What makes the perfect wedding venue?
We are often asked by prospective bride and grooms what makes a great venue for photography?
After photographing at over 125 wedding venues across Scotland over the last 20 years we really can help couple's with advice if they are torn between a few venues.
Firstly, there is no single answer that fits all scenarios, yet some general advice follows. If the weather is absolutely horrendous on your wedding day, some venues still have lots of indoor options for great photographs with nice illumination and perhaps great window light. It's worth asking a venue what the possibilities are in such circumstances and which areas may be "out of bounds." Some venues are also in very windy locations. It may be that in adverse weather, all the available rooms are crowded, or that the hotel may have a second function on at the same time or be open to members of the public. Is your wedding the only wedding on that particular day, at that chosen venue? A good chef is also worth their weight in gold, so why not have a taster meal at a prospective venue. Often the team that is looking after you on the wedding day can also make a real difference. Organisation is the key and it's always heartbreaking when you hear stories that the service was perhaps not as expected after the event.
Often in the morning of some weddings, if you walk around the grounds of a venue, you can see what attention is paid to the clearing up routine. Regrettably, even at venues that are well publicised, we find empty bottles or litter or benches with bird poo on that have not been cleaned. So look around the outside of venues too to get an indication of the care that is being put into potential photographic locations.
Also regrettably, at the following Church of Scotland venues, Newton Mearns Parish Church, Dunblane Cathedral, Paisley Abbey, West Kirk in Helensburgh, Greenbank Church in Clarkston, Troon Parish Church, Culross Abbey, Ardwell Parish Church, Edinkillie Parish Church, Glasgow Cathedral and Symington Church, there are extreme restrictions on photography or a zero photography policy in place for during the actual ceremony. It should be noted that often such strict, local restrictions, have been known to change when a minister retires or changes parish, thereby allowing future generations to preserve a discreet record for their future decendants. So definitely check if this is still the case or a deal breaker.
Modern day cameras can now operate without flash and with silent shutters too ensuring that a discreet record of the ceremony can be captured whilst giving the utmost respect to the ceremony. Thankfully, most ministers, priests, humanists, Rabbi's and other officiants value the recording in a discreet way of the most important part of the day, so that it is not lost to memory as generations pass by.
