A Matter of Wedding Photography Scotland

Joanne and Keith’s Album

fiona — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:48:06 +0000

Joanne and Keith got married on a simply stunning day.

They got married at South Queensferry Registry office and then continued on to the Royal Burgess Golfling Society house for their reception.

Duncan and Pauline at Cromlix house hotel – Part 1

fiona — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:47:21 +0000

This was a Gold Package wedding (see our packages for full details) so I first cover the bridal preparations. Luckily for me the bride, groom and many of the guests had stayed at Cromlix house the night before. It’s always a bit easier to have everything on one site.

Cromlix house itself is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a fabulous building, which even has its own chapel dating from 1874. The wedding day weather was stunning. I believe it was 10 degrees above average and the whole place was just idyllic.

I firstly went to see the bride – who was a bit busy having her hair professionaly put up. The hairdo was lovely and was done by Leeanne Ross of Lumia hair salon at the bridge of Allan. Various parts of her hair curled up and into other parts in a very implausible but aesthetically pleasing way.

The bridal suite at Cromlix was amazing. There was a sitting room, huge bathroom with separate toilet and a massive bedroom. I initially took some pictures of the wedding dress in the bedroom before running off to take pictures of it and the bridesmaid’s dresses in front of a fabulous wardrobe in the sitting room. The bedroom however had the best light. Which was handy as that was where everyone was getting ready. I took pictures of the preparation until 1pm when I had arranged to go and meet the groom. I left with promises that no one was going to put on their dresses before I got back.

The rings were sewn onto a lovely cushion as a small child was going to be the ring bearer. I took pictures of the rings and some of the groom and his best man indoors and then went on a quick tour of the grounds taking pictures.

When I arrived back with the girls they were ready to put on the dresses. Pauline’s dress had a corset back and so took quite a while to put on. It did look lovely once it was finished however. For once we were still on time so I managed to get some images before we left for the ceremony.

Then it was simply down a few stairs to the ceremony.

Which will be in the next part.

Pauline and Duncan’s Album

fiona — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:57:08 +0000

The first mockup for the wedding album of Pauline and Duncan.

As ever click on a thumbnail for a larger image. Then simply click on the image to close it.

Yvonne and Alan’s Album

fiona — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:42:26 +0000

I’m running a tad late on my blog as I have been so busy. I haven’t actually done Yvonne and Alan’s blog post yet.

However this is the first mockup for the wedding album of Yvonne and Alan.

As ever click on a thumbnail for a larger image. Then simply click on the image to close it.

Sabrina and Craig’s wedding at St Paul’s and St George’s

fiona — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:20:14 +0000

Sabrina and Craig’s wedding was unusually close for me – not only was it in Edinburgh (I am after all an Edinburgh Wedding Photographer – even though around 70% of my work so far this year has been over an hour away), but it was on the east side of Edinburgh around Leith, the top of Leith walk and the Bridges. All areas I know well from university and from where I live now.

Sabrina and Craig were unfortunately hit by the recent ash cloud problems as many of her family were coming across from Ireland. Luckily and due to some heroic travelling on the part of relatives only two people didn’t make it in the end.

This was a Gold Package wedding (see our packages for full details) so I first travelled to where Sabrina was getting ready. Due to the amount of family she had over they had rented a lovely flat in Leith. This was ideal as the rooms were bright and airy, just perfect for photography. I took images of the dress (which was a lovely number from just down the road from me – Pretty Woman in Leith), shoes and flowers. I absolutely love their choice of flowers. I love sunflowers. Probably second only to daffodils, which I am still waiting for someone to use as their wedding flowers. Unfortunately my wedding was too late in the year.

After the still life photos I took pictures of the bride getting into her dress assisted by the bridesmaid and then some pictures of her family.

It was then quickly off the the ceremony venue to get some pictures of the groom and best man as well as the rings and guests arrivals.

For this wedding the celebrant was a friend of the family from the Salvation Army. Luckily I was able to take as many photos as I wanted from wherever I wanted. Which was a nice change from the wedding in Dumfries.

St Paul’s and St George’s is a huge church that has recently been refurbished inside and is now very modern. Unfortunately the dreaded tram works were still going on in Edinburgh and were just outside the door. The good point of this was that the celebrant and I managed to convince the tram workers to make a tunnel with their spade’s up for the bride! I’m sure that it was quite unusual.

It was a lovely ceremony, the minister was fantastic and I particularly liked the unity candle ceremony. During this the mother’s of the bride and groom each light a separate candle which the bride and groom then use to light the central candle. They then blow out the parent’s candle and are left with a single burning candle. Lovely.

After the ceremony I took pictures of everyone together in the church.

It was then off to the botanics for some family group shots and images of the couple. On the way back out I spotted the most gorgeous tree in full blossom which I had to have some pictures of. Trees in blossom are just fabulous.

The reception was being held in the Carlton hotel on North Bridge – this hotel has the most fabulous enterance stairway. It is just wonderful and dominates the enterance hall. Many pictures were taken here.

The speaches were after the meal – which is getting less popular these days although it is the traditional way round. The most memorable points was the presentation of a See You Jimmy hat and the bride’s heartfelt and tearful thanks to everyone for making such efforts to get to the wedding.

Finally came the cutting the cake and the first dance. The cake was gorgeous and suited their colour palette perfectly. Particularly impressive as it was made by a friend.

Rob and Emma’s Album

fiona — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:15:28 +0000

I’ve just finished the design for Rob and Emma’s wedding album. Emma and Rob’s wedding in Dumfries

I’m really pleased with it. Emma and Rob were a lovely couple and this comes across in their photographs.

I’ve designed them a storybook type album showing the progression of the day from preparations through the ceromony to the speeches and cutting of the cake.

Emma and Rob’s wedding in Dumfries

fiona — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:34:02 +0000

I photographed a lovely wedding in Dumfries on Thursday. A long drive – 2 hours from Edinburgh. However very scenic countryside with lots of little lambs and the venue made up for it.

Just look at that church! It’s just fantastic. It’s even set in beautiful grounds.

The wedding was between Emma and Rob, a really friendly and welcoming couple who were a joy to work with. Being a Wedding Photographer based in Edinburgh I get to shoot both Scottish and English wedding styles. This was more of an English style with morning suits and pinstripes rather than kilts.

The first thing I like to do when I arrive at a wedding is take a picture of the two rings. I like to get it out of the way quickly and it would be a bit of a waste to whisk a ring off the married couple as soon as they had given them to each other. Probably bad luck.

The bride’s ring is an unusual shape – this is to fit her antique engagement ring – which you will see later on.

After that I went straight up to the bride’s room. Unfortunately there wasn’t much space or light – and what little space there was was covered with the getting ready debris of a number of women. Cosmetics, clothes and bags of bits and pieces covered every available surface. I tidied up what I could and got to work on some photography.

The wedding dress was just gorgeous. A lovely floaty number.

The flowers were calia lilies – here they are with the bride’s amazing shoes. Look at the heels on those!

Next came the putting on of the dress. Always a big moment. This wedding dress had a corset back which takes a bit longer than other styles.

Doesn’t she just look gorgeous?

Unfortunately the minister was camera shy. He originally wanted no photography at all during the ceremony. Luckily I managed to talk him round to photography at the back of the church. As you can see I was a long way back.

All celebrants have different views on photography during the ceremony. Particularly if they are conducting a religious ceremony. If photographs are important to you please do not just take it as read that these will be allowed and confirm this with whoever will be conducting the ceremony.

Luckily modern professional photographic equipment is pretty amazing. So I did manage to get some close up shots – including that all important kiss.

Next came the legal part – the signing of the register.

The newly married couple leaving the church.

We then set up a fair number of group and posed shots in front of the fantastic church entrance.

As well as a shot of confetti being thrown over the bride and groom. A slightly uncomfortable experience apparently.

I’m pleased with the posed shots. A combination of a beautiful setting, a gorgeous happy couple and a fabulous dress.

Finally a very relieved couple reached the reception.

I do love the back of this dress. Here’s a close up as it’s tricky to see in the wide shots (as ever click on any photo for a larger view).

Some interesting shots of her family!

A very elegant wedding cake. I do love iced flowers. They have always fascinated me for some reason.

They had candles as table centrepieces.

Here are the engagement and wedding ring together as promised. As you can see the wedding ring fits round the engagement ring perfectly.

The speeches were before dinner. Very popular these days – leads to better delivered speeches as well as a much more relaxed top table.

I actually really enjoy speeches. These were all great and as ever led to some very natural photos.

This was actually the bride and groom’s idea. As I say a great fun couple. The bride in particular was so vivacious.

The fake cutting of the cake became the actual cutting of the cake, as – well they wanted to. Although I do have to admit to encouraging them a little.

Just before I left I noticed that the weather had cleared up and the sky was now much more “photogenic”. So I took a few exterior shots.

Wedding Venue Check – Ingliston in Glasgow

fiona — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:55:19 +0000

I often get asked if we do wedding photography in Glasgow – indeed we do and we don’t even charge for travel within the central belt! We have a fair number of weddings coming up this year in Glasgow and central Scotland so if you are wanting wedding photography in that area please get in touch at info@weddingphotography-edinburgh.co.uk.

I am doing the wedding photography for a friend of my brother and sister in law in June. They are getting married in a fantastic venue – Ingliston in Glasgow www.ingliston.com/weddings/ which is a lovely upmarket horse arena which also caters to conferences and of course weddings. I was going to be over that way seeing a client anyway so I decided to go and see the venue as well.

It is lovely. Outside there is the most magnificent statue.

Made of – old horse shoes. What a fabulous idea! Here is a close up so you can see the detail.

Gorgeous! I feel that this may make an appearance in the wedding photography.

Unfortunately the wedding coordinator Ian Maxwell was not available – however I did get shown around the venue. It is done in the art deco style and is apparently meant to be a recreation of the old Ritz in London. There is a fabulous stairway:

As well as a bar with beautiful backlighting and period bar stools.

There is another room with another private bar and the tables for the wedding breakfast.

They have also booked the terrace, so fingers crossed for good weather. You can see the horse influence everywhere.

Which shouldn’t be a problem as my sister in law (who is the maid of honour) and her friend (the bride) are very into horses. Unfortunately I’m allergic to them myself – although only mildly. However as there was a competition on I couldn’t resist getting some pictures of the show jumping.

So all in all a lovely venue with tonnes of scope for excellent photography.

Should be great fun!

Wedding photography contract

fiona — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:05:29 +0000

In any exchange of services it is a good idea to create a contract in order to protect both parties. I’m quite pleased with my A Matter of Wedding Photography Edinburgh contract, I feel it covers all the basics while being easily legible for everyone concerned.
The main things I wanted my list to cover were:

Contain complete contact details of bride and groom
Contain details of wedding, ie ceremony and reception times and locatons
Give a clear idea of what I provide (services and disc).
Give a clear idea of how my images can be used (for all non-professional purposes)
Record of payment
What will happen in the case of problems
Timescales of payments
What happens on cancellation

Below is the content from my contract:

This contract for wedding photography is effective and binding from the date it is signed by both of the parties and subject to Terms and Conditions.
The Parties are hereby known as: Fiona Matters (referred to as “Photographer”)
And: (referred to as “Clients”)
Date of wedding:
Location and address of ceremony:

Time:
Numbers attending :
Location and address of reception:
Time:
Bride’s name:
Bride’s email:
Bride’s mobile no:
Bride’s home telephone no:
Groom’s name:
Groom’s email:
Groom’s mobile no:
Groom’s home telephone no:

Correspondence address:

Ownership rights and responsibilities
Client is allowed to reproduce and copy photographs of the event taken by the Photographer for non-commercial purposes. Photographer and client agree that Photographer owns any and all copy and reproduction rights and client agrees not to reproduce or copy any proof or photograph taken of the event for commercial use.

Payment requirements
To reserve the event date the Photographer requires a deposit of £***. A date will not be considered to be held open without receipt of said payment. Said payment is not refundable for any reason unless Photographer cancels this contract.

The remaining balance of £*** must be received by Photographer no later than 14 working days before the event date (cheques* or paypal) or paid in cash on the day of the wedding.

Cancellation
If Photographer has to cancel this contract any reason (death, injury, sickness etc.) their liability shall be limited to a full refund of all monies paid.

After a period of 14 days from the date of signing this contract, as compensation for loss of income the following charges apply (to the remaining balance given above). 30 days or less – 100%, 31-90 days 60%, 91-120 days 40%, 121 days up 0% (days given are days before the wedding). These must be paid at the time of cancellation otherwise cancellation will not be considered to have been given.

Should said cancellation be a postponement, subject to availability all money paid may be applied to new wedding date.

In the event of the Photographer taking another wedding booking on your cancelled date a full unconditional refund of deposit and monies paid will be made.

Disclaimer
The Photographer will make every effort to provide high quality photographic services including providing redundant equipment. However in the unlikely event that a catastrophic mechanical failure should occur to the Photographer’s equipment or transport and Photographer is unable to provide Client with agreed photography services and/ or products then Photographer’s liability shall be limited to a full refund of all monies paid. Photographer has full Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance. Photographer and Client agree that Photographer is not responsible for any damages, consequential, emotional or otherwise arising out of the performance or non-performance of their duties.

Client agrees that Photographer may use any photograph for publicity purposes. Such publicity and advertising may include publication on Photographer’s website.

Other persons may take photographs at the wedding and reception. However all “formal” or other shots set up by the Photographer will be required to be used solely by the Photographer a short time after Client’s guests are allowed to take pictures of the group poses. This is to ensure the photographs are of a consistently high standard. The Photographer cannot be responsible for unusable shots due to distractions from Client’s guests (i.e. eyes pointing in multiple directions or being closed) and other circumstances beyond the Photographer’s control. If the Client requires posed shots of the couple the Photographer will require some time with Client away from Client’s guests in order to produce more personal pictures. It is the Client’s responsibility to inform their guests of this policy and to ensure they abide by it.

I have read and fully understand the terms of agreement of this contract and realise that this contract becomes effective immediately. I agree that cancellation rates will apply in case of any cancellation by me.

Signed: Date:

To be signed by A Matter of Wedding Photography:
I confirm that I have received a signed copy of the above contract and payment of £*** as deposit.

Signed: Date:

* Note: Cheques should be made payable to Fiona Matters

Some photoshop image restoration

fiona — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:04:26 +0000

This being a quiet time of year for wedding photography in Edinburgh, I visited my parents a couple of weekends ago. They live in France just outside Geneva and we had a great time walking in snow over a meter in depth.

While I was there I asked to have a look at my parent’s wedding photos. Unfortunately at the time my parent’s did not have a lot of money, so they mostly have proofs and only a few proper photographs. The photographs had stood up quite well, however the proofs were in a really sorry state and starting to mould. I imagine they weren’t meant to last over 30 years!

Anyway I decided to scan the photographs and go about restoring and upgrading them on my computer. A good exercise and I’m sure my parents (well at least my mum) will appreciate it.

Unfortunately the photographer seemed to have made some … interesting framing choices. Most of the photographs were taken in what appears to be the church cloak room and the décor is traditional 70′s. Particularly the carpet and the lights which appear to be coming out of various people’s heads. Apparently it was raining quite hard on the day.

One good thing was that my parent’s couldn’t afford colour – so most of the photographs are fairly decent black and white – although they lack contrast a tad.

Anyway I’ve done the first couple and I thought it would interesting to have them on my website.
Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I’m particularly happy with the second one.
Further shots should be along soon.

The Scottish Wedding List – A gift list with a difference

fiona — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:46:05 +0000

Today couples often have a hard time deciding what to put on their wedding list – they have often lived together for years and so have no need of kettles, glasses or other items. the Scottish Wedding List (www.TheScottishWeddingList.co.uk) spotted this and set up an ethical charity wedding list. Marrying couples sign up to a list that contains gifts of donations to a variety of charities based in Scotland that work both here and abroad.

Give It (the not for profit orgainisation that operates the Scottish Wedding List) wraps the donations up like gifts and users can see what a donation could fund for each charity. Charities participating in The Scottish Wedding List include Alzheimer Scotland, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, Mary’s Meals, Mercy Corps, Turning Point Scotland and many others. Couples select a group of charities; guests select a donation to the charity of their choice.

Everything can be done simply online and couples can see what donations have been made and view messages left by guests. There are no charges for the couple and no minimum total expected. Also there are no hidden costs for the guests – every penny thety spend goes to the ccharities and the costs of the service are covered by the Gift Aid reclaimed on donations made.

It sounds like a great idea for couples wanting to give something back to the community – especially as all of the charrities are based in Scotland, although many of them work abroad, so pop over to the Scottish Wedding List to have a look.

Five Tips to a Successful Scottish Wedding Ceilidh

fiona — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:19:04 +0000

Personally I love ceilidhs, however I’m aware that many people don’t. I’ve been doing Scottish country dancing since I was 5. We did it at School when I was growing up (although as I was tall I often ended up being the man) so I generally know what I’m doing. I don’t have “the fear” of turning the wrong way and everything going wrong.

I don’t think there is any evening entertainment better than a good ceilidh. A bad ceilidh where the caller is vainly attempting to get people up while they attempt to hide under their table is horribly cringe worthy however.

So here is my quick start guide to a good ceilidh.

Good caller

This is key. It’s a wedding, there will be alcohol. Get a good patient caller who is happy to get everyone to walk through the dances before the music starts. This is so important. In my opinion the caller is by far the most important person of the band. Particularly if a lot of people aren’t used to ceilidh dancing

Frequent breaks

Scottish ceilidh dancing is tiring! People can’t keep going the whole time. If the breaks aren’t scheduled then the whole thing will lose it’s momentum and people will start sitting down and not joining in. Either that or they will all be knackered in the first half hour. At my wedding I interspersed the dances with the DJ which allowed people to have a break and a rest between the dances.

Have water available

Dancing is very tiring and thirsty work. Particularly the energetic ceilidhing type. If you have jugs of water available at the bar then people will drink that. Trying to slake a thirst on beer is never a good plan.

Be enthusiastic

You’re the bride. The queen. It’s your day. If you ask people to dance then they will dance. However be enthusiastic and bouncy and people will enjoy themselves and you won’t need to prod them for long. If you rope in your close relatives, ushers and bridesmaids then everyone else will follow.

Keep it simple

Some ceilidh dances are far easier than others. If people are getting lost go back to the old favourites. The Dashing White Sargent, Strip the Willow and the Gay Gordons. They are popular for a reason.

Follow these simple steps and you should have a fantastic night! Have fun.

Edinburgh Wedding Photography – Jane and Duncan

fiona — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:46:44 +0000

Jane and Duncan were (are?) a lovely couple who got married at Lothian chambers in Edinburgh. It was one of the larger registry office weddings I’ve done as they had around 80 guests so we had one of the larger rooms downstairs.

Despite it being September we had absolutely fantastic weather – better than most of the weather in August actually. It was just beautiful. The whole city glowed.

Jane wore a gorgeous empire line dress and Duncan wore full kilt. Jane’s family was from England and Duncan is Scottish so there was a real mix of kilts and suits there. One of the things I love about Scottish Weddings is how colourful the guys are.

The ceremony was fantastic. Duncan was obviously blown away when he saw his future wife for the first time and love just radiated from the pair. They also had a great sence of humour for the inevitable hiccups in the ceremony. It was one of the more moving ceromonies I’ve been to and I did feel a bit chocked up by the end.

After the ceromony I got everyone out the back in front of Saint Giles for group photos. It was pretty much like herding cats and even worse than normal as there were so many distractions. The pictures were however worth it.

We then moved on to their reception which was at the tower restaurant in Edinburgh museum, with a quick stop on the way for a picture at greyfriar’s bobby’s statue.

We took formal group shots and some couple shots at the museum and then the speaches started.

I love staying for speeches, and these were particularly good. We got to find out what special people Jane and Duncan were – who both work for non govermental organisations in less than safe parts of the world.

Jane and Duncan had hired a red wedding bus to take thier guests on a tour of Edinburgh. It was one of the really old types of bus with a conductor on the back and was just fantastic. One of the things I love about my job is that you get to see things a little out of the ordinary. The hire company had gone to great pains, the bus even had wedding ribbon and sprigs of flowers decorating it!

Please see Jane and Duncan gallery for the full set of images.

To kilt or not to kilt? A guide for the non-Scot

fiona — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:12:32 +0000

When I first became a wedding photographer in Edinburgh I was surprised at the number of people who did not live in Scotland that wanted to get married here. From people who moved away as children to those who simply fell in love with the country or city it was apparent that a large number of people who did not live here wanted to get married in Edinburgh.

This ranged from people just over the border in England to a couple who came from Australia that organised their whole wedding online and only arrived in Edinburgh a week before their wedding!

Wanting to get married in a place that you do not live obviously adds a lot of complications. Thanks to the internet this is somewhat reduced however it will either involve a lot of travelling or hoping that your vendors are up to your requirements and forgoing the face to face meeting.

A wedding in Scotland can also be that little bit different. While the wedding gown tends to be similar to that worn in England (despite what gets shown in the magazines there are relatively few brides who get married in tartan) however for the man there is always the choice of the kilt.

The kilt is now very much in fashion again – from being worn at rugby matches or being worn with a t-shirt on a night out to being worn with the Prince Charlie jacket at a wedding you do see a lot of them around. Interestingly when my parent’s got married they were totally out of fashion and everyone was getting married in shiny suits with collars you could hang glide in.

However the kilt is still very much a personal choice – if not of the groom then of his bride. Unlike the traditional 3 piece suit the kilts of the groomsmen are not expected to match. Each man wears his own tartan. If you don’t have a tartan though – not to worry there are a huge selection of modern tartans made for people without a clan, there are tartans for cities, sports clubs and universities. At our wedding we had 4 groomsmen, 3 wore kilts and one a three piece suit.

That tends to be the way weddings go now. Suits or kilts are considerered equally appropriate. However I believe that the kilts are meant to be far more comfy.

If you are at a wedding in Scotland then it’s a great excuse to get dressed up and hire a kilt. Proper kilts are very expensive and come in at around £400 for the whole thing, however there are a large number of shops that will hire you a kilt for around £80. Slaters www.slaters.co.uk is good, as is mccalls www.mccalls.co.uk. Although you probably could pick up a “tourist kilt set” for around this price I really, really, really discourage you from doing so. The quality is just awful.

The other advantage of hiring a kilt is that the person in the shop will measure you up properly and show you how to put the whole thing on. It’s not complicated but you really need to be shown as it is very different. The first time my husband put on a kilt he put it on backwards! Kilts are however apparently really very comfy.

Remember to book early so that you definitely get a kilt your size and you get the tartan you want, although hire tartans are limited. If you can’t get to the shop to be measured in person then you can just phone in your measurements, pick the suit up on the Friday and drop it off again on the Sunday for a Saturday wedding. What could be simpler?

So in conclusion, you don’t have to wear a kilt, but it’s great fun and all the ladies love them so why not?

Edinburgh Wedding Photography – Sonja and Billy – 22/8/09

fiona — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:59:03 +0000

We had a wedding at the king’s manor hotel this weekend.

It was quite a simple wedding and was all at the one venue.

It was a lovely wedding and we had glorious sunshine. Not always the best for photography and we had to fight against the back garden which seemed to be full of gas canisters, mesh fences and rubbish. So we had to find something with a good background which didn’t cause everyone to squint too much.