Stonehaven Wedding – Dunnottar Castle – Gillian and Alan

I loved photographing this beautiful wedding at Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven. Although I have been fairly frequently to Aberdeenshire as my husband is from Stonehaven, I hadn’t yet visited Dunnottar Castle prior to Alan and Gillian booking me for their wedding.

I have to admit, I’m a big fan of carrying out a recce, so I can scout around and get a feel for the layout. I like to know where I can go, my backdrops, my backups, and what to expect. In the case of Dunnottar Castle, this meant anticipating 219 steps. I felt like I’d attended three HiT classes back to back afterward. I headed up a few months prior for a family trip and we made a point of visiting Dunnottar Castle for a day out.

Dunnottar Castle is a pretty amazing setting for a wedding. It does however, require suitable footwear for all those steps, cobbled paths and grass. Located on the cliffs of the North East coast, sensible clothes for the haar or the cold North Sea winds are also a must. This is the sort of location that floaty summer dresses for country estates and Pimms just won’t cut it.

Scottish weddings of course, even in summer, can be notorious for not giving you the summer sunshine you otherwise expect. Again, anticipation was key here, and I loved the blue sky lining of the umbrellas that the groomsmen used. If you’re going to need a brolly, invest in one with style.

Despite the damp weather, we were still able to enjoy an outdoor ceremony, before decamping inside for some drinks and signing of the register. While the rest of the guests departed for the Tollbooth Museum by the harbour in Stonehaven, I remained with Alan and Gillian for some additional photographs through the castle grounds and along the beach with it’s dramatic cliffs and rocks.