Rona and Grant got married by the sea in the Kingdom of Fife. It’s a beautiful part of Scotland and the East Neuk in particular has some of the best beaches and most quaint fishing villages. We decided it would be mad not to take advantage of Pettycur Bay for some cute seaside pictures. We arrived hoping to find rugged fishermen mending nets and singing sea shanties but it was all rather quiet and deserted…I think it was a good fishing day…perishing cold and very very windy. After some sub zero kissing, Grant and Rona headed back to Balbirnie House where the sun came out and the champagne too.

Here’s some pictures from the day….aren’t they both so relaxed? I’ll post a few more from their wedding soon!

Fxx

Just a quick post tonight before bed….I wanted to share some gorgeous pictures of Rona getting ready to marry Grant at Kinghorn Parish Church in Fife. Rona has impeccable style and taste and I just loved her dress, veil and little touches. Enjoy these shots of her getting married and I’ll post some more of this beautiful wedding soon.

F x

Ahem, I’ve been so busy updating Facebook that my poor blog has been neglected. I’ve also been thinking a lot about blogging and what brides and grooms want to see on them. Most blogs follow a similar pattern…a short description about a wedding/portrait session that’s just been shot, followed by a large or small selection of their favourite shots. This is a great way for clients to find ideas and inspiration but I think the best blogs mix it up a bit and include all sorts of features! I have my j’adore section which I personally j’adore and I’m going to try and write more about interesting wedding things as well as more personal stuff!

If anyone has any feedback on what they’d like to see or what they prefer in a wedding blog, I’d love to hear from you. As ever, leave a comment if you want to or post a message on Facebook. In the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous and passionate kissing shot from a recent pre-wedding practise shoot in Glasgow. The lovely Nina and Craig will be married tomorrow at www.houseforanartlover.co.uk and I can’t wait to be there. This type of picture is exactly what I want to see on a practise shoot…they are relaxed, uninhibited and lost in the moment! Job done!

F xxx

I adore Spain. I love to go there with the family and do nothing for two weeks but eat yummy food and spend quality time with the kids. I love to go there with the husband for a city break and experience some culture and I love to go there for work. I’ve been extremely fortunate over the last 3 years and photographed some of the most exquisite weddings in the most spectacular settings in and around Madrid. I’ve also been to Cordoba, Extremadura and this year I’m booked for weddings in Jerez de la Frontera and San Sebastian amongst others. Its a thrill to experience weddings in another culture and to work in different weather conditions but please don’t think its an easy ride…these weddings go on for 12-14 hours with sometimes 600 or so guests so its a tough gig but one of the definite pros for me is the fashion! The brides wear one off gowns designed just for them. The groom and his many witnesses are suited and coiffed and always in a haze of delicious aftershave. The guests are wearing the latest in Spanish style with the best hats you’ve ever seen and the brides attendants are always ultra cute in little ballet shoes and floral head dresses. I just love it ALL and that’s not even mentioning the decor, the flowers, the cocktails and the wild wild dancing. Anyway, my partner in crime Elia Sills were absolutely delighted to have two of last year’s weddings featured in Telva (the wedding bible in Spain). We had 13 glorious pages of our pictures and we were both 100% chuffed! I’ve been sent scans of the pages from Telva and have posted them below. I hope you enjoy.

F xx

Noooo don’t worry, this is not a post about football or France or my love of this fresh colour palette but a story about a very lovely wedding! Alana and Rob decided to get married way up north in winter at the beautiful Ardanaiseig on the shores of Loch Awe. This is a truly magical and romantic place and one of Scotland’s best kept secrets.

The fates were kind and a little snow fell the night before. The log fires were lit, the whisky was poured and the guests arrived. Everything was in place for a perfect winter wedding so Rob got his kilt on and waited ever so slightly nervously at the altar. In true starlet style Alana arrived (a little late) in a stunning halter-neck gown, iconic blue Manolo Blahniks and the most perfect red lips I’ve ever seen. I was in heaven!

The ceremony was thoughtful and meaningful and the Christmas carols added to the festive feel of the day. Plenty of whisky and bubbly was consumed and later on the children gathered around the tree to open presents that Santa had left for them. It was happiness all round and in amongst all that, we managed a little time for photos in the snow and down at the loch just as the sun was setting on Ben Lui in the distance.  Sigh…it was just one of those moments of perfect light. Rob and Alana were so relaxed and natural and actually enjoyed being out in the snow…Alana was super prepared with some fabulous, red Vivienne Westwood snow proof heels for the snow so it would have been a crime not to make good use.

I could go on and on but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I’ve chosen quite a few of my favourites and posted them below. I hope you love and please leave a comment to tell Alana and Rob how smashing they look.

F xxx

Happy New Year to you all! I hope it’s a year when dreams come true….in the meantime, please come and say hello at the House for an Art Lover wedding exhibition this Sunday the 22nd of January. There will be a number of trusted suppliers there, touting their wares and of course the chance to wander round this really amazing venue. You don’t have to be planning a wedding there; just come along and meet some of the best in the Glasgow Wedding Industry. You never know what ideas and inspiration you may find but at the very least you can enjoy some yummy food in the Art Lover’s Cafe and browse all the gorgeous things in the gift shop.

The show runs from 11am until 4pm and on a Sunday in January, it’s a lovely wee day out!

See you there xxx

Well, this is going to be one of my last Blog posts of 2011. It’s been a massive year for me and I find myself looking forward to a few weeks of quiet celebration and quality time with my gorgeous little family.

I have loved every single wedding this year and I hope I’ve created some beautiful memories for my brides and grooms. I have a jam packed schedule for 2012 already and know there will be many more to come in the New Year. I am eternally grateful that so many people love what I do and want to work with me! Long may it continue.

So…with a certain amount of sadness I leave 2011 behind but with an equal amount of anticipation and feverish excitement, I look forward to 2012. Have the most beautiful and magical Christmas yet.

F xxx

Don’t worry, I’m not blogging about my favourite musicals even if The Sound of Music is up there in the top five! I’m actually writing about one of my other favourite things…SHOES! What girl doesn’t love shoes nowadays? Flat, flip and towering, I have a fine collection. In fact, it’s so fine that I haven’t had to add to it for a while much to Jason’s delight!

One of the things I love about being a wedding photographer is seeing all the bride’s (and groom’s) accessories laid out ready to be put on. Most people won’t ever get to see the garter, the silver sixpence, the perfume, the undies or pay much attention to the jewellery and shoes but I do. These details are collected and lovingly chosen over a long period of time but they obviously don’t take centre stage on the wedding day itself. Being able to take beautiful pictures of these things for the bride to remember forever, is a very important task. My own shoes were trashed after my wedding but I have the perfect picture of them that reminds me of their former glory!

I have a vast collection of shoe photographs from all the weddings I’ve shot but here are just a handful of my favourites from this year! It was so hard to choose but I hope you enjoy! Oh and check out the amazing heels on those Miu Miu babies….swoon!!!!

Fxx

There is a word that is used every day all over wedding land. It’s a word that is used for anything and everything that looks slightly different from the norm and has almost lost it’s true meaning in the mists of gorgeous dresses, shoes, flowers and teacups. It’s a word that even I’m guilty of using when I could perhaps think of another more accurate word. In case you haven’t guessed yet, it’s vintage! I’m not in love with the word (at the moment) but I am in love with the whole idea and look and style that accompanies it.

Vintage weddings are taking the nation by storm..never before have mismatched tea cups and net curtains been in such demand and I love it all. It’s cute, quirky and really good fun to photograph, which is why I jumped at the chance when I was asked to take part in a photo shoot in Lancashire a couple of weeks ago.  Mears Ghyll Bridal Rooms supplied the stunning Jenny Packham and Charlotte Balbier gowns. Blackberry Cottage Bakery Ltd made two equally perfect cakes and Definitions Mobile Beauty made the models look top to toe gorgeous. The flowers were to die for and created by Florsitry by Carmen in Kendal and the models, Charles and Alice looked every bit a bride and groom very much in love.

We spent about 5 hours working that day to put together a magnificent set of pictures for everyone involved and I adored every minute of it. I’ve also had a lot of fun processing these images to have a different look to my normal work, applying different Photoshop techniques to achieve different finishes.

I’m thinking of some words that can replace vintage…perhaps nostalgic, retro, evocative…whatever you want to call them, they’re blooming lovely!!

Enjoy x

I’m always trying to think up nice ways to package photography gift vouchers so they have a real wow factor. Luckily my friend Emma from www.twenty-seven.co.uk and I like nothing better than a brainstorming session and we have come up with these beautiful Christmas cards with the gift voucher neatly tucked inside. Now, the voucher is for a mini session with yours truly, on location and it can be a family shoot, a couples shoot, a baby shoot…in fact any type of shoot that’s legal! It’s always a lovely gift to give and an even nicer gift to receive and its packaged so beautifully, who could resist? The price is only £50 which includes the photo shoot itself, a multimedia viewing session of your images at The Cabin, an online gallery to share with friends and family and a 7×5 inch mounted print from the session.

To order your gorgeous card and voucher, simply call the studio on 0141 885 2229 or email me via my website www.fionamacneill.com and make someone’s Christmas even more magical x