I travel all over Scotland and the North of England to shoot cinematic wedding films, I have even shot wedding films on some of the Scottish islands. Filming on the Isle of Arran and Isle of Bute were definitely some of the best highlights I’ve had shooting weddings so far. When an enquiry came in for a wedding on Inchcolm Island my immediate thoughts were ‘Oh brilliant, another island wedding! Where is it though?’. The couple had mentioned it was on the Forth near Queensferry and I have to say I had no idea what to expect, how small was this ‘island’? I did a google search and found Inchcolm Island was actually a decent size and Inchcolm Abbey where the ceremony would be held on the island was absolutely beautiful. I was so excited for the wedding and of all my bookings for 2012 I had a feeling it was going to be extra special.
I met the couple Richard & Louisa at their house in Edinburgh for a little chat about my wedding video service and their requirements. They were really such a lovely couple and after meeting with them I was even more excited about the wedding. One thing we discussed was the logistics of getting over to Inchcolm Island on the day of the wedding. I like to arrive at the ceremony venue about 3 hours in advance of the ceremony so I can capture all my cinematic shots to set the scene in style and be set up for the ceremony before the guests arrive so I’m free to capture everyone as soon as they start to arrive. The ferry takes about forty-five minutes so it was clear I would need to get an earlier ferry to everyone else who would arrive on the island only fifteen minutes before the ceremony. It would have been a huge shame to not capture any footage of the guests before they boarded the ferry as they all met and enjoyed breakfast at a hotel in South Queensferry. On the ferry ride too there were some amazing shots to be captured including the Bride steering the ferry! I decided on this occasion to enlist the help of another videographer to capture this part of the day and once the ferry arrived with the guests I would take over and the videographer could return on the same ferry they came on.
I joined Richard, Louisa and their photographer for a little pre wedding look round Inchcolm Island and from the moment we arrived I knew it was going to be perfect for a wedding video. Inside Inchcolm Abbey it looks amazing, it’s basically a ruin but it provides a great backdrop for my cinematic establishing shots and of course for the ceremony itself.
On the day of the wedding I boarded the ferry with all my gear and set off for Inchcolm Island. When I arrived it was very windy, which made life difficult as I started to shoot. My jib which allows me to capture my most cinematic and biggest ‘wow’ shots was not enjoying these abnormally windy conditions and it took me a little longer than usual to finally get the shot. Once I’d captured my establishing shots, I got set up in Inchcolm Abbey for the ceremony. At that point, I just needed to wait for the ferry carrying the wedding party to arrive.
It was now raining as well as the wind becoming almost hurricane like,but I had brought an umbrella which was supposedly so strong it couldn’t turn inside-out. But, as I stood waiting the wind got stronger and stronger … and my invincible umbrella actually did turn inside-out! When the ferry arrived I quickly went to work filming the guests and wedding party as they made their way across the Island to Inchcolm Abbey.
Once the guests had all completed their journey, I returned to the ferry and waited on the open top deck for the Bride who had been hidden in the captain’s cabin. I was just saying hello to Ryan who was the videographer on the Ferry when the unthinkable happened; I felt a wet slap across my face… and I realised that I’d been ‘bpmbed’ by a seagull! I had to rush down to the ferry toilet to wash the bird muck off my face as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t miss any important shots! Luckily I didn’t miss anything I captured some lovely shots of the Bride and her Dad being piped up to the Abbey.
The ceremony was beautiful and it worked so well with the multi camera set-up I use for filming ceremonies and speeches. It works well in every venue, but I think Inchcolm Abbey was just made for an epic wedding film! I had a perfect hiding spot in one of the windows which meant I was even more out-of-the-way than usual.
Once the ceremony was complete we went outside into the most glorious sunshine; the wind had gone and the rain had stopped – it was just perfect. I captured lots of great footage of everyone getting their photos taken and drinking some champagne.
For the group shot the photographer had everyone gather on the pier which looked fantastic and I managed to capture some nice footage of a guest using a big stick to draw a heart in the sand in front of it.
On the return ferry, spirits were really high as everyone enjoyed some musicians. One was an accordion player and a highlight had to be him playing the A-Team theme tune which got a great reaction. Every time I hear the A-Team theme tune now I’m always reminded of a beautiful wedding I filmed at Lennoxlove House. The Groom at that wedding is a Hollywood writer/director and was responsible for the A-Team movie in 2010 starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper!
Back on the mainland it was a short commute to Orocco Pier where the reception was being held. Orocco Pier is a really lovely venue and if you’re ever in South Queensferry I would recommend going there for a bite to eat – the food is excellent and the views you get of the bridges on the Forth are fantastic. It has direct access to the beach area which was used to get a few more photos of the Bride & Groom before the meal.
The Bride asked me if I would stick around after the first dance to film a little surprise she had for the Groom. She was going to get up and sing a song she’d written especially for him! I was very happy to oblige and discreetly set up my cameras ready for the special moment. I shot it with three cameras and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. It was very emotional and touching to watch and re-watching the video it does make the eyes water a little!
Shooting a wedding video on Inchcolm Island was a real treat as was Orocco Pier but as always it’s the couple, the wedding party and all the guests who truly make a wedding fantastic and this one was definitely special.
I can’t wait to shoot another wedding film on Inchcolm Island so if you’re getting married on Inchcolm Island I’d love to hear from you!
Please watch the highlights from Richard & Louisa’s fantastic wedding below!
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