“What incredible photos…You are very talented! Such a lovely way to capture the day. Thank you so much.”
James & Katie wanted to have a wee wedding on the West Coast as James’s family is from the area. Katie searched the internet and discovered Arduaine Gardens and the Loch Melfort was the perfect location for the couple. The couple discovered that the Loch Melfort hotel was where James’s family had their honeymoon but they no clue about this until after they booked and also it’s the exact same area where James would holiday as a child…it was obviously meant to be.
Their wedding was beautiful! It was really relaxed and over looking the sea.
James & Katie travelled up from Leeds with their immediate family to have their Humanist ceremony by the lovely Shona Sharp (Highly Recommend!). Their ceremony included two Highland traditions with a Handfasting and sharing a Quaich they also had their nephew as their ring bearer which was lovely.
I love a wee relaxed wedding by the sea and this was perfect!
Lovely to work with Katie & James’s wedding suppliers:
“…Our wedding was a small elopement and we wanted a personal natural style of photographs. Debbie, right away made us feel very comfortable. Despite the weather taking a turn for the worse, she managed to bring the best out of us and the scenery and even got us a trip on the local small passenger ferry leading to fun and unexpected photographs. Her photography captured just what we hoped for and more in those special moments she saw that you don’t get from a set pose. Her service throughout from start to final follow up was excellent and we are delighted with our photographs. Debbie’s photography is excellent and we would highly recommend her. Thanks Debbie for adding to our amazing day”
When Rosie & Ian first contacted me they said they were looking for natural photos of their highland elopement ‘We’d like someone who’d be able to capture our happiness in an informal way…. We love Port Appin and the scenery there and hoping the weather is kind.’ The weather being kind hmmm I mean Billy Connolly says ‘There’s two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter’ Rosie and Ian were eloping in March.
It’s always a joy for me to hear how couples first met, especially if there’s a bit of a love story. Rosie & Ian were friends in school then they went away lived life and lost touch for years…until 8 years ago when Ian moved back to their home town and they found each other again through Facebook. Now they were having a real elopement, they didn’t tell anyone and ran away to the Highlands for the ceremony just the two of them. I LOVE ELOPEMENTS exactly for this reason, it’s so romantic!
So the weather, eh, on the day of their elopement there was torrential rain but they ended up not caring at all and for me as their photographer this was amazing as it meant they were game for a wee bit of an adventure in the rain.
Rosie & Ian held their ceremony in The Pierhouse at Port Appin which is a great wee venue for small weddings, they asked two of the staff to be their witnesses. It was a lovely ceremony (as always) by Argyll Registrar Fiona Dickie. The couple had a handfasting ceremony, which is a tradition in the Highlands where the the couple’s hands are tied with two pieces of tartan to form a knot and this where the phrase ‘tying the knot’ comes from. The handfasting symbolizes the coming together of the two clans, it’s really beautiful and always a special moment to photograph.
In front of The Pierhouse is where you catch the ferry over to the Isle of Lismore, there was no way I wasn’t getting these two on that ferry! They loved the trip over and laughed so much. Big thanks to Allan and Lyle who were working on the Lismore Passenger ferry and gave Rosie & Ian a wee shot of steering the boat. It was a really brilliant day!
“Debbie was perfect for our wedding and we can’t recommend her enough…. We eloped to theCairngorms and only had five guests, so we hoped we’d get on well with our photographer – Debbie fitted in brilliantly on the day and felt like our sixth guest. She was happy to chat with everyone, help with buttonholes and always knew how to capture the day without the camera becoming the focus. We love Debbie’s eye for natural photography – our favourite shots were when we had no idea they were being taken! She was happy to lace up her boots and trample around in the forest or balance on stepping stones in the river to get the right angle – she even went the literal extra mile to capture our walk into Ballater for dinner. We love the finished photographs – Debbie had taken our thoughts and ideas and added her own style and expertise to make a perfect memory. We treasure the physical photos and Debbie made it so easy to share the digital versions with friends and family online. The short film of video clips was a brilliant addition that we’d never thought of but are so grateful to have. In short, Debbie was the perfect choice and we’d tell anyone looking for a recommendation to ask if she’s available at once!”
Rosie and Jon wanted a beautiful wedding with adventure and they certainly got that by eloping to Scotland. The couple held their ceremony in the Cairngorms with some of their close friends and then travelled around Scotland for a few weeks, that’s how to do it!
The joy of eloping is that your wedding is so wee there’s not too much to worry about. Rosie and Jon booked a beautiful holiday cottage in Ballater and they got married in the garden with the amazing views of the hills and the peaceful landscape, it was so beautiful.
“We got engaged in December 2019 and planned our wedding and reception for June 2021 in the Midlands. Towards the end of 2020 though, we realised that probably wouldn’t be possible with COVID. We didn’t want to delay so we decided instead to elope to Scotland with a handful of friends. At first we were sad we couldn’t have the wedding we’d planned, but gradually we realised it gave us the chance to focus on those things most important to us. We were able to get married outside in the beautiful Cairngorms and spend quality time with a handful of special people. Planning became much easier and there was little to do in the run up and on the day except to just enjoy it.”
“ After months of lockdown it was wonderful to get dressed up and celebrate, in person, with people who are so special to us.”
“…we’d tell ourselves not to sweat the little things – they’ll either work out on the day or they weren’t that important anyway. Enjoy every moment.“
“It’s impossible to pick a favourite photograph but this one stands out because it captures how lucky we were: to get married outside, in stunning Scotland, with kind friends, a warm registrar and a talented photographer (and it didn’t rain!)“
“In the build-up we thought a lot about the little details that would make the day memorable but what we remember most from the day was joy and laughter with friends.“
“We walked to the pub in our dresses and suits and finished the day in a hot tub in the garden where we got married. We’d do it all again tomorrow.“
So there you go, a stunning Cairngorms elopement. Loved it!
Debbie Thornton Photography 