Josh & Laura celebrate with their American & English families at the place where they met – St Andrews University
“These photos are absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! Thank you both so much for everything you did for us. You made the whole day such a fun and relaxed experience, and we couldn’t have asked for two more kind, funny and supremely talented photographers to capture our day for us. “
– Laura & Josh
Laura & Josh met while both studying for masters degrees at St Andrews University. These are two smart cookies! Josh was studying for a masters in renaissance literature and here’s me having to google how to spell that! And Laura was gaining a joint masters(!) in Theology and Imagination of the Arts – very Harry Potter! Josh hails from Oregon, USA and Laura from Cambridge, England so it was only fitting that all their lovely wedding guests travelled to St Andrew’s to see the place where they fell in love – awww! Plus we all know Scottish weddings are the best weddings 😉
Preparations
Laura and her family had hired a beautiful country lodge to get ready in that was full of natural light, perfect for the brilliant hair and MUA Sarah Clarke to work in. There was doggies, puzzles and lots of laughs as preparations got underway.
Weddings being unpredictable beasts, the bridal car, unfortunately, broke down just a few hundred feet from the lodge! But not to fret, Ian Cargill Cars rescued the day in a backup car that got everyone there on time! These things happen and Laura and her Dad took it in their stride anyway and laughed about it all. What else can you do!
Josh and the lads had a convenient AirBnB just a few minutes walk from St Salvator’s. My second shooter David had fun hanging out with them and got some great shots of the guys getting ready. This is why we love to supply 2 photographers in our coverage to make sure both parties get time to shine. And it’s always fun to see what went on behind the scenes when you weren’t there!
The Ceremony
St Salvator’s is a STUNNING chapel as you can see from the photos. It’s quite the attraction in St Andrews. It’s also the university chapel and the very one where Laura & Josh used to go to during their uni days. Fittingly, it was their personal minister that conducted the ceremony which made it all the more heartwarming. Josh’s dad was also a speaker at the ceremony and you could see him bursting with pride at the honour. There honestly wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the personal & heartfelt ceremony.
There were then lots of beautiful moments with friends and family all gathered round to hug and congratulate the happy couple!
The Reception
The grounds of St Salvator’s (or Sallies as the cool kids call it) have lots to offer, really beautiful architecture and lovely pockets of light everywhere. However, just a short walk away is all of St Andrews. We had the ruined Cathedral, The Castle, The Harbour, wee cobbled streets and Dean’s Court – the residence where both Josh & Laura stayed in their time at university. So many options! We decided to leave the Harbour and pier until sunset and hope for a nice golden hour (spoiler alert – golden hour DELIVERED!).
The way Josh & Laura look at each other actually melts my heart, you can feel the love radiating from them and we’re just so happy for them both. There’s nothing easier than photographing two people so deeply in love. No cheesy posing or anything like that required, just honest emotions. This is also why I love photographing American folks, they wear their hearts on their sleeves a lot more than us tough Brits! The speeches were a testament to this, Scottish speeches are generally a roast! But the speeches by Josh and his brothers had everyone sobbing, they were SO lovely!! Scots take note!!
Then it was time for dancing, is there anything more amusing than a ceilidh where only about 10% of the participants know what they are doing? NO! We LOVE IT! Half American, half English – the perfect storm haha!
We actually almost missed sunset but we legit ran to the pier and harbour and I think you’ll agree once you scroll down – we got the best of it. What an epic sky and Josh and Laura just looked magnificent against it.
Can we do it all over again? We just loved this day so much! I’m sure you’ll enjoy the images below.
Sarah x
Creative Team
Venue: St Salvator’s Chapel // Lower College Hall // Upper College Hall
Bridal Prep Location: Claremont Lodge, St Andrews
Second Shooter: David Ruff Photography
Officiant: Rev. Paul Clarke
Hair & Makeup: Sarah Clarke
Cake: Fisher and Donaldson
Band: The Edinburgh Ceilidh Band
Transport: Ian Cargill Cars
Flowers: Reed Floral Designs
Dress: Burr Bridal, Cambridge
Suit: Slater’s Menswear
Are you having a St Andrews Wedding? Get in touch to book a consultation and find out how we, as an alternative wedding photographer, can capture your wedding day shenannigans!
