Back in July last year, Eilidh and Christian asked me to be their wedding photographer for their Mar Hall wedding. It was to be held with a ceremony at St. Joseph’s Church at Wemyss Bay. Following that, the reception at Mar Hall Golf & Spa resort in Erskine, Renfrewshire. I’m so glad I was available because this wedding turned out to be one of my highlights of the year!

EILIDH & CHRISTIAN’S MAR HALL WEDDING

The entire day could not have been more perfect! It had all the elements of a perfect wedding. A wonderful intimate chapel wedding ceremony followed by an amazing reception at the luxurious Mar Hall Resort. They always do an incredible job of hosting a wedding.

Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort sits within 240 gorgeous acres of an ancient woodland estate in the Scottish countryside.  The five-star grand mansion that is Erskine House is a stunning sight as you arrive. Whenever I’ve been commissioned for a wedding, there’s always a small part of me that hopes my clients have chosen a venue like this to celebrate their special day.

Blue Skies and Perfect Sunny Weather

We started out this wedding day with the boys getting ready. I met them at an apartment in Gourock with great views over the Firth of Clyde.  The girls got ready at Mar Hall in the bridal suite. I’d like to give a big shout out to Laura Gray for her excellent work on makeup.  Needless to say, excitement filled the air, mixed in with blue skies and perfect sunny weather.

After getting ready, everyone headed down to St. Joseph’s Church at Wemyss Bay.  The views near the church were truly amazing since it lies near the coast of the Firth of Clyde looking across the islands.

Guest Selfie in the Aisle

The ceremony went off without a hitch. However, there was one moment in particular that I know will live on in the memories of the bride and groom.  As they were walking back up the aisle as husband and wife, one of the guests jumped out in front of the couple for a quick selfie! Now, you might think this would have ruined the shot for me, but as a documentary-style wedding photographer, it made for the kind of picture which I find true delight in—it was just so unusual!  It was purely unscripted, authentic and unique.

The selfie anarchist didn’t stop me from getting all the shots I needed and we all enjoyed the fun of the moment.  Many wedding photographers insist that guests aren’t allowed to take photos because they’ll get in the way. But, out of the hundreds of weddings I’ve photographed, I’ve never found myself in a situation where I couldn’t get the shot. With my photojournalist hat on, I adapt to what’s actually happening to accommodate guests wanting to take a photo for themselves.

After the wedding service, Eilidh and Christian took a stroll down by the sea. Then headed off to Mar Hall Resort for the reception.  As I said, the weather was perfect and I got some incredible shots of just the two of them.

Mar Hall Reception

Later on in the evening while the reception was taking place, the bride and groom took a walk along the golf course, where I was able to capture a few more wonderful portraits of Eilidh and Christian taking in the quiet and calm of each other.

All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day.  The warmth of the July sun kept everyone outside for the most part during the reception and the energy ran high late into the evening.  I’m so happy Eilidh and Christian asked me to be their wedding photographer. Mar Hall was absolutely gorgeous as always and this couple added to the illumination of a beautiful day.  Cheers to the bride and groom!

Kind words from the couple:

Ashley photographed our wedding in July last year and he was fantastic from start to finish! From inviting us to his studio in the beginning to discuss our ideas and his suggestions, to being discrete and thoughtful on the day, Ashley was everything we’d hoped for. Our pictures are stunning and we couldn’t recommend him highly enough for documentary style wedding pictures. Thanks Ashley!

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