On April 18th, Sienna and Michael married in the spring sunshine at Carlowrie Castle just outside Edinburgh. I have photographed many weddings at this brilliant venue. The place is so well set up, it can lay on a fantastic wedding at any time of year. The weather in Scotland is always unpredictable, but it was kind on the day—warm and bright.
SIENNA & MICHAEL’S CARLOWRIE CASTLE WEDDING
There was lots of travelling for this occasion. Michael’s family and many friends had travelled from New Zealand. Siena’s dad is Scottish but living in the South East of England. So there were a lot of locals from her side as well as many who had travelled north over the border from England.
The girls had started their wedding preparations in a nearby hotel and arrived very excited at Carlowrie Castle “half done”. Laura, the hair and makeup artist who I’ve worked alongside at so many weddings, finished her work in one of the suites at the castle. Once that was done, the girls headed up the secret staircase to avoid the assembling guests and groomsmen to put on their dresses.
Gorgeous light and contrasts
One of the things I love about working at Carlowrie Castle, aside from all the wonderful architectural detail and space for photos, is the light in the castle. It reminds me somewhat of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s House for an Art Lover in Glasgow. You’re constantly moving between spaces where, one minute you’re flooded in bright, clean, all-embracing light, and in the next, you’re cocooned in a half-lit chiaroscuro with a dark, enveloping background.
Another big attraction is the collection of other suppliers I always seem to encounter when working here. I must give a shout out for the fabulous Pickled Piper, John Rae! He can always capture the mood of the Highlands, which the visitors from New Zealand especially enjoyed.
Amazing music and a Ceilidh
The mood was built on further by Bahookie. They are a fantastic rock ceilidh band who brilliantly mash fiddles with urban dance and rock music. On top of that, they sing melodies of the finest Scottish anthems over the top. They really got the party going from the first beat. The dance floor was filled to bursting and looked like that wasn’t going to change as I left Sienna, Michael and their friends to party the night away.
Another brilliant wedding at Carlowrie Castle. If you’re getting married there you may like the look of my style of documentary wedding photography. Why not drop me a line to see if I have your date free.