Scottish wedding photographer

Cairngorms Elopement, Scottish Highlands

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

For all booking enquiries contact me via: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

“Debbie was perfect for our wedding and we can’t recommend her enough…. We eloped to the Cairngorms 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!

For booking enquires contact me at www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Alison and Andrew, Isle of Seil Wedding, Scotland.

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

For all booking enquiries contact me via: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘We first met Debbie for our engagement shoot which was included in the wedding package we had picked, I was very nervous as I never enjoy having my pictures taken. Debbie put me at ease straight away and I ended up really enjoying the whole experience, and the photos were amazing and I felt so relaxed the whole time. When it came to the wedding day I had no nerves about photos, Debbie was fantastic and captured our day perfectly and we really couldn’t of asked for any more from her. She really went above and beyond for us and we loved having her with us on our big day!‘

Alison and Andrew started planning their wedding for 2021 during the first lockdown, little did they, and we all, know that things for some time would be forever changing for wedding restrictions. However they adapted their wedding plans, changing from having a large wedding to a more intimate one and it was so amazing!

‘Of course organising a wedding in the middle of a pandemic was a tad challenging at times, but other than that the only difficulty we faced was Andy trying to pick the right tweed to make his kilt jacket, I was much quicker picking my dress!!’

‘what we most remember from our day is just how happy everyone was to be together after such a long time.’

‘We found the whole wedding process both stressful and exciting.  

‘If we had to do it all over again we would just try to enjoy the whole process as everything comes together in the end.’

‘We could only have a small wedding.. but even without the restrictions we had to follow, we wouldn’t change a thing.’

‘Some of our favourite photos are of our guests hugging as the wedding was just days after the announcement that we could.’ 

‘Our wedding was full of love and laughter from beginning to end.’

‘the best advice about planning a wedding we were given and would pass on is that it’s “your day” and to do it exactly as you both want it to be.‘

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

Alison and Andrew had an amazing team of wedding suppliers:

Venue – Tigh an Truish
Celebrant – Argyll and Bute Registrars
Flowers – The Thistle & The Rose
Dress – WED2B
Wedding Hair – Kelly-louise McCluskey Hayley Edwards 
Make-up Bride Mairi MacDonald Makeup and Gemma Mckie Makeup (Bridesmaids) 
Wee Bay Teepees
Piper –Macgregor Piping

Kelly and Scott, East Coast Wedding, Scotland.

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

For all booking enquiries contact me via: www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

‘With only 5 weeks notice Debbie was more than happy to accommodate our new arrangements and travel up to Banff for our wedding. My husband and I are not the most comfortable in front of the camera. Debbie made us feel so at ease and became part of the family for the day. To say that she captured every moment would be a understatement. The photos and video montage are better than we could have ever imagined and it has really encapsulated our special family filled day. We are beyond thrilled and thankful.’

To say it’s been difficult for couples planning weddings over the past couple of years is the understatement of the century. Covid 19 has caused more than a few problems for people. However some couples, such as Kelly and Scott, have managed to roll with it and they have not let anything stop them having the most beautiful wedding!

Kelly and Scott both have large families so they had planned to have a big family filled wedding in Glasgow but when Covid happened they altered their plans to accommodate a small wedding instead, they said they would be keeping their wedding date whatever happens, they wanted to be married and that’s what it’s all about.

Kelly’s family are originally from Banff and her Grandparents still live there. The couple decided weeks before to move their small wedding from Glasgow up to Banff so that Kelly’s Grandparents could attend and it was the best decision because not only could Kelly’s family attend but the weather in Banff was amazing. What a stunning place and to be beside the sea, it was absolutely gorgeous!

‘During the planning process we were surprised how easy it was to initially plan the wedding when you have the right people there to help you along the way. Scott and I are not traditionally the ‘wedding’ type, however due to large families on both sides we planned a big wedding in Glasgow. Due to the global pandemic happening in 2020, we decided at last minute to rearrange our entire wedding and move it up north so family could attend ( as you can imagine, we were secretly thrilled as a small wedding was more up our street). As we had the best people working alongside us, the process of changing wedding plans with 1 month to go was surprisingly easy.‘

Kelly and Scott had so many special moments throughout their wedding such as Scott’s Mum Margaret’s reading at the ceremony has to be one of the best I’ve ever heard, funny, lots of love and it was completely from the heart. Also, during their ceremony Kelly’s Grannie had written a poem which she read out in Doric (Doric is a Scottish dialect spoken in the northeast of Scotland) and it was brilliant, everyone was laughing and absolutely loved it!

‘Our most vivid memory was after the ceremony when all family and friends met outside on the patio for some drinks. We were both surprised when further family and friends who were not able to attend due to COVID restrictions were hiding outside to surprise us. Debbie captured that moment beautifully and it will stay with us forever.’


Kelly’s Grandad loves his harmonica also known as his ‘Moothie’ so he played a brilliant tune for the happy couple as they were being seated for their meal and speeches. Kelly’s Dad Stephen’s speech was beautiful and very heartfelt, obviously Kelly means a lot to him being his daughter and the wedding had more special meaning to Stephen and Lynne (Kelly’s parents) as they are from Banff, so they were extremely happy that the wedding was taking place there.

‘…Scott and I were not the typical wedding folk. After going back and forth trying to come up with a wedding that would suit us and our family, our advice to couples is to do it how you want. The only way you are going to enjoy your day is if you have the wedding that you wanted all along.’

This is one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever photographed!

Kelly and Scott had an amazing team of wedding suppliers: Ceremony venue & Accommodation: The Banff Springs Hotel https://thebanffsprings.co.uk/ (highly recommend this as a wedding venue. Sarah the wedding events manager was a joy to work alongside!)

Celebrant: Lynne from Aberdeenshire Registrars

Bridal Hair: Zoe Gordon https://www.facebook.com/Zoe-Gordon-Special-Occasion-Hair-1378942375455322/

Wedding Cake: Millennial Menu https://www.facebook.com/Millennial.menu.23/

Flowers: Love For Flowers https://www.facebook.com/loveforflowers2/

Wedding Decor: 3 Tiers https://www.3tierscreative.co.uk/

For all booking enquiries you can contact me via http://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Oban Wedding Photographer. Alison and Andrew, Ellenabeich, Isle of Seil.

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

For all booking enquiries contact via: https://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk/

Dramatic sky, stunning rugged landscape and a couple in-love.

It was great to finally meet up with Alison, Andrew and their lovely wee dog Angus for their engagement shoot. I love this kind of photo shoot, it’s always great to get to know the couple before their wedding and what a stunning landscape to be in.

Alison grew up in Ellenabeich and they are also getting married just along the road, so this was the perfect place for the couple’s engagement shoot. It’s a lovely wee village and the views are amazing.

The shoot was so much fun and my favourite moments are shown in the last couple of photos shared here, when Alison’s friend’s Mum surprises them by coming out of her house while the couple are getting their photos taken, it was so funny.
I’m really looking forward to photographing their wedding day.

Elissa and Colin. Engagement Shoot. Oban, Argyll Wedding Photographer

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

http://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

Elissa and Colin contacted me recently to ask if I could shoot their engagement. The couple got engaged only weeks ago and wanted to mark the special occasion.

Colin proposed at Sutherlands Grove, this is a stunning woodland area by Barcaldine near Oban and this is also where the couple wanted to have their engagement shoot. I loved hearing the story of the proposal and how nervous Colin was. Elissa said she could sense something was on the go but wasn’t too sure then Colin, being nervous and quite rightly so, took them off the beaten path that he had originally planned and this resulted in adding an hour or 2 extra on to their journey to the proposal. It was worth the wait!

Engagement shoots are my favourite 🙂 This is because I get to spend the longest time with you as a couple just yourselves, it’s like an extended Bride and Groom shoot on your wedding day but without the time constraints. I love nothing more than roaming around Scottish landscapes with couples be it woodlands, mountains, beaches, cities or towns….the list is endless.

For all booking enquiries head over to http://www.debbiethorntonphotography.co.uk

South Uist Wedding Photography. Claire and Alasdair Wedding.

Debbie Thornton PhotographyLeave a comment

Last May I travelled to South Uist to photograph Claire and Alasdair’s wedding day. The island is unbelievably beautiful and I had a wonderful time photographing everyone.

Here’s what Claire and Alasdair said about their photos:

“Debbie photographed our wedding in South Uist in May this year and we can’t recommend her enough! She was very easy to communicate with in the run up to the wedding and we met up for a chat beforehand to put faces to names which was lovely. On the day although it was a very cold and windy day you would never know as all of the pictures are beautiful and capture lots of lovely moments throughout the morning, day and evening (which I flick through almost daily since the wedding!). Having Debbie around while getting ready the morning of the wedding was also really nice, although we didn’t know each other that well there was absolutely no awkwardness, it was just nice for all of us to chat while getting ready – with Debbie multitasking taking lovely photographs at the same time! She knows the drill with weddings as she’s clearly got a lot of experience – even helping me out when I didn’t know what to do with my engagement ring on the day! 😂 If you are thinking about booking with Debbie, please don’t hesitate as you won’t regret it! Thanks again, The MacDonalds x”.

I can’t wait until I’m back on the islands!