I had become quite familiar with South Queensferry this year, so had little trouble finding my way to St Margaret’s church which would host the ceremony of Claire and Giuseppe. The car door opened and promptly blew shut again in the howling wind. Hurricane force if I’m not mistaken. Inside, Giuseppe and his two best men were preparing themselves and soon began greeting their hat holding guests. I gathered them outside for a team huddle and began shooting all the finer details. Things were looking bright and breezy.
The bridesmaids arrived with a few minutes to go, stopping to pose on the stairs as the little page boy waited patiently to offer them an order of service. I kept the camera aimed on the steps in anticipation of seeing Claire, only to be surprised as she suddenly appeared from an alternative entrance. Her dad trailed behind as Claire grinned for the first photographs. At the bottom of the aisle, Giuseppe remained calm but couldn’t resist turning round for a glimpse of what was to come. Claire looked quite stunning.
The ceremony got underway in the quiant church, with Claire and Giuseppe turning to face each other for much of it. The vows were exchanged nervously, before they were invited to ‘rub noses’ by the priest. A lovely expression! As the happy couple stood in each others arms, I made my way to the entrance and spotted the rain. It meant a quick change of plan, so we decided to do some family group shots inside the church before deciding where to go next. I feared we might be stuck indoors this afternoon.
Despite deteriating weather conditions, Claire and Giuseppe took me by surprise by agreeing to head out onto Orocco Pier and experience a bit of stormchasing. We piled into the bridal car and parked on the jetty, inviting a precautionary change into wellies for Claire. The wind roared as we attempted the first few shots, making it quite difficult to hear each other and offer instructions. They kissed as the veil blew in the wind, prompting me to get a bit closer and try to use it for effect. The mood seemed romantic.
Some natural looking portraits proved easy enough to get, not least because all that buffeting was sure to keep things looking fresh. As Claire and Giuseppe cuddled, I was in the perfect position to bide my time and let the wind do all the work. The fast telephoto lens blurred their surroundings perfectly, adding to the sense of drama and mystique. We called it a day, and walked briskly back the the car for the short trip to Orocco Pier. The happy couple bounded out the car looking quite windswept and interesting I thought.
Sadly, Claire and Giuseppe have both lost a parent, but their absence was marked with a thoughtful and lovely gesture. Their parents wedding photos sat proudly next to the cake, while the remarkably detailed cake toppers watched over the scene. By the time I had photographed all the eye candy in the reception room, everyone began taking their seats for the speeches.
The subtlety lit reception room provided a great backdrop for some hilarious speeches, a setup that Orocco Pier always do very well. It soon had everyone on their feet as they obeyed the grooms instructions and stood up when mentioned. The carefully positioned flashguns were firing on all cylinders as laughter rang out throughout the best mens double act. According to the viewfinder it went down a storm. What a wonderfully fresh looking wedding that seemed. And what a great couple to go shoot the breeze with.
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