THE BARN AT BARRA CASTLE WEDDING - EMMA AND WILL

The Barn at Barra is one of my favourite venues, and it’s always a pleasure to photograph a wedding there! Emma and Will booked over 2 years before their wedding date, but their big day didn’t take long to come around. We weren’t blessed with the best of days - wind, rain and hailstones all making an appearance (in May!) but these guys were troopers and took it all in their stride. Scroll to the bottom for supplier information, but first, enjoy a peek in to the gorgeous wedding of Emma and Will!

SUPPLIERS -

The Barn at Barra Castle

Perfect Bridal Rooms

Paperstreet Productions

Scott Cassie (second shooter)

Country Flavours

3 Tiers

CHOOSING THE RIGHT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU

Starting to plan your wedding is a very, very exciting time (#understatement). There are a wealth of wedding magazines, blogs, Facebook groups, Instagram hashtags, wedding showcases and Pinterest boards all dedicated to every imaginable aspect of your wedding day. It’s all too easy to get lost in them, and have your head bursting with ideas, before you’ve even thought about choosing suppliers for your day! That said, all of the above can be really useful in helping you figure out how you want your wedding to look + feel, which in turn helps you to choose which professionals you would like to be part of your day.

Out of all your suppliers, your photographer is the one (along with a videographer if you have one) who will spend the most time with you on the day, so it’s vital that you not only love their portfolio, but enjoy their company too! While many of us are photo ninjas who do their utmost to blend seamlessly in to your day, we do have to interact with you both (and your families!), so having a photographer who can keep things fun + relaxed makes it more enjoyable for everyone.

But how to choose? It can seem an Impossible task - there are literally hundreds of photographers, and it can seem like all the portfolios merge in to one big mass of confetti! Hopefully these tips will help point you in the right direction

KNOW YOUR WEDDING VIBE

The temptation after you get engaged is to book the ‘big’ things quite quickly, but don’t be afraid to take a bit of time to work out what the most important elements of your day are. Do you want to celebrate with 100+ friends or family, or have a smaller gathering in an intimate venue? Maybe you want to get married outside, or perhaps you want to sweep up the aisle of a beautiful church? Your wedding date itself can sometimes dictate how your wedding day looks, as can your venue. This is where your Pinterest board comes in handy in visualising an aesthetic - let yourself go wild! Once you have a ‘theme’ in mind, it makes a huge difference when sifting through photographers portfolios - does their style fit in with how you see your day?

KNOW YOUR BUDGET

After the wedding, all that is left are your memories + your photos. No one will really care if you didn’t have a photo booth, or elaborate favours, or chair covers, but you will care if you don’t have images that you love now and in 25 years time. Prioritise your photography and videography when it comes to that wedding spreadsheet. and think outside the box. If you can’t afford the photographer you adore for the full day (from preparations to dancing), then they may offer a prep to speeches package, or an hourly rate, so that you can still have them as part of your day.

TUNE IN

To your feelings….ok, I know that sounds random and ‘out there’. But when you look at a photographers portfolio online, how does it make you feel? Do the couples look happy + relaxed? Can you envision yourself in the sort of images you see on the photographers website? Does their portfolio reflect what you want from your wedding photography? Most importantly, if their images give you a good feeling/a smile across your face/even a tear to your eye if you’re a bit of a happy crier like me, then that’s reason enough to put them on your ‘to email’ list

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

If you loved your friends wedding gallery, and you remember their wedding photographer being either a) lovely on the day or b) you can’t really remember being there at all (which is what you want if you are after a natural, unobtrusive style!), then ask your friend for their details - it may well be that they are already on your list, and if not, it’s another portfolio to explore without having to trawl through Google!

GET IN TOUCH

Once you’ve got a list of photographers whose work gives you the warm fuzzies, then it’s time to get in touch. An email is often quickest and easiest in the first instance, and it’s really helpful if you can include your wedding date, your venue, and a little bit about you and your other half + about your wedding plans so far. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have either - I love a good wedding natter so I’m always happy to chat (ask me ALL the questions!), so even if you think it’s silly, ask it anyway! Some couples will book only ever having chatted via email (and that’s fine by me!) but it’s also great to meet in person so you can chat and really assess whether this photographer is the right one for you.

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS

A quick Google will throw up a huge list of questions you can fire at a prospective wedding photographer, and I’ll answer every question you have (the more the merrier!). However, most of the time, I will offer you up the answers just from our general chatting over a cup of tea (and cake, there’s usually some sort of cake/scone involved). My aim is to make you feel comfortable, relaxed and confident around me. so that on the day we can just have the best time together and that will shine through in your images.

GO WITH YOUR GUT

Don’t let budget/an all singing + dancing package/convenience/your parents opinion/your partners parents opinion/a special offer be the factors that swing it one way or the other. Listen to your gut and choose the photographer that makes you feel a bit giddy, and if they are the right fit, they should be delighted to have you as clients too. I know that I still do a funny little squeak and yay dance when I get the ‘We’d like to book you’ email (no, you aren’t getting a video) because I feel very lucky to be a part of such an amazing occassion!

LET THEM KNOW

After you’ve decided, pop your chosen photographer an email and let them know! Once they’ve done their happy dance in private, if you don’t already have the information you need to book and pay your booking fee, then their reply should outline your next steps to secure your slot in the diary. Then you can relax, pour yourself a wine/cuppa and congratulate yourself on another task ticked off the wedding planning list!

You can find more information about my wedding photography style here and I really, really do love to chat - don’t hesitate to drop me an email (hello@vivienneelizabethphotography.co.uk) or get in touch here

COO CATHEDRAL WEDDING - A + G

Coo Cathedral is a gorgeous barn wedding venue, nestled in the heart of Royal Deeside, near Aboyne, and I was super excited that A+G’s wedding had finally come around, having booked nearly 2 years before. The day started at Douneside House, Tarland for bridal preparations, and the sun was out in force despite it being late in to the autumn.

I was absolutely in love with Aimee’s dress + shoe choice, and the flowers from the super talented Kim Dalglish complimented the colour scheme perfectly. The whole day was perfection from start to finish, and A+G were complete troopers when I asked them during puddings if they wanted to come run across a field with me…..there was a moon and purple sky we just couldn’t miss! Here’s just a little look at their beautiful day -

Coo Cathedral

Jules @ Platinum Pro Makeup

Carlanne @ Meraki (hair)

Bespoke Catering

Kim Dalglish Florist

Sneaky Treacle (these guys were fantastic - I’ve never heard a wedding band play Baby Shark so well!)

Dress - Eleganza

Cars - Love Weddings

Gregor Mclellan - second shooter

LOCH MORLICH + DULNAIN BRIDGE VILLAGE HALL WEDDING - AVIEMORE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Kate and Jamie got married back in October, on what was THE rainiest weekend of the whole month. Despite their wedding ceremony location, the wet weather didn’t stop them, and they got married on the beautiful beach at Loch Morlich, just as they had planned. Morning preparations and after ceremony drinks all happened at the fantastic Big Husky Lodge - a perfect base for the two families to come together and celebrate Kate and Jamie finally tying the knot!

I’ll pop a shout out to suppliers at the bottom of this post, but I must mention that the super cute knitted pumpkins were all made by Kate, her mum and her sister (how clever?!) and to the wedding band, Strange Broo - who I had never heard of before, but they had the dance floor in Dulnain Village Hall absolutely jumping! The talented caterers, Lutis Artisan Food also did a fantastic job, creating a tasty, filling but different wedding breakfast for everyone to enjoy!

Here’s just a little look at their day, and if you ever wondered what wedding photographers do when it’s raining, scroll right down to the bottom image - sometimes the rain can be pretty amazing!

Humanist - Fuze Wedding Ceremonies

Dress - Opus Couture

Wedding Planner - Nikki Mathieson

Shoes - Jimmy Choo

Second shooter - Simone Smith Photography

BANCHORY LODGE WEDDING - K + R

You’d never guess from these photos that only hours earlier, Banchory was deluged by rain in the aftermath of a huge thunderstorm the night before! Call it divine intervention, but the.moment Kate and Ross stepped out of the church after the ceremony, the sun came out and it was a glorious day from there on in! Banchory Lodge proved the perfect backdrop for push ups, frisbee throwing, beautiful portraits and a whole lot of fun. We had the best time sharing the day with the Walder/Farmer families and here’s a sneak peek from their day!

Dress - Ivory Grace

Make up - Elaine Stables

Hair - Beehives and Braids

Venue - Banchory Lodge

Second shooter - Sarah from Fotomaki

S + R PITTODRIE HOUSE WEDDING

I love an outdoor wedding, and on one of the most beautiful days this summer, the wedding of Sarah and Robert at Pittodrie House was an absolute treat! Sarah’s gorgeous intricately detailed dress was from Blush Bridal, with the bridal party pampered to perfection by Paula Beattie Make Up Artistry. The Flower Shop in Peterhead created stunning bouquets and floral displays for the day, and Nicola and I had the always awesome Flat 4D Media capturing the day on film! Here’s just a sneak peek of their amazing day

J + C AT ASWANLEY - ABERDEENSHIRE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Don’t marry the first Scottish man you meet Jessie’, her family warned as she jetted from America to Scotland. She didn't marry the first, but she sure did the second, and what a wedding it was.

On the hottest day of the year, with the gorgeous backdrop of Aswanley, Glass, near Huntly, Jessie and Cameron tied the knot in a wedding full of fun, food, dancing and running barefoot through a field or two! I feel so, so lucky to have been a part of it - thank you so much for having me!

Aswanley is an amazing exclusive use barn venue located deep in the heart of the Aberdeenshire countryside - you can view another Aswanley wedding on the blog here

Here’s just a little peek in to their gallery - you’ll find a suppliers list down at the bottom too

Hair - Gemma Taylor

Make up - Tiffany Dawson

Dress - BHLDN

Catering - Country Flavours

Venue - Aswanley

Videographer - Orchard Wedding Films

Second shooters - Nicola Stewart + Debbie Dee

Celebrant - Sheila Lawtie

ASWANLEY WEDDING - A SUMMER WEDDING AT ASWANLEY

J+C got married at the beautiful Aswanley estate in Glass, near Huntly, back in May and it was glorious - the sun shone, the food by Val Morrison was AMAZING, and there was happy, smiley people all around. I love all the weddings I shoot, but we really did have the best time with these guys! Here's just a little look at some of the moments from their day

Make up - Tiffany Dawson

Catering - Val Morrison

Dress - Midnight Elegance 

Hair - Isla Buckley

Venue - Aswanley 

Second Photographer - Sarah @ Fotomaki (group shot list caller ninja!) 

SAMMY + NEALE - DURN HOUSE WEDDING, MORAYSHIRE

Back in March, I took Nicola on an adventure with me up to Portsoy for the wedding of Sammy and Neale at Durn House. After an interesting drive from Aberdeen through a blizzard or two, we were very happy to find that the winter sun was shining! The beautiful bride, Sammy, is the little sister of one of my closest friends, so I was super excited to be sharing their day with them. Joined by Nick from NL Visuals, we had a great time documenting Sammy and Neale's beautiful wedding. They were very brave and up for photos outside, despite the artic temperatures (even I had to resort to a coat!), but we soon returned to the cosy interior of Durn House to thaw and get ready for speeches and dancing. 

Here's just a small look at their day - Sammy really was the most stunning, glamorous bride! Neale scrubbed up not too bad either, with their gorgeous niece Chloe rocking a serious dose of cute too.

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A WINTER WEDDING AT LOGIE COUNTRY HOUSE

LOGIE COUNTRY HOUSE - ABERDEENSHIRE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY 

It's always a treat to shoot at Logie Country House, and we had the best time at the wedding of Jo and Euan at the end of last year. There were a lot of happy tears! Here's a tiny sneak peek of their snowy wedding day - 

Second Shooter - Kendall Thow

Videography - Katie at Forever Visuals 

Make up - Tiffany Dawson 

Hair - Marianne Gibb 

Catering - Hudsons

Flowers - Orchid Flower Shop, Stonehaven

The Barn At Barra Castle - Getting Married at The Barn at Barra

The Barn at Barra Castle is one of Aberdeenshire's newest venues, situated between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum, and is already popular with couples and photographers alike. As an exclusive use venue, it's yours to enjoy as you wish, and it's a perfect blank canvas on which to create your beautiful wedding day.

I had the pleasure of photographing 2 weddings there last September, with both of my couples taking the risk of booking Barra Barn when it was very much still a cowshed! But David and Sarah Stephen have successfully created a unique and stunning venue, and I'm looking forward to when I can next return! 

Pop the kettle on and enjoy these slideshows from The Barn at Barra Castle 

Hannah and Tim got married at Kings College, Aberdeen before heading to Barra Barn for drinks, food and dancing. Their wedding had hints of inspiration from Tim's Zimbabwean roots. Their full wedding blog post is here

Vicki and Neil held their full wedding at the Barn at Barra, with bride and groom preparations both at home and in one of the lodges on the estate. You can view their full wedding blog post here

If you're looking for a wedding photographer to document your big day, I'd love to hear from you. You can have a look at some more of my work over in the Weddings section of my website. 

2017 WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS

This post has taken me about three times as long as I care to admit. I hadn't expected looking back over my 2017 weddings to take me on such a rollercoaster of emotion! So many happy, beautiful, tearful, joyful, hilarious and downright awesome moments, and I am so honoured that my amazing couples trusted me to capture them (and then said some super nice things about me too). I've got to work with some fantastic suppliers, amazing fellow photographers, and visit some gorgeous venues all over Aberdeenshire, from an outdoor marquee wedding at home in Royal Deeside to The Barn at Barra, Banchory Lodge, Logie Country House, Fasque Castle and more. I've cantered across fields, stood in rivers, pinned countless buttonholes, blotted tears and laughed a lot. I even entered the depths of an Orcadian reel and lived to tell the tale - 2017, you were a blast!

I've sort of cheated by making a video (scroll down for that), but I wanted to share a few images here with you as well (and you should know by know that my 'few' means 'many' so grab a cuppa!) 

I'd love to hear all about your wedding plans and have a chat about capturing your wedding story, so pop me a note and we can take it from there! 

Rosanna and John planned a picture perfect outdoor wedding at Rosanna's parents home in Royal Deeside. Despite a week of rain beforehand, the sun shone on their beautiful day - view the full blog post here. Their wedding was also featured over on We Fell in Love 

Natalie and Greg planned their Pittodrie House wedding in less than 4 months, and their children were over the moon to see Mummy and Daddy finally get hitched! The above image won a Highly Commended award with the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers in June, and I might have been shedding a wee tear with the girls when I saw them coming up the aisle - view the full blog post here. 

Laura's mum made all the beautiful harvest/rustic handtied bouquets for her wedding to Paul - and their detail filled day at the stunning Kings College and unique Woodend Barn was a joy. View the full blog post here.

A beautiful bride + sparkly bokeh + those eyes - Mhariann and Jason's wedding at Banchory Lodge was full of love. 

Sunshine, gorgeous blooms and a whole lot of love went down at Vicki and Neil's September wedding at The Barn at Barra. Epic blog post full of wedding goodness can be found here

Hannah and Tim got married at Kings College and The Barn at Barra back in September. Not only did they have a beautifully choreographed first dance, but some of their bridal party and friends formed a choir during speeches to sing! And they looked THIS happy literally all day long - see it all here 

Michelle and Keith got married at Logie Country House back in April. Keith was super chuffed to finally get Michelle up the aisle after 21 years together (Michelle looks like she feels the same way too!) See their full day here 

Tania and Rory wed at the stunning Fasque Castle, on a beautiful autumn day - the bride rocking trainers under her bespoke Ian Stuart gown. 

Kelly and Damien got married in October at Banff Springs, up on the Moray coast. And just a few days later, they welcomed their first baby in to the world. Talk about a whirlwind week! I just love this image of Kelly who braved a slightly chilly breeze down at the beach! 

Amanda and Keil. All the love for this gorgeous pair - you can see more from their day at Banchory Lodge here

I may have had a wee cry when this landed in my inbox! - 

"I just wanted to pop you a line to tell you how eternally and amazingly grateful my husband (!) and I are for your absolutely amazing work on our wedding - from start to finish. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know you; I don't want to say "working with you" because it really felt as though you were part of our day and capturing the atmosphere from the heart!

I have had so many comments from friends and family on the photos we have received so far and everyone not only thinks they're beautiful but has mentioned how happy we look. Of course we like to think we were happy on the day, but I think it's something really special that you managed to capture that essence of us in all of your work! Your relaxed and unobtrusive style was exactly what we were looking for and our guests have commented that they barely remember there being a photographer there on the day - which is a testament to just how discreet and fantastic you were!!

We honestly cannot thank you enough for your beautiful beautiful work - you are so incredibly talented at what you do and we feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with you. For two people who are uncomfortable around cameras, you managed to capture us at our best." 

I'm not crying, you are....we ALL were at this super sweet moment between Jo and her dad Charlie last weekend at Logie Country House. 

Who's ready for that video now? These are just a few of my favourites from 2017, and I did my best to keep the number down! I absolutely cannot wait to get started with my 2018 weddings - we are going to have the BEST time. 

If you are getting married in Scotland (or even further afield!), then pop on over to my Weddings page - drop me a line anytime, I love, love, love to talk weddings!

BARN AT BARRA CASTLE WEDDING - ABERDEEN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Oh my, this wedding was just beautiful from start to finish!  The Barn at Barra Castle, near Oldmeldrum,  was the perfect backdrop for two amazing families to come together and celebrate Vicki and Neil getting hitched. 

We started the day at Vicki's parents before scooting over to The Barn at Barra Castle lodges for the final preparations, and the big I Do's! The sun shone, the drinks flowed, and amazing band The Watershed kept everyone entertained at night. I really struggled to pick a small selection.....so it's a bit of a big one - give it a minute to load if you can only see a few! 

SUPPLIERS

Dress - Angharad Bridal, Elgin

Shoes - Kurt Geiger

Make up - Melissa Cheyne

Cake - Katy's Cakes

Caterer - Harry Fraser

Band - The Watershed

Awesome second shooter - Nicola Stewart Photography

Want to see more The Barn at Barra Castle weddings? Click HERE

To get in touch about your wedding, pop over to the Wedding Information page

Gorgeous Marquee Wedding at Balmakewan

When Donna of Donna Murray Photography invited me along to second shoot with her at the wedding of Nicky and Kenny at Balmakewan, near Laurencekirk, I jumped at the chance. Looking at these photos full of sunshine, you wouldn't think there was hours of torrential rain that morning! Here's just a few images from their beautiful day.

Kings College and Woodend Barn - Aberdeenshire Wedding Photography

Laura and Pauls wedding was last weekend, and we had so much fun! They had chosen the stunning Kings College at the University of Aberdeen for their intimate and personal ceremony - led by Paul's Uncle Gary, which added an extra special touch. Then we headed over to Banchory to The Barn, a beautiful Banchory venue, which hosts lots of art displays, theatre and musical events as well as just 12 weddings a year. Laura's family had done an amazing job of decorating it, with Laura's mum also creating beautiful bouquets of rustic dried flowers and buttonholes for the wedding party! After some fab speeches and gorgeous food, Empire Wedding Band had the dance floor jumping! Here's just a small sneak peek from their day - 

Hair - Gemma Taylor

Make up -  Kay V Make Up Artist

Dress - Brides Delight

Video - Bonsai Weddings

Band - Empire 

Bridesmaid Dresses - Monsoon

I'd love to chat to your about your 2018/2019 wedding - if you are searching for beautiful, natural and relaxed photography for your big day, then drop me a line and tell me all about it!