2008 - what a year!

It really has been a year to remember.

25 fantastic weddings.

From the top of the country at Loch Ness, to the south in Surrey, England.

From ferries to the islands of Inchcolm and Arran, to the many trips to the wonderful town of St Andrews.

From golf resorts, to castles, to small hotels, and palaces.

From horse & carriages, to walks around city centres.

From local couples, to those living as far away as Hong Kong.

I am so lucky to have this as my full time profession.

Enjoy this look back at the weddings of 2008.

Jack's 4th birthday

A bit behind in this, the joys in having album design to do till the cows come home.

Can't believe our boy is 4....

Scary.

He asked for his party to be at his favourite place in the world, the Play Planet, a local soft play centre, the Disco Room was booked, and he danced his wee heart out, with friends old and new (I invited his best friends from his old nursery, I think he was well chuffed to see them again after 5 months!)

A Spongebob cake was brought out by Zimmy the Alien, and lots of cake and sandwiches and jelly to scoff (why are kids parties so much more fun?)

He then went to his friend's Rosemary's party as he shares a birthday with her, and ended the evening at the ice rink watching his uncle Scott attempt to play hockey!

Click the play button, give a second or two, and then enjoy a bunch of crazy kids having a fun time (and the children had fun too!)

"Breathless" Mini Marathon - Jan/Feb 09

Update on the studio Mini Marathon

24th January - still has spaces (but no make up available)

25th January - half full

31st January has been taken off the Mini Marathon as I am now doing a wedding fayre in Edinburgh that day

1st February - has ONE space left

So DONT HANG ABOUT!!

Jennifer's model shoot - Forrester Park Resort

At this quiet time of year, you could easily stagnate with no weddings to shoot; well not me.

Jennifer and I met on a wedding forum, and Jennifer very kindly helped me at another shoot a couple of months ago.

Today we ventured to one of my favourite venues Forrester Park Golf Resort near Dunfermline to do a model shoot; time for me to practice some new techniques, and the chance for Jennifer to wear her wedding dress since her big day in Malta in September (though I believe it isn't the first time she has had it on since then.......)

Here is a sneak peak at what we got up to today..

"Breathless" Valentines special released

Click to enlarge!

Scottish Wedding Directory's "Breathless" winner!

Congratulations to Lorraine Mulholland of Crosshill who won the SWD "Breathless" competition, I shall be contacting you tomorrow to organise your prize of a "Breathless" session and resulting album!

All those that asked for further information about NMP's "Breathless" will be receiving an email this evening, with not only information but they will be getting first dibs on the Valentine Special offer!! Well I thought, they have taken the time to ask for further info, they can take up the offer first!

Don't worry, I will be releasing to the masses in a couple of days!

2010 "Bonding" wedding day collections have been released.

I have finally managed to find 2 seconds to also release the 2010 price list for NMP "Bonding" wedding day collections.

So if you are getting married in 2010, in Scotland, or anywhere else, give me a shout for the new price list to be sent to you by email only at the moment, but PLEASE NOTE that price lists will only be sent to those enquiries who email me with their full wedding details (date and venues) and a CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER.

Email me on nikki@nikkimcleodphotography.co.uk

And by the way, one July 2010 date is already gone!! So don't hang about!

"Breathless" news........

I have been drowning in Christmas print orders, and finally finishing off the album designing but I think I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

In the meantime, this is a little sneak blog post to ask you to watch out for a big "Breathless" promotion coming soon.

The closing date for the Scottish Wedding Directory's competition for a free Breathless session and album was just this past weekend, so all those that entered and left their details for further information about Breathless, will recieve first dibs on the promo before it gets released onto the blog.

Don't forget if you are still looking for that last minute Christmas present....

Buy a NMP gift voucher for any value over £50 and when that voucher is used, whether it be wedding or portraits, the recipient of the voucher gets a complimentary FRAMED 7" x 5" image!

Closing date for this is December 19th.

big {blush}

When my wonderful clients come to collect their final album, you always hope they are as pleased with the final result as I am.....

So when you see praise like this on a national bridal forum, you know you are doing well....

"Massive N&P for Nikki McLeod Photography

My husband and I picked our album up from Nikki on Friday night and we were overwhelmed with it.

The album itself is gorgeous with a black leather exterior and case. But inside the album....WOW!

We have shown it to family and friends all weekend and everyone has commented on it - even the men!!! It is the perfect story of our day and captures every single moment from me getting into my dress with my Mum and Sister to my husband being nervous before the ceremony all the way to us cutting the cake and having our first dance together!

My husband even mentioned to me that any further photography we have done will always have to be done by Nikki - he loves her work that much!!

To any Scottish hitchers who are looking for a photographer - check out Nikki's stuff - you will not be disappointed!

Thank you Nikki - Brent and I will be sending you a wee something shortly!!! "

All change!

At this quieter time of year, it is a great time for revamp...... price lists, contracts, websites, blogs, marketing material, etc.

At the moment I am happy with the website, I just need to update some of the images on there which I will do over the winter.

The blog needs a little bit of an overhaul, again a winter job.

Price lists - can't put it off any longer, I have to get the 2010 price list sorted. I already have one wedding booked for 2010 and I have been getting a number of enquiries recently for it, so it has to be done! The current price list shall remain for all 2009 weddings.

Contracts - one big change I will be making is with regards to the contract. One thing I have done for years has been the provisional booking where you can take up to 5 working days to make up your mind as to whether you book me or not. This has proved a bit sticky recently and therefore for ALL NEW BOOKINGS it will now be a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis only; signed contract and booking fee secures. So if you want to book, you must get in quick, as while you are thinking about it, someone may have taken your date from under your nose.....

Also the payment regime is going to change - again for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY, the payment regime will be £250 at time of booking, £250 3 months after booking (plus any accomodation/travel fees) and the remainder of the collection or custom quote no later than 1 month prior to the wedding. If you have already booked me, you can stick to the old payment regime, though payment can be made at any time up to 1 month prior to the wedding. I know several couples in the past have paid me a small amount monthly in order to avoid a big large payment to be made, a month before the wedding.

Don't forget the photography gift list, I am getting new gift list flyers made up over the winter which I will be sending out to all my 2009 clients to put in their wedding invitations. This means that your guests, family and friends can contribute towards a lasting memory of your wedding day, the official wedding day album.

Jenni & Jon's wedding - The Fairmont St Andrews

There was a sheer sense of deja vu last weekend for me..............

Bride's name; Jen
Groom's name; Jon
Venue in; St Andrews


For those regular to reading this blog, you will know that I had a wedding last year for Jen and Jon in St Andrews which went onto be one of the biggest weddings to date, ending up as a featured wedding and the front cover of the Scottish Wedding Directory's Real Life Weddings Winter magazine last year.

This wedding was no less fun to shoot; infact I think the bride and groom were one of the most funniest couples I have ever shot in 8 years!

Even the seriousness of the ceremony brought fits of giggles!A proud Father of the Bride watched on....After lots of cuddles and congratulations from their guests and a very quick family formals session, I took Jen and Jon around the hotel for a fantastic couples session; my favourite time of the day.

We even managed to brave it outside for some fresh air and some amazing scenery..But we were soon back in and warming up by the fantastic fireplace in the reception area. The wonderful cake made by the Mother of the Bride was on display in the Atrium for the cake cutting.

And the speeches......... I think the whole room was rooting for young Tom, who did an upstanding job as his dad's Best Man.

The dancing was in full swing by the time we left, not before Jon spotted me on the dancefloor!

Fun n funky; just my kinda wedding. Thanks Jen and Jon for making my last wedding of the season a cracker to finish on!

Vendor’s information

Wedding ceremony & reception venue; Fairmont St Andrews
Wedding co-ordinater at hotel; Julie Mcelrath
Cake; Mother of the Bride – Kathleen Hollingworth
Flowers; Lasy Daisy Leven – Bridal Flowers, Ladybirds St Andrews – Table displays
Band; Red Square
Bride’s dress; designed by Maggie Sottero
Bought at Elizabeth of York
Bridesmaids dresses; designed by Berketex
Bought at Berketex
Jewellery; Swarovksi
Make-up; Bride's sister in law Michelle Hollingworth
Hair; Michelle @ Byron Hairdressing
Stationery: Bride's sister in law Michelle Hollingworth

More {blush}

"Well Nikki you’ve done it again, you’ve managed to surpass our expectations.

We were expecting something special when we got the album but what you have produced is so much more than we were even hoping for. Looking at the images online was amazing but the album is simply stunning.

Not only have you given us a book of beautiful images but you have managed to capture the mood, atmosphere and emotion of the whole day and left us with an album that we will treasure always.

We absolutely cannot thank you enough for all your hard work.

Lisa & Ruairidh xx "

More Christmas ideas - NMP Gift Vouchers

Buy a NMP gift voucher for any value over £50 and when that voucher is used, whether it be wedding or portraits, the recipient of the voucher gets a complimentary FRAMED 7" x 5" image!

Runs out December 19th 2008

Contact me on nikki@nikkimcleodphotography.co.uk or phone 01383 821498 for details!

Christmas specials and deadlines

I had a couple of great sessions in Glasgow yesterday, which I will get around to blogging at some point.


In the meantime, some deadlines for my wedding clients.


All album orders should have been in by now, if you still wish to order an album, contact me NOW on nikki@nikkimcleodphotography.co.uk and I shall see what I can do.


Print orders must be ordered and paid for NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1st, in order to have them for Christmas.


And now some Christmas specials.


For all previous, current and future wedding and portrait clients, there is a cracking promotion on at the moment at NMP.


All those that have visited the studio, will have seen the amazing box prints on display on the walls. From now until December 1st, you can order as many 20" x 16" box prints for an amazing £125 each!! This size is normally on sale for £250, so for the next month, they are HALF PRICE!!


And there is a fantastic portrait promotion here in Dalgety Bay this month;

Just noticed it doesn't make it clear on the flyer but the 7" x 5" and the 10" x 8" are FRAMED!

Fiona & Jonathan's wedding - George Heriot's School & MacDonald Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh

Okay this past weekend's wedding definately wins the wettest wedding ever!! But it was no less beautiful than it could have been with good weather, thanks to stunning venues, a beautiful dress and a couple with great personalities!

Past pupils of the school, and they met at their 10 year reunion, George Heriot's was THE venue for the wedding of Fiona and Jonathan. It is a stunning venue, I was so excited to be shooting there after viewing it with the groom the week before. Fortunately as with all recces, we made a wet weather plan..... just in case...... it was needed!

Young Cameron and his grandfather were eagerly awaiting the arrival of his mum.

What is lovely about this venue too, is the stunning venue of Edinburgh Castle in the background.

Soon Fiona and her girls arrived and by this time, the driving rain was blowing through the archways and the girls had to run in to the Staff Room!I think this is my favourite shot of the day, it shows the amazing architecture of George Heriot's but also just how wet the day was!

The Chapel in the School is stunning and look at that train on Fiona's dress!

As per the wet weather plan, plans for a big group shot, and the family formals in the courtyard had to be abandoned, so the newylweds mingled with their guests in the Staff Room, with the formals in the Chapel and then the couples session in and around the School.

Even on wet and miserable days, there is still wonderful natural light to be found in Scotland, honest!

The arches around the Courtyard provided shelter for the newlyweds

While my camera and I got very wet in order to get this shot, but I knew it would be worth it; anything for my art!!

Soon it was onto the hotel and the meal and the speeches.

After the meal, there is that little lull in the proceedings where the room is being turned around for the evening reception. Fiona and Jonathan came up with the brilliant idea of having some entertainment for their guests.... in the form of a casino!!! There was a blackjack table, and a roulette table with the newlyweds providing "cash" for chips!

The last I heard, young Cameron was on a roll, and winning over £10,000!!An impromptu bouquet toss.....

and then the first dance.....

It was a (soggy) pleasure to photograph your wedding guys, can't wait to show you the results on your return from Hong Kong and Singapore!

Thanks to Liz for coming up from Leicester to help me with this wedding.

Emily & Dominic's wedding - Cameron Kirk & Old Course Hotel, St Andrews

Apologies for the lack of blogging this past week; it has been SO hectic! I have had so many "Santa" appointments - so many people collecting their finished wedding albums and prints, I feel like Santa! And I continue to be drowning in designing the remainder of the year's albums, which I think I finally see the end of the light for!

But here at last is Dominic & Emily's wedding which turned out to be an event of the year, in so many ways!

Having shot their "Bling" session just days before, in glorious sunshine, I was hoping the weather would stay the same for the wedding day. The weather is one thing that you can't control.... Neither is runaway dogs and runaway hats..... more about that later.....

The day started for me at one of my favourite venues, the 5 star hotel in St Andrews, the Old Course, where Emily and her girls were getting ready. The champagne had already been opened, the girls were having a fun morning and I was totally cooing over the only man in the room! (And it was awesome to be witness to the moment that the bride got asked to be his godmother!)
Various phone calls and texts appeared over the morning, including a few from Hong Kong.

Emily's Jenny Packham dress was just to die for..

As were her Gina shoes..

And Emily was just gloriously stunning..

Then it was time to shoot off to Cameron Kirk, the countryside kirk right next door to the family home; it was sunny surprisingly but very cold and very very windy! The light inside the Kirk itself was amazing.The little flower girl totally stole the show After the ceremony and a brisk mingling outside with their guests (brisk being the appropriate word, due to the wind and cold) I took the newlyweds back into the church for a quick couples session. We were expecting to walk out to an empty churchyard but were suprised to find several of the guests still hanging about.... that's when the fun started!

Apparently a guest or two had gone next door to the house of the bride's parents and had mistakenly let the dogs out, those dogs that deatured in the engagement session...... One of them did what we call in Fife "doing a bunk" and shot off over the nearby fields!! Cue various guys in kilts running over muddly fields, it was quite a sight!

We left everyone to it and made our way to the Old Course for the remainder of the couples session, in and around the hotel.

Most of the guests had gathered in the RoadHole bar at the top of the hotel but apparently some of them had checked into their rooms. The next fun story we heard was that a female guest with a wonderful hat had gone out on to their balcony, and the wind took off with the hat! Hotel maintenance staff had to climb roofs to retrieve it!

The newlyweds joined the rest of the guests and we heard that the dog had been found, thanks to the help of the police and the RAF!

Fortunately it looks like that was enough drama for the day! The speeches went down well.

Thanks Emily and Dom, for a fun and "interesting" wedding, one I won't forget for a long time!