‘Debbie was our photographer for our wedding in May 2023 and we could not be any more pleased with our decision to book Debbie! Debbie was so calm and efficient throughout the day; despite experiencing a punctured tyre on the way to the venue, she still arrived on time!…Debbie has a real skill at being able to blend into the day well and organise photos calmly and with ease- we received so many compliments from guests around how likeable Debbie was. Debbie makes a huge effort to get to know the bridal/groom party’s families/friends which made for huge success with the formal photos. Debbie was able to articulate who she needed for photos by their name which made the formal photo process quick. We are over the moon with the photos and feel Debbie has captured the day so well- we have a great mix of formal photos as well as natural photos that show everyone’s personalities. It’s 2 months since we got married and we still find ourselves going through all the photos and enjoying them….Debbie is a wonderful photographer who was an asset to our day – we could not have imagined any other photographer being there!…..Thank you for everything Debbie!’
They were both working in Lochgilphead when Craig eventually worked up the courage to ask Sarah if she’d like to go on a hill walk with him, she said yes but the actual truth is that Craig is not a fan of hills or walking…at all…he was just trying to impress Sarah and thankfully it worked. Sarah says ‘it’s the first and very last time Craig’s been enthusiastic about going on a walk’
Their wedding was absolutely stunning and so emotional, it’s always lovely when couples write their own vows.
‘Exactly 4 years to this day, I knew instantly that we felt right together and that never changed. You have always showed me how much you care and never fail to make me feel safe and loved. You show me this through the seemingly little, but significant things you do – the dedication you showed driving 6 hours just to see me for 1 – the compromise you show for agreeing to go on long walks, even though you couldn’t think of anything worse. I am forever grateful for you.’
It was a perfect day with a brilliant group of people!
‘Oh my goodness! So incredibly gorgeous! Your artistry captured not only the rugged beauty of the environment, but everyone’s individual personalities shine as well. It will take a while to choose our favorites. Every photograph is more stunning than the last! You were a pleasure to work with and worked unobtrusively and efficiently (both shooting and editing). It was a pleasure enjoying our special day with you! Now if we can only figure out a way to export you to the US, to photograph the wedding!’
This was amazing!
The Isle of Luing is absolutely stunning, wow what a beautiful untouched Island it’s perfect. This was the first time I’d visited the Island, which is shocking really considering I’m from Oban (but based in the Highlands) and lived a short distance away for the majority of my life… but I would say I’m not as bad as the folk who live in Oban and have never been to the Isle of Kerrera – you know who you are, ha! I highly recommend a visit to the Isle of Luing, this was such a brilliant day and I can’t wait to go back.
Brett & Kaitlin travelled from New Jersey USA with Brett’s family to the stunning Isle of Luing where his ancestors are from, Brett’s family name is Luing – how cool is that!?- and I was told by the family – his parents Kevin & Trisha that ‘during one of the ancient invasions, the residents left the island… The Luing name begins to appear on the Steeple Barton church records in the 1600’s. It is assumed that the families who fled, adopted the name of the island, in an attempt to locate others who also originated on Luing, or to honour their origin….This visit is a continuation of family tradition, honouring the Luing family roots.’
The family wanted a photo-shoot to mark this special visit as the last time they were here was around 20 years ago. Also, Brett was planning on asking Kaitlin to marry him so I was to be ready to capture the moment. Luckily Kaitlin knew I’d be there on the day taking photos of the family so I didn’t have to hide in any bushes or under water on this occasion.
Shortly after I’d arrived and been introduced to everyone, Brett took Kaitlin outside their gorgeous holiday accommodation, Ardlarach Lodge and had a wee walk looking the beautiful view while I took some shots…. really we’re all waiting for the big moment with Brett’s family hiding looking out the windows in the Lodge. The next thing Brett takes Kaitlin’s hand in his and starts to get down on one knee, to say Kaitlin was shocked is the under statement of the century she just kept her hand over mouth and had the biggest eyes and smile on her face. Kaitlin even looks away laughing with pure happiness at one point and no doubt taking it all in. Brett tells Kaitlin he loves her and asks her to marry him and… she says YES!
‘Brett Luing – I cannot wait to marry you! You are all I’ve ever dreamed of & so much more! You are exactly who I’ve prayed for my entire life and a Luing Island proposal was just the icing on the cake. So ready to join the Luing family!!‘
After the massive congratulations from the family, lots of staring at that gorgeous diamond marquise stone ring, more photos and champagne at the Lodge, we all went on a tour round the island in the mini bus the family hired to travel to some of the other amazing photo locations on the Island.
I’ll give a wee shout out to the lovely wee dog that appears in some of the photos, this is not the family’s dog but it was more than happy to appear in some of their photos as if it was!
It was an amazing day and here’s some of their photos:
‘These are beyond perfect – thank you for capturing this special day so well!!’
I had the best time photographing Yota & Tony, they are such an amazing couple and as soon as we met I knew they were my kind of people! They are so in love, laid back, so funny and were wonderful to photograph at the Botanic Gardens.
Yota & Tony are both from Greece but decided that Scotland is the place where they want to be married, Yota recently graduated in Glasgow and they both love the city so planned their beautiful wedding at the Oran Mhor. Talking to them about their wedding plans they said they really wanted a chilled out wee wedding day, which they did have and I’ll be blogging soon!
‘Oh my goodness Debbie…I’m bawling crying… can’t thank you enough… absolutely blown away. You were brilliant, absolutely brilliant in every way to have at our wedding and the photos are just more than I could have expected….‘
Barry & Eilidh are a wonderful couple who didn’t think they wanted a photographer at first when they started planning their wedding, maybe visions of Old School wedding photographers getting guests to stand about for ages for photos was on their minds…that is not me and luckily Eilidh’s Mum Lindsey convinced them otherwise.
These two are so laid back and when we chatted about their plans, they told me their ‘preference is definitely towards candid shots, with a few posed (family) ones just to ensure the parents having one for the mantelpiece!’.
On the day of their wedding it was perfect, the location of Boreland is amazing it has the best views of Loch Tay on the edge of the Highlands. Everything is in the one venue, ie they can accommodate up to 70 guests staying on site which made for a really relaxed morning, this is great for couples and great to photograph. Another good thing about Boreland is it’s pet friendly so there was dogs in attendance at the wedding.
At the ceremony Eilidh and Barry’s wee dog walked Eilidh down the aisle with her Dad, it was a beautiful moment. When Eilidh starts to walk down the aisle and sees Barry, it was stunning and you can see this in the photos.
‘Our journey is so beautiful, unique and full to the brim with joy & love’.
The couple had a wonderful Humanist for their ceremony called Mairi Phillips. Mairi was absolutely brilliant, as you’ll see from the Barry and Eilidh’s reactions. The story of how the couple met is wonderful – First meeting while Eilidh was working at a kids clothing shop in Edinburgh, but this was no ordinary kids clothing shop…as it threw banging parties where staff and customers hit it off, they would talk for hours and share first kisses on the front steps and this is the story of how Barry & Eilidh first met. The couple’s daughter Bea was involved in a big part of the ceremony where they had a handfasting, this is a tradition in the Highlands and symbolizes the couple coming together, materials representing their clans and for them to tie the knot.
It was a real joy to photograph Barry & Eilidh with their family and friends. Here’s a wee look at their amazing wedding day:
Huge shout out to the couple’s fab team of wedding suppliers:
‘Alastair and I want to say a huge thank you, we were able to re-live the happiest day all over again looking through our wedding gallery, you’ve done the most amazing job. We feel so lucky to have you as our wedding photographer, you’ve captured our favourite moments so naturally and we wouldn’t have felt so at ease if it hadn’t have been for you…. having our photo taken doesn’t come naturally to either of us. You really are so talented and such a lovely person to have around too! We hope to see you at future weddings for family or friends, we cannot recommend you enough!
Shona & Alastair got in touch with me before they’d even booked their venue, they knew where they wanted to have their wedding but hadn’t quite settled on a date yet. When they first got in touch they said I’d been recommended to them and they loved that I capture how happy everyone looks on their wedding day.
We met at their venue quite a wee while before the wedding and we got on great, I knew from then that their wedding was going to be amazing. They’re a very laid back couple and they wanted their wedding day to be a relaxed day and for everyone to enjoy themselves – which they all did!
Shona & Alastair’s wedding had lots of personal touches from family with Aunty Fiona creating stunning flower displays for the arches and tables- they were beautiful and she said she just does it for fun, Uncle David created the arch to hold the flowers for the ceremony and Shona’s Mum Kirsty making all the gorgeous Shortbread favours. Alastair’s Mum Morven and Dad George were also a great help to the couple in the lead up to the wedding and luckily live not to far away from them or their venue. Really wonderful families!
The couple’s Argyll & Bute registrar Jean was the lady who had registered Shona’s birth and now she was conducting her wedding, it was amazing! Jean’s ceremony was so lovely.
After the ceremony the couple wanted to make sure they got to chat with their guests so they had a few drinks, relaxed and mingled before we headed off to visit Alastair’s Grandpa at his home. Alastair’s Grandpa hadn’t been too well at the time so unfortunately couldn’t make the wedding ceremony but he was absolutely brilliant fun when we arrived at his farm to see him – I was warned beforehand that I wasn’t to mention who my Connel family connections were because we had limited time and he’d keep us there all day haha what a laugh they had with him. He was making fun of them when I was taking a few shots by the classic Red Telephone Box…always wanted to photograph a couple by one of these and he had one on this farm!
The speeches were brilliant from Shona’s Dad Alasdair, the Groom Alastair and the best man Duncan, they were heartfelt and very funny.
We went for a wee wander outside the venue after dinner for some photos – the meal was lovely shout out The Brander Lodge and Shona & Alastair for providing a really tasty 3 course meal.
In the evening the couple danced the night way to music from the Oban legend DJ George Noble and then ceilidh-ed the night away into the early hours with their guests, perfection!
Here’s a wee look their beautiful day with all Shona & Alastair’s suppliers credit at the end:
Huge shout out to all Shona & Alastair’s wedding suppliers:
‘My gosh, I cannot say enough about Debbie. She is so kind, sweet and she has quite an eye. She took two of the most camera-awkward introverted people and made them look AWESOME in photos!!!! My husband and I were so happy when we looked at the ones she took of our vow renewal that we teared up. Debbie captures the natural, beautiful moments without making it feel forced or intrusive. She was also willing to drive us to different desired locations, and even dropped us at Oban Distillery on her way to another photo shoot. Debbie, you were the right choice. We cannot thank you enough!’
I usually write a wee bit about couples here but instead I’m going to let Jen & Erik tell you their story because when I asked them if I could write a blog post about their day, I was absolutely blown away by the response and I’ve shared it here. Jen & Erik you are the most stunning, kind human beings and I have loved getting to know you both, thank you for trusting me and thank you so much Jen for taking the time to share your story….
Erik was the first person I called when I found out I had tested positive for BRCA 1. He has been there for me through 2 major life changing surgeries. I have been there for him for the loss of his first family members. We have weathered some really difficult times together. And through it all, he has said “I love you” every day to me and called me beautiful, no matter what I looked like, how crummy I was feeling, if it was a good day or a bad day. He has held my hand through cancer and helped me survive. He has healed my heart and soul and been my rock during the darkest moments of fear and sorrow. Being a team is what matters to us most, being there for each other not just during the fun and easy moments but the really hard ones. That’s when you find out what your love is truly made of.…
Erik was the handsome man that I saw through the classroom window while at work study. I was the short shy girl he passed by while heading out of his engineering class. He smiled at me, I smiled at him and we didn’t officially meet until the end of 2009, at a graduation party. I had just gotten through the loss of my 44 year old mother to breast cancer and my first year of Dental Hygiene school and he was graduating from college and moving on to his new job in Manchester NH. We were on different paths, and dating other people at the time. The stars hadn’t yet aligned.
In 2010 I had just graduated college, gotten my first job as a hygienist and was getting into my new life in Barre, VT. I loved my independence and freedom and having just gotten out of a string of unhealthy and unsuccessful relationships, had no desire for anything serious. One evening, I happened to be perusing Facebook, (as you do), and found Erik’s profile on my friend’s page. I clicked my mouse and was instantly brought back to the graduation party the previous year….
He was there, leaning against the bathroom door, blue eyes staring right back at me. I smiled, he smiled, we made little conversation which I cannot remember now, but there was that warm unmistakable flutter in my chest as I felt the instant connection, like meeting a long lost lover or best friend from another life. I remember thinking “what a smile! I hope she knows just how lucky she is.” His girlfriend exited the bathroom, he took her hand and away they went.
My plate was full, I was getting used to my new life and growing into myself. But, I also knew that there was something I needed that I hadn’t yet found. And when I saw Erik’s profile picture staring back at me, I decided to reach out to my friend Chris.
“Ah yes, Mr. Erik! Hmmm well you know, you’re both single now, you should get together!” He had said jokingly. Chris knew I’d had a little crush on Erik in college. He also mentioned that Erik was going to be moving to Florida for a job soon. It seemed the perfect time to have a little fun.
“Well, you should let him know I’m interested!” I said, only half serious. “Man he’s just gorgeous!”
Chris laughed, I laughed and we ended the conversation. A week later I received Erik’s friend request on Facebook. Our first official date was on my birthday in June of 2010 and it turns out Erik didn’t end up moving to Florida after all. 🙂
We got married in 2012, under a big maple tree on Lake Champlain, near our new home with our new westie pup Baxter. I wore a white sundress, Erik wore khaki pants and a white dress shirt. It was a no frills kind of wedding since we are both introverts and shy, and were broke. Afterward we got creamees and had some close friends and family in our backyard for a barbeque. We remember the sky was blue, there was a light warm breeze and the sun was out. It had been a simple and perfect day with the ones we loved. Over the next several years we built our lives together.
Once when I was younger I had been at a Barnes and Noble gift store, perusing the shelves for my next reading endeavor. Somehow I always wound up wandering the travel aisle with a caramel macchiato in my hand. That day I happened upon a book on Scotland, and on the front cover was a photo of Glencoe. Flipping through the pages of that book a dream formed in my mind; I was hiking Glencoe in the rain and visiting castles. And later after falling in love with the Outlander novels, I was traveling through the standing stones back in time.
Traveling has always been an important part of our memories together. Erik’s first step into the ocean was on our trip to Hampton Beach, NH and the first time we climbed Camel’s Hump mountain, all 4,083 feet of it, was together. So, after seeing some of The Grand Canyon out west and rafting the Colorado River, touring Las Vegas and kayaking Lake Powell, hiking mountains in the northeast United States, and visiting the beautiful waterfalls and gorges in the Finger Lakes of NY, we decided it was time to do our first international trip. In 2020 we started to build an itinerary for our trip to Scotland with a plan to visit for our 10th wedding anniversary in September of 2022.
In March of 2020 the Covid pandemic hit, and in late September I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Our world was turned upside down in an instant, and our dreams of visiting Scotland took a backseat. The new plan became ‘keeping Jen alive’. The next few years were a living hell filled with tests, scans, chemotherapy appointments and what-ifs, but the dream of going to Scotland still filled our hearts. Erik and I truly believe having something beautiful to look forward to was a big part of what kept us going through it all. We always had to have a plan. And when the clouds finally parted and our darkest moments started to brighten again, Scotland was our ticket to starting anew. We were going to flip the bird at cancer and renew our wedding vows at a damn castle. Come hell or high water, we were doing it, and we would leave no stone unturned. We chose Barcaldine Castle because it was simply beautiful, seemingly off the beaten path, near a loch. It was the perfect place for two people in love, quiet, tucked away amongst the trees and beauty of the land.
Our vow renewal was on September 2, 2023, our 11th wedding anniversary and my 3rd year officially cancer free. It was a clear, blue-skied sunny afternoon, just like on our wedding day. As we looked at each other and said our vows, the emotions came flooding out. We looked at each other with nothing but love and gratefulness, happiness and hope. Earlier that morning I told Erik again that I loved him more than I did the first time I married him. It’s because of everything we had been through together, and everything we are bound to experience together going forward. We both knew that even after 13 years we still wanted to share everything together. That’s what I remember most of that day, the look in my husband’s eyes as he held my hand in his, just as he always does, and just how perfect the day was.
Our advice for other couples hoping to get married or renew their vows in Scotland – JUST DO IT! DO ALL THE THINGS! It is the most romantic place, anywhere you choose will be beautiful. Any weather will be perfect, you will be amongst the castles and fields of heather, and a place that has seen so much history. One thing to be sure of is don’t miss the islands on your trip. They were the most magical for us.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Jen & Erik’s story. The couple’s wedding day suppliers were:
“There aren’t enough stars I can give Debbie as a rating, she was just faultless start to finish. We eloped just the 2 of us, and Debbie calmed my nerves all morning, orchestrated the nervous pacing groom and understood what we wanted without us having to even speak. She captured our vibe perfectly, and understood exactly how we wanted the day to be captured. The photos honestly took our breath away, nothing was too much. Debbie and her husband even drove us down to a nearby Loch we wanted to capture some photos at. Not only is Debbie an amazing photographer but she is always a genuinely lovely person. Really couldn’t recommend her enough!”
Amy & Tyler eloped last month to the Scottish Highlands and it was a perfect day!
Their story:
Back in the days of Blackberry Messenger Amy’s details were put out by a friend and Tyler reached out to her for a date. The plan was that Tyler would take Amy to see The Hobbit at the Cinema but unbeknown to Tyler, Amy really really didn’t want to see The Hobbit so she missed her bus on purpose and turned up over 2 hours late…but Tyler waited the 2 hours and 10 years later here they are eloping to the Scottish Highlands.
They held their ceremony in the garden of their wee holiday cottage in Whitebridge and it was stunning. It was lovely to work alongside Alyson Stewart Humanist Celebrant again who is amazing!Amy and Tyler had a proper Highland ceremony with a few traditions such as drinking from the Quaich, a Handfasting and Oathing Stone it was beautiful.
The couple asked me to be one of their witnesses which is always an honour.
“Debbie you’ve blown us away. We love every single one. It’s exactly the type of vibe/ mood we wanted. I’m genuinely in love with every single picture. We are both in tears again looking through them lol. Thank you so much for capturing exactly what we wanted.“
I am based in Wester Ross and some of the areas I cover are Torridon Wedding Photographer, Shieldaig Wedding Photographer, Kinlochewe Wedding Photographer, Gairloch Wedding Photographer, Achnasheen Wedding Photographer, Poolewe Wedding Photographer, Ullapool Wedding Photographer, Achmelvich Wedding Photographer and Applecross Wedding Photographer.
“…they are GORGEOUS!!!! …you did such an incredible job capturing the love, emotion and joy of the day!! I am seriously in love with our entire gallery…”
This wedding was unreal at Dunnet Head Lighthouse, the most northerly point of Scotland.
First meeting 20 years ago while both working in Italy, ‘a love story in the making’ as Lisa says… they were separated by distance living in different parts of the world with Lisa in America and Roger in Scotland. Life happened then a worldwide pandemic brought them back together.
When Lisa & Roger got in touch with me they said ‘We are looking for a photographer to capture the day in a natural and intimate way as we are joining together our lives, families and cultures. Your work is beautiful and feel that it’s exactly the style that we are looking for!’
The couple took on the mammoth task of organising not only 1 but 2 weddings in separate countries, Scotland and America, in the same year! The first wedding celebration was in Caithness as this is where Roger is from and wow what a place for wedding, it is absolutely gorgeous! Even in the pouring rain it’s gorgeous, we made that lovely discovery on the day.
It was touch and go at point whether the Caithness wedding would go actually ahead because Lisa’s visa didn’t arrive….until 30 MINUTES before her flight was due to take off to Scotland and then sadly some of Lisa’s families flights from America got cancelled but they all got there in the end and it was unbelievable. Lisa & Roger have so much love for each other everything just fell into place on the day and it was truly beautiful..
On the wedding day, they planned to have the ceremony outside but the weather was in true Scottish style a bit wild so they opted to move the ceremony to the wee Lighthouse event space which was decorated with lots of fairy lights, it was beautiful. The couple wrote their own vows and Lisa ended hers by telling Roger ‘It’s always been you‘…stunning.
After the ceremony we went on a wee adventure down to the shoreline for photos and explored the moorland it was amazing. Huge shout out to Lisa’s amazing friend Kelly who helped organised so much on the day and drove the couple and myself to the locations.
A wee bit of a shocker was that all the electricity cut off after the ceremony due to the wild weather so the speeches were done by candle light. Shout out to Norseman Hotel – The Caithness Collection who managed to cook an amazing meal for everyone from one of the Lighthouse Keepers wee cottages next door! And to K.G Events and Graham of Dynamic Sounds who got the electricity back on in time for the first dance, phew!
‘They are wonderful. Really love how they are so naturally captured, wonderful As is the video, thank you so much!!! Really looking forward to go through all with my grandma! Take good care and thank you again for your wonderful photos…’
It was an absolute pleasure to photograph Yasmine & Hugo’s wedding! I especially loved meeting their big softy dog ‘Finn’ who was their ring bearer.
The couple had a small outdoor humanist ceremony with their family and friends at Puilladobhrain which translates as ‘The Pool of the otter’, it so was beautiful.
Their ceremony had a mix of Scottish and German traditions; ‘cutting the lumber’ was very funny to watch, picture the Chuckle Brothers ‘to me to you’ and picture this lovely couple with a bow saw and thick branch.
They laughed so much and they were a joy to photograph.
Yasmine & Hugo had a great team of wedding suppliers:
Couples shoots are one of my absolute favourite things to do as a Scotland Wedding Photographer At shoots with me we are essentially just going for a wander somewhere in the wilderness and I take shots of you together before you become Mr & Mrs, Mrs & Mrs or Mr & Mr.
Scotland is a total dream for couples shoots, weddings and elopements because there’s so many beautiful locations whether you are in the City, the coast, the Highlands or Islands, it’s all good and you’ll see a wee range of places here.
The engagement shoot is a beautiful thing and I highly recommended it if you are nervous about having your photo taken, by doing this type of shoot it takes away the awkwardness you might feel from your photographer just turning up on your wedding day or any stress you might feel thinking about the camera being there at your wedding. At the shoot you’ll see how your photographer works putting you at ease, it’s a photographer’s job to get the best from you so if you love their work then trust you’ll be in good hands and just be yourselves. I like to take a laid back, calm approach to all my shoots and I capture so many beautiful wee moments.
I would recommend having an engagement shoot if you can have one with your photographer. I have a few engagement shoot options that can be booked separately as a gift for a couple or added as part of a wedding package.
In this post I wanted to share some of the engagement shoots I’ve photographed to give you an idea of some of the amazing locations here in Scotland.
Here’s a wee look at some of the places:
Glencoe
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Outer Hebrides – Isle of North Uist
Troon
Inveraray – Dun Na Cuaiche
Culzean Castle
West Kilbride – The Waterside
Glen Dubh
Inner Hebrides –Isle of Kerrera
Oban
If it rains on your shoot day the sky can be so atmospheric and it makes for great photos so I would recommend just going for it. The photos of Lawrie & Ally in the Isle of Kerrera and of Amber and Dave in Oban, both those days were really wet but look at the couples all happy and not giving a two hoots about it!
Debbie Thornton Photography 