Michaela and Steven’s Tontine Hotel Greenock Wedding
“SARAH!!!!! They’re amazing! I honestly cannot thank you enough they’re the best photos I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for capturing our day. I’ll be looking at these every day. They’re incredible.”
– Michaela & Steven
Today’s blog also goes under the alternative title of “We love Winston Bishop (AKA Winston from New Girl)” because that, my friends, is how Michaela, Steven and I bonded. Yes, our mutual adoration of a sitcom character led to me going along to photograph their wedding day. Never underestimate where bookings come from!
And if you don’t know who Winston is then stop reading, go and watch New Girl and come back later…
Ok, so back to Michaela and Steven’s fab day. They were originally planning a big old wedding in May 2020 but, well, you can guess what happened. So when they got in touch with me last February they told me they were fed up with waiting to get the go ahead for a big celebration. They just wanted to get married so were now planning a low key June wedding at the Tontine Hotel in Greenock.
Wedding photography at the Tontine Hotel, Greenock
As you’ve probably guessed by now the three of us have a very similar sense of humour, so it’s no surprise that we spent the entire day laughing. Steven and Michaela had told me they didn’t want any ‘cringey’ photos. Happy to oblige there!
I started the day at their home, where Michaela was getting ready with her pals. And the guest of honour Margo, their Border Terrier and Instagram sensation (she has her own account, check her out here). Margo had decided not to join them for the ceremony, she didn’t want to upstage Michaela so was going to hang out with her doggy mates at doggy day care. However check out the canine guests that did show up, all dressed up too!
The Tontine Hotel was perfect for their intimate ceremony. It’s a 210 year old Georgian Townhouse so it looks pretty amazing as well. Rachel, their Humanist celebrant was fab, the entire ceremony was hilarious and I don’t think any of us stopped laughing or smiling once. After the ceremony, we nipped across the road for some confetti photos (epic as always, especially when the dogs got involved!) before jumping into the VW van to head off for some portraits.
Wedding portraits in Greenock
I’ve mentioned before how we photographers see things in a different light to others. We seek out the perfect spot next to a skip, or find a car park with the best view of the sunset. Places that you wouldn’t normally expect to go for wedding photos. This was my first time in Greenock so I’d done a bit of research and found Lyle Hill. It looked fab with amazing views over the West Coast of Scotland. I mentioned this to Michaela and Steven as a potential portrait spot and they burst out laughing! Apparently, Lyle Hill has a bit of a dodgy reputation in Greenock!
However, after a bit of convincing from me and the VW driver, they decided to give it a shot. Well, it was worth it just for the smiles on their faces when they reached the top and looked out over Greenock! It turns out they’d never actually ventured up the hill as adults before so this was a complete revelation. It might not be somewhere you want to go after dark but in the daylight, it’s worth it just for those views. Incredible! They also told me how much they love the photos up there and how it’s given them a new appreciation for a place that was right on their doorstep. Trust your photographer, people! That’s the moral here!
Michaela, Steven, what a day! I laughed so much, writing this blog post has brought it all back to me. I’ve not even mentioned our “Insta vs reality” photo when poor Steven got all tangled up in Michaela’s veil. We were trying to look cool…I’ll leave you to judge whether we managed it!
Sarah x
Creative Team
Venue: Tontine Hotel
Celebrant: Rachel at MLC Celebrant
Cake: Moonbow Bakery
Florist: Samantha Kennedy Florist
Hair: Cameo Bridal Styling
Makeup: Samantha Connor MUA
Headband: Evelyn and Rose
Dress: Sassi Holford
Kilts: Slanj Kilts
VW Van: Ashton Wedding Cars
Are you having a Tontine Hotel Greenock Wedding? Get in touch to book a consultation and find out how we, as an alternative wedding photographer, can capture your wedding day amazingness!
