that does, or does not happen, or deviates from the scheduled order.Zena and Scott’s wedding was the first wedding for quite some time where I was actually there as a guest as well as their photographer. Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that Zena runs Ivory White Events, who specialise in chair covers and other wedding decoration throughout Edinburgh and the Borders. I first met Zena a few years ago now when we both were asked by Melville Castle to become recommended suppliers for them. Since then we’ve worked together many times and become good friends. We both have very similar business ideals too, in that together with supplying a high quality product and service we believe in good old fashioned customer care.

Barony Castle is a well known wedding venue amongst wedding photographers in Edinburgh being only half an hour drive away from the capital, so I certainly wasn’t the first Edinburgh wedding photographer to work there. But not many folks get married in Eddleston Parish Church. I think I heard the minister say they only have two or three weddings a year. So that was something a bit different. When I went up the road it had stopped raining so the shots we’d planned to do with Scott and the guys earlier at Barony we did in the church grounds instead. I also got a few informal photographs has different guests arrived and of Scott and the bestman awaited news of the imminent arrival of the bride.

It was still dry when Zena arrived too. She had planned to walk up the hill from the Inn to the church, but had a car on stand by just in case it was too wet, so I was pleased for her that that worked out as she had hoped. As I usually like to do I paused her with her father in the church doorway for a quick full length and close up photograph, and then added in the two bridesmaids either side for a group shot. After that I ran ahead and took up my favoured position about three quarters up the aisle to photograph father and bride as they walk up the aisle.The ceremony went over beautifully! I was located in a row of empty pews at the front, to the right of the proceedings so was able to get some lovely shots of the two of them throughout the service. I also snuck around during one of the hymns for a shot from the back of the church, tidying up the back of Zena’s dress I did so. I do this all the time actually, but its one of those things that in the hustle and bustle of the day often isn’t thought about until afterwards when you look back through the photos. Every brides dress once they’ve arrived at the front of the church besides their groom is bunched up at the back after there walk up the aisle and a few twists and turns as the minister moves them into position. The photo from the back of the church is often very dramatic, particularly when there is an ornate, stained glass window rising up behind them. And the shot bugs me if the brides dress is all bunched! lolWhen the service was over the minister took the whole bridal party into the church closet for the signing of the register. Naturally I followed them in…or at least tried too. The closet was so small we could hardly fit the family in never mind me. But fortunately I was able to move a mop out from the corner and steal its place. After Scott and Zena and their witnesses had signed the minister allowed me to wriggle my way in front of the table to take the official ‘signing of the register’ photos. One of my camera’s has a wide angle lens on it for situations like this where you are tight for room (as quite a lot of ministers seem to favour signing the register in a closet) so I was not only able to get photographs of Scott and Zena, but also we squeezed the two witnesses and both sets of parents into a couple of shots too.The main group photographs and the confetti shot were done outside the church and then we were all heading back to Barony Castle. The weather was still dry and we had hoped to be able to go for some photographs alongside the river and out to the gazebo, so we decided to leave other group photos until later and go off with Zena and Scott right away. I did a quick change of clothes because there was a couple of shots I’d earmarked on my recce last week that meant clambering over a fence and across a muddy field and out into the river to get the right angle and vantage point. Don’t worry I’m meaning ME not Zena!

The autumn colours were superb and we got a great set of different photographs as we walked along and then inside and outside the gazebo. I positioned Zena by a fence that ran over a tiny waterfall, and also placed Scott in the gazebo entrance off in the background behind her. I then ran down stream a little ways, clambered over the afore mentioned fence, tramped across the sodden grass and arrived at the river bank. There is this stone wall thing that protrudes out into the river and by walking out onto it I was able to get to a unique vantage point where I could see Zena standing above the falls with the gazebo in behind her and Scott casually leaning in its entrance. I then took the shot which you can see posted with a telephoto lens, which I think has worked out really well and was worth all the effort.

The photograph you see with one of the castle turrets rising behind the bride and groom was one of the last I took before getting back into my suit for the wedding breakfast. I had to lay on the ground with the camera angled sharply up to create the exaggerated effect. This was another image I’d earmarked from last weeks visit and an another reason for the old clothes. Although Diane will tell you I do this type of shot quite regularly even without old clothes! lol

Speeches were before dinner and between Diane and myself we came away with a good variety of pictures. I would have
got more but the bestman cut his speech down a lot as a bat entered the room and flitted around the tables for several minutes before finally exiting after the hotel staff opened up a door. That was certainly one unique trick to save extensive embarrassment, Scott ;)

During the evening I did a few more groups requested by the family amongst my usual informal, reportage photographs. Also the cutting of the cake and of course the first dance. I finished up around quarter to nine as I had Melville Castle’s wedding fair to get ready for the following morning, which I’ll tell you more about next time. Scott and Zena’s private wedding gallery went online Monday evening and they’ll get their disc full of all the photographs as soon as they get back from honeymoon. I have to say a big Thank You to Scott and Zena and their families for inviting me and enjoying such a wonderful day and meeting so many of their other friends. I can’t wait to get to work on your album design!