CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU'RE ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS!

Thank you so much for booking us; we honestly feel so privileged every time a new couple like you asks us to be part of their special day. Good photographs are the keys to many wonderful memories and we take our responsibility to capture those moments very seriously - so thank you for trusting us to do this for you.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP

We have been part of several hundred weddings now, so we thought we would set out for you some of the top tips we have picked up over the last decade. Planning a wedding has the potential to be a little bit stressful with all the moving parts and high expectations but it doesn’t have to be. We are here for you every step of the way to try and make the whole process as exciting and fun as we possibly can. If you scroll down you’ll see some recommendations for our favourite fellow suppliers, top tips, secrets to fuss free family photos and how to de-stress your pre-wedding prep. But first...

OUR PROCESS

Step 1 - Contract signed and booking fee paid - WOOHOO! Your wedding date is confirmed in our diary! All the paperwork is now taken care of until a month prior to your wedding when you will be sent your wedding questionnaire link. Please fill it in with as much detail as possible so that we can make sure we are fully prepared for everything you have planned.

Step 2 - On the day: If you have booked a full day shoot we will arrive two hours before the ceremony and leave after the first few dances.

Step 3 - Within 48 hours of your wedding you will receive your preview shots, a selection of around 20 of the best photos we took, and a taster for what is still to come.

Step 4 - Your final edited photos will be delivered in 6-8 weeks. Sometimes we can manage it a little faster and will always try but in busy periods it can take as long as 8 weeks to get them primed and polished ready for you to enjoy.

Step 5 - Once you have your final photos in your online gallery you are free to download, print and share them as you wish. This is also the point where you can start to narrow down your selection and order your official wedding album.

NEED A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS?

We have been in the wedding industry in central Scotland for more than a decade so there are very few suppliers that we don’t know and some that we particularly love working with.

No-one on this list below has any financial arrangement with us at all. They are here because in our opinion, they are the most attentive, accomplished and detail-focussed professionals around. They are the people that we would hire if we were planning our own weddings. We trust them.

Videographers

Videographers and photographers work closely together so whoever you decide to hire it is important to choose photographers and videographers with similar styles. Understanding what each other is trying to shoot means we can streamline the whole process and make it all easier, faster and more enjoyable for you. With that in mind we highly recommend:

Hair & Makeup

Dress shops:

Bijoux Bridal, Hamilton
Eleganza Sposa, Glasgow
Rachel Scott, Edinburgh

Florists:

Bands:

Bleeker
Northern Star
Corra
DJ - Anti Wedding DJ (terrible name but a great DJ!)

Caterers:

Cakes:

Marquees:

Elegant Pitches

Atlas Domes

Bakerwood Marquees

The

PREP

It sounds a bit ridiculous to prep you for your wedding preparations doesn’t it? But trust us having these little tricks sorted in advance will make everything feel much calmer on the day when nerves might already be running high. So here we go:

BUT ALSO...

Have a crochet hook or a couple of Kirby grips handy to help button up the back of a wedding dress.

Make sure you have gone to the toilet and brushed your teeth before you put your wedding dress on - sounds obvious doesn’t it but you’d be surprised.

EAT. Whether you order it from the venue, bring it yourself or delegate a bridesmaid to make you a breakfast roll prioritise getting some food into you – don’t be the bride who passes out on us because she hasn’t eaten all day.

Have a little sewing kit handy in case of stray threads or rogue buttons. Safety pins can fix an amazing range of problems.

Get your dresses, shoes, jewellery laid out before we arrive, it will save us loads of time and mean we can focus on taking lovely photos of you getting ready.

Once you’re all there and getting ready try and clear away as much clutter as you can. That way you won’t end up with ugly bags or discarded suit carriers in the background of your photos.

Bring trainers or boots to pop on under your wedding dress if you want to venture off the beaten track later for some scenic photos.

Take your time, there’s no prize for being ready first. Enjoy being pampered and soak in the buzz of the room

OUR TOP TIP

If you have any special gifts to give to your bridal party or if you receive any special gifts yourself, please wait until we arrive before opening these special items!

The

Ceremony

OUR TOP TIP

BUT ALSO...

Depending on where you’re getting married there may be some restrictions about what and where we can photograph (particularly in religious venues) please let us know this in advance.

Give us an order of ceremony ahead of time. We will always be as unobtrusive as we can during a ceremony, the last thing we want to do is detract from the moment. We never use a flash and will only move around when we absolutely have to but it’s much easier for us to capture everything if we know what is happening next.

After you walk up the aisle followed by all your friends and family, it is time to celebrate! We absolutely love this part of the wedding with all the massive heartfelt celebratory hugs, huge smiles and handshakes, it is candid gold! So embrace your friends and family, we will be in the background capturing every moment. Then when it is time, we will start pulling together your family group photographs. Please make a list of the different groupings you want (we’ll ask you this in your pre-wedding questionnaire) and make sure everyone knows what is expected of them ahead of time. Nominate a loud/bossy/terrifyingly efficient friend or two who know who people are, to help get them lined up so we can keep things short and sweet. Pro Tip: Groupings with small children go first, before they burst out of their wedding outfits or get covered in mud!

When you meet each other at the end of the aisle, don’t be afraid to touch each other! It sounds so silly but we’ve seen it time and time again, it’s ok to hold hands or do whatever feels natural, everyone knows you love each other - that’s why we’re all here! Same goes for when you’re saying your vows, say them to each other not the person marrying you.

THE

PORTRAITS

OUR TOP TIP

Enjoy this time together. Don’t be afraid to step away from the festivities for a few minutes of peace and privacy just the two of you. And don't worry about what to do, we'll give you some gentle suggestions if you want but the best photos always come from couples messing around and having fun together.

BUT ALSO...

Don’t worry if the weather isn’t perfect, some of the best wedding photos we’ve taken have been against an overcast sky or even in the rain, it’s all about embracing the spirit of the day and enjoying yourself, that’s honestly the best way to get photos you love.

Think about your accessories, as mentioned before lots of brides bring different shoes or boots with them so they can frolic about in the wilderness more freely, but it doesn’t need to stop there. If you know it is likely to be a cold day think about a wrap or shawl to keep you warm - we’ve even had a bride arrive with her own custom made leather jacket and it was incredible!

THE

PARTY

OUR TOP TIP

Don’t fall into the trap of feeling like your first dance has to be a slow soppy song. The most important thing is that it feels right to you otherwise it will inevitably be a bit awkward for people watching. Some good options we’ve seen are:

- Hey, Soul Sister, Train

- Best day of my life, American Authors

- American Pie, Don Mclean

- Take My Hand, Skerryvore

- Wagon Wheel, Darius Rucker

- You make my dreams come true, Hall & Oates

- Shut up & dance, Walk the Moon

- Rhythm of my heart, Rod Stewart

BUT ALSO...

Some couples feel they are a bit too shy to really enjoy a big first dance and that’s perfectly ok - you don’t have to force yourself into anything you don’t want to do. Another option would be to have a ceilidh to start the night off and have the bridal couple lead the first dance instead.

Don’t forget to think about what happens after the first dance is over. You want to keep everyone on the dance floor so we can get some awesome party shots. Ask your band to go straight into their first set of songs so no-one has time to disappear to the bar.

Let’s stay in touch

That’s about all for now, we hope this has helped supercharge your planning and get you excited for the big day. We love to chat weddings so please feel free to get in touch any time if there’s anything you’re ever not sure of. You can also follow us on instagram @eilidhrobertsonphotography and @laura.eilidhrobertsonphotography for more inspiration from all our latest weddings.

The countdown to the most magical day of your life is on... and we can't wait to be there