It's no secret that Ross Priory, Loch Lomond is probably my favourite venue. The building has that gothic vibe, it sits right on the water with a stunning view and the gardens....oh my goodness...the gardens are stunning. It even has that gorgeous long driveway with trees lining the road and when it opens up to that stunning view over Loch Lomond, it's hard not to find yourself open mouthed in awe of its beauty.
It's easy to see why Darren and Michelle came all the way from Reading, England to get married here. Skip back to September 2015 when a friendly email from Darren popped into my inbox. They were looking for a photographer to photograph their intimate wedding and had seen my work from Mark and Kirstin's wedding at the lovely Ross Priory. Obviously, I was thrilled to get back to Ross Priory and was excited for their wedding.
Skip forward to June 2016 and I'm on my way to meet Darren and Michelle as they were up from Reading to make final arrangements for their wedding. We thought we'd make use of their trip and do an engagement shoot after we had a chat about their wedding day....and as soon as we uttered our first hello's I knew Darren and Michelle were going to be amazing. The sun was shining, we sat in the garden of Ross Priory and chatted, sipped a beer and laughed our whole way through the meeting. Good vibes people, good vibes!
The sun was absolutely blazing down and although shooting in direct sunlight is often difficult for photography, Ross Priory's beautiful gardens allowed us to find beautiful shade coupled with gorgeous dappled light. If there was ever a couple to take pictures of, it's Darren and Shelli (we're pals now so I can call her Shelli). They are insanely in love and shooting couples who are not afraid to show that, are a photographers dream! That engagement shoot set the foundations for what would be one of the best weddings I have ever photographed. If the engagement shoot was anything to go by, the wedding was going to be amazing. I was not disappointed.
Queue....The Red Dress Moment. That dress! I'll get to it in a minute.
The wedding day weather was a bit of a contrast from the engagement shoot, rain falling down and mist spoiling that stunning view it was a little disheartening as I wanted to explore those gorgeous gardens once again. Feeling slightly down but excited to see the guys, I walked into Michelle's bridal prep room to be welcomed by lots of smiles and hanging on the curtain rail was a stunning red wedding dress. At that point, I didn't even care that the heavens were pouring. It brightened up any dark sky and set the tone for an amazing personal and intimate wedding day. Surprisingly, the dress was made by a supplier on ebay in China and altered by Needles and Pins in Wokingham. There were so many other beautiful personal touches to make the day even better. They love walking and photography so had awesome little cake toppers designed by Julie at Patchouli Cake Toppers. A gorgeous handmade wooden ring box by Country Barn Babe in the US and I especially loved the story behind Darrens cuff links. Shelli got these for Darren as a present and on one cuff link, it has the co-ordinates of where Darren proposed to Shelli and the other has the co-ordinates of Ross Priory. Very thoughtful.
I cannot put into words how fantastic Darren and Michelles family and friends are and to say they made me feel welcome is an understatement. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph their wedding and I feel I've gushed enough here and should really let the pictures do the talking.
Congratulations Mr and Mrs King.
Other suppliers that helped make the day even better!
Hair - Pin-Up Hair, Glasgow
Make Up - Heather Birrell
Cake - Cake Crazy
Flowers - Loch Lomond Weddings and Events
