The Smallest Wedding At Prestonfield House

Okay, so this is officially the smallest wedding I have ever taken the photographs for – Bride & Groom with their two guests – winning the smallest wedding title over one at Fenton Tower where the Irish piper made the numbers up to five…though like me he wasn’t really a guest so maybe it’s a tie!  A small guest list doesn’t need to make the day any less of an occasion and the lack of extra guests changes the atmosphere completely, removing a lot of the pressure and time constraints.  Relaxed is not the word: Wendy & Jeff worried about nothing and their two best friends made sure there was still plenty of fun and laughter going around.

Coming from Bahrain meant the couple could enjoy the day they wanted in Scotland.  With both couples staying at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, they were able to enjoy leisurely preparations which even included a shopping trip to Harvey Nichols in the morning!  I joined them in the Churchill Suite at Prestonfield just after noon to find everyone ready and enjoying a few laughs before the Celebrant arrived and last minute choices were made in the room…no worrying over the details in advance for this pair!

Prestonfield’s Leather Room was the intimate venue for the ceremony, so relaxed positions were decided on as we arrived and even changed as the ceremony progressed.  The Humanist ceremony allows for a very personal service and Jeff & Wendy were delighted, but not surprised as so many of the things they had said about what attracted them to each other matched so well.  After being pronounced man and wife there was another change of venue to the little used Tea House in the gardens where Champagne was opened and the signing of the register made things official and rings were exchanged.

The atmosphere was much more lively now but still relaxed as the friends laughed and joked while enjoying the bubbles and taking a few personal photos of their own.  After a short time to let all the excitement die down we decided it was time to take a wander around the house and grounds to take a few photographs.

Prestonfield House has some lovely features and we spent some time outside taking advantage of them before returning to the house to finish up with the photographs.  I left the couples on their way to return to the Tea House where they were to enjoy a beautiful afternoon tea ahead of their luxurious meal later in the evening at Prestonfield’s top notch Rhubarb restaurant.

So, not only was this a small wedding but also a short one for me as I was only there for a little over a couple of hours. I hope the photographs will serve as a good reminder of the day and also let the relatives abroad have a glimpse into how things went (which I know the couple were keen to do – hence the rush to get this blog post online as soon as possible).  Wishing all the best for the future of Jeff & Wendy!