The Walled Garden in Fife was the perfect canvas for Chris & Michelle to express their alternative, autumnal wedding.
Of all the seasons, Autumn is my perhaps my favourite.
Partly because I was born a libra and therefore I am a child of Autumn, so it has always held a certain charm for me. While summer weddings often get the most attention due to the length and warmth of the day, there is something quite special about those weddings that take part in the last months of the year.
The photographer side of me really enjoys the late afternoon light and if you combine that with carved pumpkins and iron-bru inspired cocktails, you have a recipe for a killer wedding.
It was this vision that propelled Michelle & Chris to do just this.
At so many weddings I see bride's wear increasingly interesting and unusual footwear. This normally includes a change of shoes later in the day so they can dance the night away.
As they had decided on a late afternoon ceremony, we got their group shots out the way so they could spend the rest of the day chilling and mingling. I applaud their decision to do what worked for them and not feel the pressure to conform to the traditional wedding structure (is there such a thing in Scotland I am not sure).
There was this awesome pile of timber out back which completed the look.
As I mentioned before, one of the most important things about scheduling an autumn wedding is the timing. With the sun setting in the afternoon (6.08pm on this day), Michelle & Chris planned to have their group shots before the ceremony to the make the most of end of day light aka golden hour.
And then we still had to use the colourful smoke grenades. Moments like this are always a lot of fun and we got so many more fun photos that I haven't included here.
During the ceremony, the skies did turn for a brief time. Almost at the exact moment Michelle had made it down the aisle... luckily, the venue made use of it's handy pagoda and were well prepared. assortment of odd (but totally awesome) umbrellas for the guests.
Chris was welling up and he realised the magnitude of the moment... don't worry pal, we photographers love to see your tears of happiness!
As is often the case with Scotland, the rain didn't last long within a few moments it was back to being dry and relatively mild. The rest of the day stayed way, hoorah!
After the ceremony was complete Chris & Michelle enjoyed a celebratory cocktail while we went for some portraits in the forest outback.
Due to the early sunset at this time of year, it was getting pretty dark by the time we got the forest. I decided to put down a remote light behind the couple to add some backlight and add some interesting light to the scene.
This was definitely a more moody edit than I normally do, but as is always the case, I don't just apply a fixed style to every wedding, I make something unique that fits the couples personality and taste.
Once we returned from the forest, everyone was merry and ready to party the night away. After they happy couple had some time to mingle and sink a cocktail or two, we decided it was time to form the most epic sparkler tunnel!!!
The energy of the guests and couple during this moment was spectacular to behold. I don't know what it is about sparklers but everyone always goes wild for them.
Pro tip: If you're planning sparklers, the best time to go is not long after sunset so there is still a small amount of ambient light.
Just as the last sparkler fizzled out and the retreated into he forest, it started to get quite brisk outside. Fortunately, it was time to move inside to the cosy, furnace heated barn, where Chris & Michelle had planned some speeches followed by a delicious buffet.
