Kirsteen & Rupert – Wedding at the Royal Scots Club

I had met up with Kirsteen and Rupert a few weeks ago, and on that occasion they had joined me for a pre-wedding shoot in the private gardens opposite the Royal Scots Club. With a late ceremony time, and the lack of daylight in winter, we had a strict plan of action for the big day which left little time to spare. By the time I had seen their church, the lack of light was becoming a theme, so myself and Agent Claire were anticipating a battle. I arrived at Kirsteen’s flat on the morning of the big day and looked up at the sky. It had best not rain today.

The flat seemed to be jumping and had all the familiar sights and sounds of a bridal party getting ready. Dodging hairspray at the bay window, I snatched little moments as folk bustled around me. Their little baby boy was the centre of attention throughout, providing an amusing distraction from the adult only make-up games. Meanwhile, Agent Claire was with the boys at The Dome, but was reportedly having trouble shooting as the well known establishment seemed to object. I booked my taxi and made my way into the city centre.

The boys were already at the church of St Andrew’s and St George’s by the time I got there, and were welcoming guests with a smile. Rupert and his best man (who had a great tie!) joined me outside for a few shots before they disappeared off with the minister for a briefing. I hung around to catch the remaining guests before spotting a big black range rover out the corner of my eye. It purred down the street, revealing a grinning Kirsteen who quickly bounded out of the back seat. A glamorous show was about to begin.

Kirsteen was escourted halfway down the aisle towards her father. He was aided to his feet and grabbed the reigns, walking his daughter down the aisle with determination. When they got there, the whole congregation burst out laughing. There was no sign of the groom, minister or best man. Just an empty stage. Everyone looked around searching for an explanation, before they suddenly appeared from a back room, looking slightly red faced as they casually walked into position. It was a lovely John Cleese moment to signal the start of proceedings.

The mixture of dim light and restictions on flash photography, made the ceremony coverage slightly tricky. Agent Claire was up on the balcony whilst I stayed at the back of aisle, watching eagerly as the happy couple said their vows and exchanged rings. The flash finally whined with relief as it powered up to record the signing the register. It was all smiles as the bridal party posed for the record.

Kirsteen and Rupert walked back down the aisle and straight out onto the street, where the waiting cameras begged them for a kiss. With daylight fading fast, everyone made their way to the nearby Royal Scots Club to celebrate with a few drinks. Meanwhile, we met up with the happy couple at Queen Street gardens for some photographs alone, and quickly got down to work before darkness fell.

Kirsteen waded through the waterlogged ground, lifting her dress to avoid the patches of mud. I spotted one remaining tree which clearly still thought it was autumn, and thanked my luck at being able to recreate the colourful look of their pre-wedding shoot. They seemed much more at ease this time round, performing an impressive variety of natural looking poses in quick succession. It was easy pickings as the long lens blurred the colourful backdrop and isolated their happy ‘au naturel’ look. This time it had an added sparkle of reality.

Back at the Royal Scots Club, we gathered folk outside for some family photographs. Armed with a list and two sets of steps to choose from, it wasn’t long before an informal roll-call had most of them ticked off without any fuss. The only challenge was persuading people to part with their champagne. It must have been good stuff! Bad light eventually stopped play, but the shots were in the bag so we headed indoors content and ready to explore the delights of their reception room. It looked quite spectacular at dusk.

Kirsteen and Rupert were piped into the room to a thunderous round of applause, and sat down for their wedding breakfast. The speeches began after the break, prompting myself and Agent Claire to split up to catch all the reactions. Kirsteen’s dad kicked off at his own pace, delivering a variety of amusing tales which everyone seemed to enjoy. The main act of course came later, as the best man proved with an original and sincere speech which was easy to listen to. The sound of laughter told me where to point the camera.

As evening guests arrived upstairs, I spotted a gorgeous red leather couch and invited Kirsteen and Rupert to have a seat on it. Perfect for a long exposure I thought. It soon became clear that Kirsteen’s powers of concentration had vanished (I blame the whisky!) leaving me to wonder if I had bitten off more than I can chew. With a growing crowd egging them on, the one second exposure got repeated again and again, and they managed it on the eight attempt. It must have been amusingly cool to witness.

With the cake successfully cut, Kirsteen and Rupert took to the dance floor as everyone gathered round. I can only imagine they got a second wind, because it was a brilliant first dance full of pace and energy. In fact, I was fighting hard to focus on them as they whizzed round, stopping only to pull off the occasional move. I kept seeing happy faces in the viewfinder, begging to be frozen in a moment. This was an enjoyably difficult wedding to shoot. But you know what they say – the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.