Laura + Jon's Wedding on Loch Awe
As chilled out brides go, Laura probably rates as the most chilled. This is a bride who, when her car with her and her bridesmaids broke down on the way to the hairdresser in the nearby town, rather than waste time waiting to be rescued simply stuck out her thumb and hitched with the first passer by. Despite arriving 40 minutes late back at Ardanaiseig Hotel she was super cool and relaxed and remained that way for the rest of the day. Ardanaiseig Hotel is one of the most spectacularly located venues I've been to recently. A romantic and luxury hotel tucked away at the end of a 6-mile one track road on the edge of Loch Awe on the West Coast of Scotland, furnished eccentrically by the owner, a London antiques dealer. Jon and Laura had exclusive use of the venue and grounds which include a boathouse where Laura was getting ready. It wasn't until the penultimate moment that the decision to ignore the morning of torrential rain and risk holding the wedding outside in the amphitheatre by the loch was made, and the staff scurried around to make it happen (admittedly the alternative great hall looked beautiful but who could resist an outdoor wedding, in Scotland, in September?)
As the guests tottered across the grass in their heels Laura was peeking over the balcony of the boathouse to see them arrive. Finally it was time, and escorted by her mother, Laura was piped into the opening for the ceremony.
The reception was held back at the house and I hung dangerously onto the top window to get the group shot before arranging family and friends for the family shots with the almost surreal landscape of Ben Cruachan behind them. The location was such a treat to photograph in and Laura braved the damp in her heels to wander round the grounds.
(If you were a guest at this wedding you can access the full album and purchase prints here and the password is Jon's surname).
My favourite touch in their decorations of the marquee was the booklet, laid out for each guest, with a short paragraph about every one of the guests to get the conversation flowing. As Jon pointed out in his speech, when you have everyone from a high court judge to a onion farmer in the party you can't fail to find someone to engage with!
