A little French Wedding in Glencoe

For a long time now I have been photographing loads of tiny weddings and elopements alongside my larger, more traditional wedding days. Up until recently my couples have mainly been from England, with a few Scottish and American clients thrown in there too. Then, about a year or so ago I bumped into the ever-cheery Gabrielle, who plans weddings for French couples who would like to come to Scotland and get married here, and I’ve had a few really, really beautiful little weddings as a result. My most recent one was Cindy and Mathieu’s little French wedding in Glencoe (where I seem to be photographing almost every week this year).

The French weddings I have photographed here have been fairly similar to any other wedding, except for the fact that everyone can talk about me and I have no idea what they are saying. I have learned some essential key words though: Bisou (kiss), Venteux (windy) and Pluvieux (rainy). Wedding is an easy one, it’s mariage. One thing that I always enjoy seeing, that is more noticeable amongst my American and French clients, is their awe and wonder at our Scottish landscape. I photograph weddings and elopements all over Scotland, and have become quite complacent about the beauty that is right on my doorstep, so it is a great reminder for me to take a moment to enjoy what we have here.

As a documentary photographer my job was, as ever, to capture their day for them with the absolute minimum of interference. I began at their little cottage on the shores of Loch Leven before photographing a very emotional first-look right on the lochside itself. Then we all drove up to a pretty spot in Glencoe, under the imposing face of Buachaille Etive Mòr, for a ceremony. Avoiding the squelchy peat bogs was a small challenge but we all made it there safely.

After a fabulous ceremony by Humanist celebrant Alan Barr (who works with wedding planner Gabrielle quite a bit because he can read French amazingly well) there was a quick break for hot chocolate and coffee, a few more photographs and then back home. I stayed up in the mountains with Cindy and Mathieu for another hour or so when the light turned beautifully sunny and warm. I’m not sharing all of those images though, because they were happy and personal photographs with just the two of them and their two children. I know that a lot of photographers overshare photographs without permission but I cannot stress enough that I will only share your photographs if you are happy for me to do so. If you’d rather I didn’t pop them on my Instagram or website then I can promise that I never will.

Thank you Cindy and Mathieu for letting me share some of the photographs of your little French wedding in Glencoe. And that you also Gabrielle for having me a long that day. If I learn a few more French words at each wedding I’ll be fluent in no time. And if you’d like to see a few more of my Glencoe weddings you can see some here and here.

It was great to work alongside the following suppliers for Cindy and Mathieu’s Wedding in Glencoe.

Gabrielle the wedding planner from French Wedding in Scotland
Bonny from Bonny’s Wonderland Hair and Makeup
The brilliant (French speaking) Humanist Celebrant Alan Barr

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