What does this diary cover?

Notes from behind the camera: Scottish venues, how light behaves at different times of year, the analogue process from exposure to scan, and full weddings written up properly.

Why write about film photography in detail?

Because most couples have never hired a film photographer and reasonably want to know what changes. Explaining the process is more useful than asking anybody to take it on trust.

Can I see a full wedding gallery rather than a highlights set?

Yes. Ask when you enquire and a complete gallery can be shared, which shows consistency across a whole day.

Where do I go if I want to book?

The enquiry page. Send your date and venue, and expect a reply within 24 to 48 hours.

The Engine Works Wedding Photographer | St Andrews & Glasgow Film Wedding — Steven William Weir: UK, Scotland Wedding Photographer and Film

Hazel and Ally did not try to make one wedding day hold everything. Instead, they split the celebration in two: a small family ceremony at Hotel du Vin in St Andrews, followed a few days later by a much bigger party at The Engine Works in Glasgow. The two days felt completely different, but together they made perfect sense: quiet, personal and coastal to begin with, then loud, generous and properly Glasgow by the end.

View across the St Andrews coastline before Hazel and Ally’s intimate wedding

St Andrews beach photographed before Hazel and Ally’s wedding ceremony

Wedding flowers by Victoria Bloom at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Family member having a buttonhole pinned before the St Andrews ceremony

Hazel holding a keepsake before her wedding at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Family gathered before the intimate St Andrews wedding ceremony

Emotional family moment before Hazel and Ally’s St Andrews wedding

Hazel and family together at Hotel du Vin before the ceremony

Guests seated for an intimate wedding ceremony at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

A quiet family moment before the wedding at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Hazel and her family preparing for the intimate St Andrews ceremony

Ally with family before the wedding ceremony in St Andrews

Documentary photograph of family gathering at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Guests arriving for Hazel and Ally’s small St Andrews wedding

Natural family interaction before the Hotel du Vin ceremony

Susan Cassidy leading Hazel and Ally’s St Andrews wedding ceremony

Emotional family reaction during the Hotel du Vin wedding ceremony

Hazel and Ally exchanging vows with close family in St Andrews

Candid ceremony moment photographed on film at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Confetti and family celebrations outside Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Hazel and Ally during their intimate ceremony at Hotel du Vin St Andrews

Natural couple portrait beside the historic stone buildings of St Andrews

Documentary wedding photograph by the St Andrews coast

Hazel and Ally together after their intimate St Andrews ceremony

Relaxed portrait of Hazel and Ally around St Andrews

Hazel and Ally walking through St Andrews after their wedding ceremony

Analogue film wedding portrait in the streets of St Andrews

Wedding details photographed on analogue film before The Engine Works reception

Relaxed morning moment before Hazel and Ally’s Glasgow wedding party

Hazel and family at home before travelling to The Engine Works

Hazel getting ready at home in Bearsden before The Engine Works party

Candid wedding preparation photograph before the Glasgow celebration

Family helping Hazel prepare for the second wedding day in Glasgow

Candid drinks reception photograph at The Engine Works

Hazel and Ally greeting friends at their Glasgow wedding party

Documentary wedding photography among the exposed brick at The Engine Works

Hazel and Ally arriving for their celebration at The Engine Works Glasgow

Wedding guests gathering inside The Engine Works in Glasgow

Industrial wedding details inside The Engine Works Glasgow

Alan speaking before dinner at The Engine Works wedding

Friends and family celebrating around the dinner tables at The Engine Works

Candid film photograph during Hazel and Ally’s Glasgow wedding reception

Ally giving his speech at The Engine Works wedding reception

Wedding guests reacting to the speeches at The Engine Works Glasgow

Ronnie piping Hazel and Ally into their Glasgow reception

Hazel and Ally celebrating with friends beneath the lights at The Engine Works

Direct-flash film photograph from the Glasgow wedding party

Joyful candid moment during Hazel and Ally’s Engine Works celebration

Guests dancing during surprise Bongo’s Bingo at The Engine Works

Direct-flash film photograph from Hazel and Ally’s Glasgow wedding party

Tartan Entertainment leading the wedding party in Glasgow

Energetic dance-floor photograph at The Engine Works wedding

An intimate wedding at Hotel du Vin, St Andrews

The first day began without the usual wedding-day rush. Hazel, Ally and their nine closest family members met in the bar at Hotel du Vin St Andrews before moving through to the Macallan Room for the ceremony. There was no wedding party and no formal walk down the aisle. Everyone was already together, which made the whole thing feel less like a performance and more like a family gathering that happened to include getting married.

Susan Cassidy led the ceremony with the warmth and lightness Hazel and Ally wanted. Afterwards, confetti was thrown on the hotel steps and we made a few family photographs close to the building before walking into St Andrews for portraits.

The old stone, narrow streets and soft light coming in from the coast are made for film photography. I used a mixture of digital cameras and analogue film, letting the grain and slightly unpredictable colour keep the photographs feeling like memories rather than something overly polished. The flowers from Victoria Bloom brought a lovely hit of colour against the quieter St Andrews backdrop.

A few days later: The Engine Works, Glasgow

Day two changed the pace completely. Hazel got ready at home in Bearsden before everyone gathered at The Engine Works in Glasgow. The former industrial space has exposed brick, high ceilings and enough room for a party to build naturally, without guests being moved through a rigid sequence of rooms.

Hazel and Ally had already done the legal and emotional part in St Andrews, so this day was about spending time with the wider group of people they love. We made the few requested group photographs early, then left the rest of the celebration to unfold. That was important to them. They wanted to be present with their guests rather than disappear for a long portrait session.

Wedding photography that did not pull them away

Hazel and Ally told me from the beginning that they were not comfortable being photographed. What they wanted was something unobtrusive: pictures that showed the people, the atmosphere and the odd little moments they might otherwise miss.

Afterwards, Hazel described the photographs as exactly the “fly-on-the-wall style” they had hoped for. Friends and family kept asking, “How did he get that picture?” because they had not noticed the camera at the time. That is always the aim. A wedding should not feel as though it is happening for the photographs; the photographs should come from what genuinely happened.

Speeches, pipes and surprise Bongo’s Bingo

The Engine Works party had its own brilliant rhythm. Ally spoke before dinner, his dad Ronnie piped everyone into the room, and Hazel’s dad Alan followed with his speech. Then Tartan Entertainment launched a surprise round of Bongo’s Bingo, which got the whole room moving far earlier than a traditional evening reception normally would.

Later, The Woodfired Guys arrived with pizza, and Hazel and Ally held their first dance and father–daughter dance after the food break so the party never lost momentum. By that point the dance floor was full, the flash was coming out and the photographs became looser, grainier and more energetic.

Analogue film photography across St Andrews and Glasgow

Photographing the wedding across two days gave the film work two very different textures. In St Andrews, the frames are softer and calmer: family gathered close, flowers against old stone and Hazel and Ally walking through the town after the ceremony. In Glasgow, the photographs are full of movement, brick, warm light and direct flash.

I love working with both 35mm film and digital photography for weddings like this. Digital catches reactions at speed, while film adds depth, texture and small imperfections that suit the way a real celebration feels. Together they tell a fuller story: not one endlessly staged day, but two distinct chapters shared between St Andrews and Glasgow.

The team behind the two days

Hazel and Ally worked with a lovely group of Scottish wedding suppliers across both celebrations.

St Andrews venue: Hotel du Vin St Andrews
Glasgow reception venue: The Engine Works
Celebrant: Susan Cassidy
Florist: Victoria Bloom
Make-up: Victoria Grace Artistry
Hair: Jenny Morris Hair
Entertainment and Bongo’s Bingo: Tartan Entertainment
Highlandwear: MacGregor and MacDuff
Evening pizza: The Woodfired Guys
Cake table: The Cake Mixer
Guest-shot wedding film: Edit Your Wedding

Planning a St Andrews or Glasgow wedding?

If you are planning an intimate ceremony in St Andrews, a party at The Engine Works or a two-part wedding that does things in its own order, I would love to hear about it. I photograph weddings throughout Scotland using digital and analogue film, with a documentary approach that gives you space to enjoy the people around you. Get in touch and tell me what you are planning.