Scotland wedding photographer

Highland Wedding Photographer – Brander Lodge.

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For all enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘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!

www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Lovely working with all of Sarah & Craig’s team of wedding suppliers:

Dress: The Bridal Courtyard

Kilts: HLH Hirewear

Cake: Northern Lights Cakery

Venue: The Brander Lodge Hotel & Bistro

Film: RMH Productions – Wedding Films

Make up & hair : Clare Pearson HairBridal hair by Laura

Flowers: The Thistle & The Rose

Registrar: Catherine Dodds Argyll and Bute Registrars

Piper: Angus MacColl

Torridon Wedding Photographer – Wedding Proposal.

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For all enquires: https://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk/

‘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!!’

For all enquires: https://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk/

Torridon Wedding Photographer- Boreland Loch Wedding

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For all wedding enquiries: https://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk/

‘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:

Humanist: 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀 ⋄ 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁

Venue: Boreland Loch Tay

Catering: Regis Banqueting Ltd

Flower Arch: Coach House Flowers

Bouquets: Gorgeous bouquets made by Barry’s Mum Isobel!

Wedding Dress: B I B I L U X E

Bride Heels: Esska Shoes

For all enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

The Brander Lodge Wedding – Taynuilt Wedding – Scotland Wedding Photographer.

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For all enquiries: http://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘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:

Hair – K.l.M Hair

Make up – Simone Carter

Registrar – Jean Campbell Argyll and Bute Registrars

Venue – The Brander Lodge Hotel & Bistro

Bouquets & Buttonholes – The Thistle & The Rose

Cake – Natalie’s Cupcakery

Piano Player & Singer – Andy Lucas Piano

Venue Flowers – Shona’s Auntie Fiona Cruickshanks

Arch for flowers -Shona’s Uncle David

Wedding Dress – Enchanted Bridal

Shoes & Hair piece – @WestEndWedddingBoutique

DJ – George Noble

Band – Hector McFadyen

For all booking enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Torridon Elopement Photographer – Scottish Highlands Elopement

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For all booking enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

“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.“

www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

For all booking enquires: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Glasgow Wedding Photographer – Sherbrooke Castle Hotel Wedding

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For all booking enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘Debbie photographed our wedding at the Sherbrooke castle. She was amazing!
From the very first meeting with Debbie we both felt at ease and knew we had picked the right person for the job. Our engagement shoot was a great way to get to know Debbie and get used to having our photos taken. She was professional, friendly, calm, reassuring and captured so many amazing moments for us and our loved ones. Our guests commented on the fact that she seemed to be able to be everywhere capturing candid moments but no one was intimated by the camera. Our pictures are exactly what we hoped for and more. Couldn’t recommend Debbie enough!’

Emma & James had a gorgeous wedding in Sherbrooke Castle earlier this year. The couple had around 60 guests, lots of lovely personal touches such as Emma’s Dad growing loads of succulent plants for the tables, lots of wee DIY bits Emma organised, loads of thought and it was beautiful. Also, love a modern wedding where the Bride team includes female and male friends and when the Bride does a speech like Emma did.

Emma & James planned a surprise for the dance which involved having James’s band ‘The Vintage Explosion’ playing at the start of the night, James got up to play a couple of songs with them on his Saxophone after the first dance. They were absolutely brilliant, definitely up there as one of the best bands I’ve heard at a wedding. Highly recommend checking out The Vintage Explosion!

Here’s some photos from Emma & James’s day and some great advice from them for other couples getting married…read on to the end:

Here’s what Emma & James had to say about their wedding:

1. Wedding planning…

It was stressful at times and sometimes a bit overwhelming but we really had fun planning everything. Picking everything and seeing it all come together was great! We are both super organised which helped and all the people we hired, like Debbie, were so helpful and gave us great advice which helped.

2. Outfit choices… 

We both wanted something quite traditional. The dress was the 4th one I tried on, knew I liked and didn’t want to muddy the waters looking elsewhere so took it home from ‘Wed 2 be’ that day. 

The suit was from ‘walker Slater’ and was exactly what we’d pictured. James family are English so he didn’t want to wear a kilt but The tie was Emma’s family tartan, bringing the Scottish side of our new family into the outfit.

4. Remember most…

There isn’t a specific moment, more just how amazing it all felt. But the time we had on our own to just take it all in was really special. 

5. The ceremony…

We had a humanist ceremony that spoke about how we met and our life together up until that point. We wanted to share why we were getting married and it to be personal to us. 

6. Advice for yourselves looking back…

It’s all worth it. And not everything will happen exactly as you want but chances are it’ll be better or you’ll not even notice. 

7. What advice (if any) would you give to couples planning their wedding?

Enjoy every bit of it. (And be a bit selfish, it’s your day so do it for you, not other people) 

Venue – Sherbrooke Castle Hotel

Bridal Hair – Blush By Una Boag

Cake – Kirsty at Yolk and pod bakery

Humanist – Evonne McLaughlin – Humanist Celebrant

Flowers – Barbara logie

DJ – Robert low Lomond Entertainments

James’s Band – The Vintage Explosion🎷🎷🎷

www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Puilladobhrain, Isle of Seil Wedding

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For all booking enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘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:

Flowers – https://www.thethistleandtherose.co.uk/

Humanist – https://www.facebook.com/penny.earle.humanist.celebrant/?locale=en_GB

Travel – Highland Rover Loch Awe

Dinner Venue – https://tighantruish.co.uk/

www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Scotland Engagement/Pre Wedding Shoot Locations

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Nature inspired, emotional photography for Scotland – Debbie Thornton Photography

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!

The places I’ve shared here are also great Scotland wedding and elopement photography locations.

If you would like help planning your engagement, wedding or elopement in Scotland then feel free to get in touch: www.debbiethortntonphotography.co.uk

WEST Brewery Wedding – Glasgow

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For all enquiries: debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

“Debbie was the photographer for our wedding at the WEST brewery in Glasgow. Debbie was fantastic in every way. She made us feel at ease before the wedding when we first met her. On the actual day Debbie made sure to capture the fun and spirit of the day. The colours and quality of the photos are incredible and we will treasure the photos forever. We wouldn’t hesitate on recommending Debbie to any other couples who want beautiful, natural photos of their special day.”

Claire & Alex, The West Brewery, Glasgow.

This was one unbelievably brilliant wedding, it was stunning, the people were so much fun and there was just right amount of madness!

Claire & Alex first met while studying at Cambridge. They bonded over the song Angels by Robbie Williams one night after a few drinks (they were belting out that song one night together as told during the speeches by bridesmaid Jessica) and the rest is history.

They held their wedding in The West Brewery in Glasgow as they felt it was a good representation of them both mixing their cultures from Scotland and Germany… plus they love Beer!

The ceremony was beautiful, Claire & Alex had a mix of traditions from handfasting and a whisky filled Quaich from Scotland then to represent Alex’s German heritage they both had to drink from a Numberg Bridal Cup and Baumstamm sägen (log sawing), everyone went outside to watch Claire and Alex saw a big log to show they will always work together in their marriage. It was brilliant fun!

Later after their meal and speeches, Alex’s sister Julie had organised some wedding games as this is the tradition in Germany and they were absolutely hilarious!

After the games everyone danced the night away at the ceilidh.

It was a perfect day.

Claire & Alex had a great team of wedding suppliers:

Venue – West Brewery

Humanist – Susan IHC Humanist Celebrant

Hair & Make up – The Blushed Bride

Flowers – Fleur and Blume

Cakes – The Little Cake Parlour Glasgow

Band – Stirling Celildh Band

Loch Melfort Hotel Wedding – Arduaine

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For all enquiries: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

“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:

Hair – K.l.M Hair

Flowers – by Katie the bride

Venue – Loch Melfort Hotel and Restaurant

Humanist – Shona Sharp Humanist Celebrant

www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk