What does this Journal cover?

Real wedding stories from Edinburgh, across Scotland, the UK and Europe, alongside notes on venues, seasonal light and digital and analogue photography.

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.

Thirlestane Castle Wedding Photographer

McLane and Michael came from the States to marry at Thirlestane Castle in Lauder, in the Scottish Borders. They made time to see each other before the ceremony, have their photographs taken and share drinks with the wedding party. I liked that rhythm. By the time everyone gathered for the ceremony, they’d already had a proper part of the day together.

The setting gave us two very different kinds of light: bright gardens and lawns outside, then deep shadows and pools of window light inside the castle. I photographed the wedding with 35mm, medium-format film and digital, choosing the film stocks around those changes. From the library portraits to the speeches around a long candlelit table, the rooms had their own atmosphere, and I wanted that to stay in the photographs.

Thirlestane Castle's turrets and front steps beneath a blue sky in Lauder.

Two gold wedding rings resting on green vow books and handwritten notes.

Gold and pink floral lapel pins laid on green tartan fabric.

A groom smiling in a white shirt with his untied bow tie around his neck.

One groom helping the other with his bow tie during preparations at Thirlestane Castle.

The grooms getting ready together beside a tall window with tartan curtains.

Black-and-white photograph of the grooms adjusting a bow tie in window light.

Two gold wedding rings held in an open palm.

The grooms silhouetted beside a tall castle window in black and white.

A groom fastening his shirt cuff beneath a dark suit sleeve.

Close-up of a black bow tie and gold lapel pin on a groom's jacket.

A groom adjusting his dinner jacket in a floral-wallpapered room.

Film portrait of a groom standing beside a dresser at Thirlestane Castle.

Black-and-white portrait of a groom sitting beside a tall window.

The grooms sitting together beneath a castle window, framed by a visible film border.

The grooms facing each other in silhouette beside a sunlit window.

Film portrait of the grooms standing together in an ornate castle room.

The grooms holding hands in front of a wooden panelled doorway.

The grooms sitting together on an ochre sofa in the castle library.

A groom seated on an ochre sofa in front of bookshelves at Thirlestane Castle.

The grooms holding hands beneath portraits in an ornate castle room.

One groom playfully adjusting the other's bow tie on a library sofa.

A groom looking up at his partner from a sofa in the castle library.

The grooms standing together on a gravel path beside the castle's stone walls.

The grooms kissing beneath leafy branches in the grounds of Thirlestane Castle.

The grooms standing beside a low stone wall under the trees.

The grooms walking up stone steps with Thirlestane Castle behind them.

A seated portrait of the grooms looking at each other, framed by a Kodak Portra 400 border.

The grooms facing each other on a gravel path surrounded by greenery.

A wide view of the grooms standing at the foot of garden steps at Thirlestane Castle.

The grooms holding hands beside climbing pink roses and a castle window.

A groom smiling beside pink roses growing against the castle wall.

A groom in a dark dinner jacket standing beside climbing roses.

A groom holding a drink while chatting with friends inside the castle.

A groom smiling during a conversation with guests in a wood-panelled room.

Guests gathered in silhouette beside a tall castle window and green reading lamp.

A groom laughing with friends over drinks before the ceremony.

A groom smiling over a glass of fizz, with a visible film border around the photograph.

Five wedding guests posing with drinks on the castle terrace.

Wooden ceremony chairs facing flowers and portraits in Thirlestane Castle's State Dining Room.

Guests taking their seats for the indoor castle wedding ceremony.

A groom waiting in a doorway behind seated ceremony guests.

Guests applauding as the grooms enter the ceremony room.

The grooms walking together between rows of wedding guests.

The grooms entering the portrait-lined State Dining Room with their guests standing.

Guests smiling and wiping away tears during the ceremony.

The grooms standing with their celebrant between floral arrangements in the State Dining Room.

Black-and-white photograph of the grooms kissing during their wedding ceremony.

The newlyweds looking at their rings beside a table of glasses outdoors.

The newlyweds talking with a guest beside the castle's climbing roses.

A newlywed embracing a guest outside Thirlestane Castle.

A guest wiping away tears as she embraces one of the newlyweds.

Wedding guests gathering on the lawn beside the castle's stone walls.

A newlywed smiling with guests during the outdoor drinks reception.

The newlyweds posing with family beside pink roses at Thirlestane Castle.

A wide film photograph of wedding guests gathered outside Thirlestane Castle.

Four guests in dark suits posing beside a table of drinks outdoors.

Guests chatting on the lawn beside the castle's windows, framed by a visible film border.

The newlyweds standing with drinks beside a stone doorway and climbing roses.

A guest taking a phone photograph of two guests beside pink roses.

A close-up of a wedding ring being shown to a guest holding a glass of fizz.

Gold decoration inside the curved top tier of the wedding cake.

A tall sculptural wedding cake displayed beside a marble figure and castle window.

Close-up of the curved tiers and textured finish of the wedding cake.

Film photograph of the wedding cake beside a window in an ornate castle room.

A long wedding dinner table set with flowers and red candles beneath a chandelier.

Colourful flowers, gold-edged plates and neatly folded napkins on the wedding table.

A view along the dinner table towards a window and ornate castle ceiling.

Wedding guests seated around a candlelit table at Thirlestane Castle.

A guest giving a speech beside the long wedding dinner table.

A guest speaking to the newlyweds and their friends over dinner.

Black-and-white photograph of a speaker standing beside the wedding table.

Black-and-white portrait of a groom laughing during the dinner speeches.

A guest smiling at the candlelit dinner table in black and white.

The newlyweds cutting their tiered wedding cake together.

Guests talking beside a tall window as candles glow in the foreground.

The newlyweds walking down Thirlestane Castle's broad front steps.

The newlyweds walking across the castle lawn in low evening sunlight.

Black-and-white photograph of the newlyweds walking together across the lawn.

A first look and portraits before the ceremony

The first part of the day was about the two of them. There were bow ties to straighten, jackets to finish and a quiet first look before the wedding became a room full of people. The photographs by the tall windows show that closeness particularly well. One helping the other get ready, then the two of them sitting together with the tartan curtains behind them.

We moved through the castle for portraits, using the wooden doorways and the library’s bookshelves and ochre sofa. Outside, the scale changed. We had the castle behind them on the steps, trees overhead on the paths and climbing roses against the stone walls. Having this time before the ceremony let us make those photographs without pulling them away from the reception later.

Then came drinks with the wedding party. Bow ties and formal rooms didn’t make it feel stiff. People were laughing, leaning into conversations and catching up, with glasses in hand. Those are the pictures that give the portraits their context.

An indoor ceremony at Thirlestane Castle

The ceremony took place in the State Dining Room, with Jane Keir as celebrant. Rows of wooden chairs faced the flowers, framed portraits lined the walls and the ornate ceiling sat above everyone. It was a very different setting from the garden photographs, with warm tones and much more directional light.

McLane and Michael walked in together as their guests stood and applauded. I kept looking beyond the two of them as well. A smile from someone in the front row, a hand raised to wipe away a tear, faces turning as they came down the aisle. The room matters, but so do all those small reactions happening around the ceremony.

Drinks on the lawn and dinner in the State Drawing Room

Afterwards, everyone gathered outside the castle. We made family photographs beside the roses, while the rest of the reception carried on around us. There were hugs, drinks and friends making their own pictures on their phones. The wide photographs of guests against the castle put the whole gathering back into the landscape.

Platter & Pop handled the catering and flowers. For dinner, a long table filled the State Drawing Room with colourful arrangements, red candles and gold-edged plates. The table drew everyone into the same space, which made the photographs of speeches feel close even with the grandeur of the room around them.

The speeches brought more laughter, and the sculptural cake had its own place beside the window before McLane and Michael cut it together. Later, we stepped outside again for a few photographs on the front stairs and the lawn. The lower evening sun gave us a softer finish to the day.

Choosing film stocks for dark interiors and bright gardens

Film choice was an important part of photographing this wedding. I used ISO 400 medium-format film alongside Kodak Portra 400 and Portra 800 on 35mm. The bright outdoor portraits and the moody castle rooms asked for different decisions. I wanted the garden light to feel open, while keeping the depth of the interiors.

For indoor couple portraits and the speeches, I rated Portra 800 at ISO 1600 and pushed it one stop in processing. That choice let me work with the available light and hold on to the atmosphere of the rooms. Pushing film doesn’t turn a dark room into daylight. Exposure still matters, and the deeper shadows are part of how these photographs feel.

The medium-format photographs gave the quieter portraits room to breathe. The 35mm frames sat alongside the conversations and movement, with digital woven through the coverage as well. Together they make one account of the wedding, with different textures and ways of seeing the same day.

If you’re considering a similar blend, you can see more in my wedding photography portfolio and read about my film wedding photography across the UK.

Planning wedding photographs at Thirlestane Castle

Is Thirlestane Castle in Edinburgh?
No. It’s in Lauder in the Scottish Borders, south of Edinburgh. That makes this a Borders castle wedding with a useful connection to Edinburgh for couples travelling from overseas. The castle’s destination wedding information is a good starting point for planning your stay.

Can we have portraits before the ceremony?
McLane and Michael did exactly that. A first look followed by portraits indoors and in the grounds meant they could spend time with their wedding party before the ceremony. It’s worth building that sequence into the timetable with your photographer and venue team.

Where did we take the photographs?
For this wedding, we used the tall windows, library and panelled doorways inside, then the paths, roses, garden steps and castle frontage outside. Keeping the locations close together gave us variety without making portraits a long excursion.

Does film work in the castle interiors?
Yes, with thoughtful exposure and stock choices. At this wedding, Portra 800 rated at 1600 and pushed one stop was part of my approach to indoor portraits and speeches. Window light, the room’s shadows and digital coverage all had a place in the finished gallery.

The team behind the wedding

The people and businesses involved in McLane and Michael’s Thirlestane Castle wedding.

Venue and coordination: Thirlestane Castle

Celebrant: Jane Keir

Catering and flowers: Platter & Pop

Harpist: Verity Gibson

Wine: Murray Brown at MB Wine Services

Cocktails: Giraffe Cocktails

Film wedding photography in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders

If you’re planning a wedding at Thirlestane Castle and want photographs on film and digital, I’d love to hear what you have in mind. I photograph weddings across the Borders and offer film wedding photography in Edinburgh too. You can explore the wedding photography collections, or get in touch with your date and plans.