Dundas Castle Wedding in Scotland | Scottish Castle Wedding | Edinburgh Wedding Photographer
Dundas Castle Wedding in Scotland | Scottish Castle Wedding | Edinburgh Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer
I was so excited for this wedding day at dundas castle! when APhril and graham decided to have their destination wedding in scotland, I knew it was going to be a fun time, but then learning that it was at dundas castle, I knew right then that they had the best taste and it was going to be a stunning wedding day, but also a solid party! Although, this was more of a destination wedding for APhril, as she and her family are all from the los angeles area, whereas graham was born and raised in Scotland. though he now lives in LA, which is where he met his bride, aphril.
a beautiful wedding day at the historic dundas castle
Dundas CastlE has so many rooms to get ready in and all of them are stunning with historical furniture and features displayed throughout. the owners actually live in a part of the estate still, in a private wing, so you can see a few family portraits in the library and living rooms. Aphril choose to get ready in a stunning room with two large windows overlooking the front courtyard of the castle entrance. It was joined to another room that was a beautiful shade of mint, and that is where her dress was hung up, so it wasn’t in the line of makeup while the bridal party was getting ready.
After the bridesmaids were ready, they all helped aphril put her dress on and button her many buttons on the back of her stunning wedding dress by rita vinieris. They held her dress as aphril walked down the grand staircase to head to the wedding ceremony. Her dad met her at the bottom of the stairs to walk her all of the way out of the castle and down the aisle.
The wedding ceremony took place in the tower within the castle. You did have to exit the main dundas castle building and walk through a quaint courtyard garden and then into the tower and up a few flights of a spiral staircase, but it all felt very fairytale-esque. Think, rapunzel barbara, from wild flower workshop, created the most beautiful floral installations at the front of the ceremony space on podiums as well as in the tower walls. Aphril’s wedding bouquet was also an artistic piece of work in and of itself. The staff of the castle rang the tower bell to announce the bride was on her way, as all of the guests were fully packed into the chairs and balcony area of the tower hall. as aphril’s dad walked her down the aisle, graham was so full of emotion and it was the sweetest thing to witness. The kids had bubble guns and an owl flew the rings to the bride’s brother. Overall, a wedding ceremony at dundas castle is a completely unique and customizable experience and one that is forever a memorable story for everyone to tell.
The wedding ceremony took place at the top of a tower in dundas castle
After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom made their way to the rooftop of the tower for a few couple portraits overlooking the bridges and water of south queensferry, while the wedding guests headed back to the main castle building for cocktail hour. After the wedding portraits the bride and groom had some time alone to themselves before being announced down the grand staircase in front of all of their wedding guests to join them for the rest of the cocktail hour. There were a few speeches at the stairs, a cake cutting with a sword and plenty of shots taken, hugs given and selfies photographed for the next hour before the wedding reception.
Dundas castle has the perfect courtyard for a sunny cocktail hour
There were two scottish bagpipers that led the bride and groom into the pavilion just outside of the castle for a sit down wedding meal, and later that is where the dancing would take place as well. A lot of Irn bru was had, more speeches with tears and laughter and then a delicious meal by the catering team from heritage portfolio. The dessert was a beautiful lavender color that matched the bright wedding bouquet centerpieces from wild flower workshop. Once the dancing began, it was easy for the dance floor to be filled with wedding guests as the jammy devils were just that good! Everyone was instantly out of their seats and having the best time on the dance floor. The party went late into the night where the groom, who is a part of the scottish house mafia DJ Trio, were able to DJ with his friends. You know it’s a good day when the dancing never ends, in the best way possible. unforgettable memories were made all day long, and that is the best kind of destination wedding day. And Dundas castle estate was the perfect location for such a special day in their lives. x
“Dundas Castle is a beautiful castle wedding venue near Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a perfect scottish castle for a Destination wedding day.”
Scotland Castle Wedding VENUE - Dundas Castle | Florist - Barbara Smith of Wild Flower Workshop | Edinburgh Wedding Photographer - Melody Joy | Make-up Artist - brook lilias makeup | Hair - abi taylor bride | Bride's Wedding Dress - Rita Vinieris dress | Cocktail Hour + Reception Caterer - Heritage Portfolio | Ceremony and Reception Band and DJ - Jammy Devils Band and the scottish house mafia
If anyone is planning a destination wedding in scotland or a wedding at dundas castle, just outside of Edinburgh, I would love to chat
more with you about your wedding day!
Reach out to me on the link below.
An Intimate San Diego Wedding at Sunrise | Elena + Sam | California Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer
An Intimate San Diego Wedding At Sunrise | Elena + Sam | California Wedding Photographer | San Diego Wedding PhotogRapher | Destination Wedding Photographer
When Elena and Sam told me they wanted their wedding ceremony to be in San Diego at sunrise, I couldn’t have been more excited. There is something so majestic and emotive about the sun rising in the morning, especially when the backdrop is endless curves of the California hilltops and palm trees over a beautiful Lake in northern San Diego. Elena and Sam rented a private home for their whole family to stay. Literally, one of the best ways to have an intimate wedding and the best way to avoid too many logistics of driving around and commuting for everyone on a wedding day. I didn’t photograph this part of the home, but this estate also had a large pool, jacuzzi and rec room with a ping-ping table, literally, that’s the life. (I grew up with a ping-pong table, so always get very excited when seeing them). Anyways, back to this lovely wedding day! I was staying near sunset cliffs in San Diego, and was easily able to Uber up to the estate when it was still completely dark outside, to be there in time for the sunrise.
When I arrived Elena was upstairs getting ready, so of course I went up there first, said hello and took a few photos of her details. Her veil was by the New York designer, Danielle Frankel Studio, and she wore a custom dress that she designed with the help of her friends, dressmakers Blush Fashion and Custom Sewing by Heather. Her modern hairclip was from Lelet NY. Her wedding bouquet was also a work of art that was created with florals from Afloral. After capturing her morning of putting her finishing touches on, I went downstairs to scout out the ceremony site, and when I walked downstairs her sweet mom offered me coffee (which was much appreciated) and I watched the sunrise alongside all of the other family members who were slowly making their way to the backyard terrace overlooking the hilltops. One of my favorite shots I captured from this wedding day, was of Elena’s dad and his mug of coffee, all alone, up before anyone else and just standing at the ceremony site, drinking his coffee and watching the sun slowly rise above the fog over Lake Hodges. Seriously, It was so moving to me, but I can only imagine how moved he must have been feeling on the morning of his daughters wedding day. It was all very emotional and sweet. Once the sun was just over the hills, Elena walked down the aisle towards Sam, with all of their immediate families in support of them. The fog was still hovering from the morning mist and it was a truly beautiful site.
After the ceremony we took a stroll down the cliffside that the rental home was perched upon to take a few couple portraits with the stunning California scenery in the background. We then made our way back to the house for detail images, family portraits and more couple photos. What I loved about this day, is that is all they wanted captured. The wedding day focus for them was the ceremony, and that is the main part they wanted captured. Since the whole family was together in their home, everyone went straight back into casual attire and just enjoyed the rest of their time together as a family. I enjoyed another cup of coffee with everyone before Ubering back to the city center of San Diego and the family went on to have a relaxing day of spending time together. I loved how intimate this wedding day was. Truly, a bride with good taste, a beautiful setting and your closest people are all you need to have a beautiful intimate wedding day. x
Wedding Venue - Private Residence in San Diego | Wedding Veil - Danielle Frankel Studio | Wedding Dress - Custom design by the bride, Elena, alongside dressmakers @blushfashion and @customsewingbyheather | Modern Wedding Hair Accessory - Lelet NY | Custom Tailored Suit - Hartter Manly | Wedding Bouquet - AFloral & Wedding Flower Crown | Wedding Rings - Kasia Jewelry |
A Modern San Francisco Wedding | Pali Society Hotel | The Palace of Fine Arts | Hadassah + Reshawn | Destination Wedding Photographer
A Modern San Francisco Wedding at The Palace of Fine Arts | Hadassah + Reshawn | Pali Society Hotel | Liz Martinez Bridal | The Firehouse at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture | Destination Wedding Photographer
Reshawn and Hadassah started their wedding day getting ready separately at Hotels with their loved ones, so that the first time he would see Hadassah would be when she was walking down the aisle at The Palace of Fine Arts. Reshawn spent his morning at the Fisher Loft Lounge on the second floor of the Pali Society Hotel in San Francisco. His attire was one of the cleanest I’ve ever seen, from his all white Common Good shoes and a custom designed suit by Waraire Boswell. Hadasshah wore the most elegant long sleeved gown from En Blanc Bridal Boutique in LA, designed by Liz Martinez Bridal. Together they wed under the main archway at The Palace of Fine Arts, one of the most beautiful places to get married in San Francisco. After they said “I do” we all headed to the downtown area of SF fort them to take portraits together while walking along the unique and hilly streets of the city. We ended the portraits by a beautiful scene of them embracing oceanside with the full view of the Golden Gate bridge in the background. They ended the evening at the Firehouse at Fort Mason, with a laid back and beautiful reception space to celebrate with their closest friends and family. Along with a local coffee cart, charcuterie boards and a churro truck, that’s all you really need for a delicious evening! They had a lit dance party and then a line of friends greeted them as they rolled out in their Mercedes into the beautiful San Francisco sunset.
Bride Dress Designer - Liz Martinez Bridal // Bridal Dress Boutique - En Blanc LA // Florist - R&R Apothecary X Bouquet Bar @rrapothecary // Filmmaker - Hunter Floyd Films // Groom Custom Suit Designer - Waraire Boswell // Shoes - Common Projects // Boutique Hotel - Pali Society San Francisco // Lounge - Fisher Loft San Francisco // San Francisco Ceremony Venue - The Palace of Fine Arts // Reception Venue - The Firehouse at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
Romantic Micro Wedding in Chicago | Amina & Vinnie | Chicago Elopement Photographer | Melody Joy Co.
Romantic Micro Wedding in Chicago | Amina & Vinnie | Chicago Elopement Photographer | Melody Joy Co.
Amina and Vinnie revived my love for intimate micro weddings! This wedding day started with Amina and Vinnie getting ready together in their downtown high rise flat. We then walked around downtown Chicago to take portraits in some of their favorite pieces of architecture. The first stop was The Chicago Theatre, next was The Board of Trade building on La Salle, then there was The Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue. We must have walked a couple of miles downtown, but we had so much fun together strolling around and Amina was extra impressive with how good she was at walking long lengths in heels! She said her Thunder Heel Pumps from Prada were plenty comfy!
After we took their portraits we walked up Michigan Avenue to the ceremony and reception venue, The Skyline Club. The Skyline Club is the Penthouse of a high rise overlooking the Chicago River. If you are looking for a stunning rooftop view surrounded by skyscrapers as your outdoor rooftop wedding ceremony backdrop, then The Skyline Club would be the perfect fit for you! You can also have indoor or outdoor seating for your cocktail hour or reception!
The night resumed with endless family time, a thank you speech, their cake cutting, a delicious meal and a table of homemade desserts! All in all, I would say having a micro wedding with just twenty of your closest family and friends is the way to go to be able to enjoy these season, specifically with the laws in different countries, or if you simply want to provide a higher quality of celebration for your loved ones. The less people you have attend your micro wedding as well, the more time you have to have full conversations with all of them too! Overall, it’s a sweet way to have a celebration while still making it feel intimate and just about you both. If you ever need any advice on elopements or a micro wedding, I would be happy to share my thoughts on venues, styles, details and timelines that will work well for a beautiful micro wedding day! x
Wedding Dress - Emilia Wickstead Bridal // Wedding Shoes - Prada // Wedding Head Piece - Jennifer Behr // Wedding Portraits - Board of Trade Building and Art Institute of Chicago // Wedding Florals - Design de Flores // Chicago Wedding Venue for outdoor Ceremony and indoor Reception - The Skyline Club //
Ace Hotel + City View Loft | Chicago Wedding Photographer
Ace Hotel + City View Loft | Chicago Wedding Photographer
This beautiful wedding day started with getting ready in a beautiful suite at the Ace Hotel and ended with a modern, industrial wedding reception and dance party at City View Loft. Nicki and Ryan, along with their amazing bridal party, really made this day an incredibly memorable one! Every friend they had by their side was truly there for them throughout the day, and that was beautiful to see. One bridesmaid would be holding her daughter, the other would be fixing her hair, the other was holding her dress, and of course, someone was always making sure she had food and a drink in her hand! The bridal party had such a beautiful understanding of the blend of having the most fun while understanding the seriousness of how special this day was to Nicki and Ryan!
I always love showing up to get more “getting ready” moments than planned, because there is usually so much going on. The little moments of seeing what everyone is doing to help prep the bride for her special day, most times go unnoticed, but I try to document each person doing something that is helpful and a memory that the bride may have missed because of being in her hair and makeup seat already. It’s just beautiful to catch the details of the lodging alongside the candids of how the morning of a wedding day goes. So showing up at the Ace Hotel an hour early to capture those extra moments were worth it for me, and for the bride’s reaction to her photos as well! Before we headed to the ceremony, we did a walk around the Ace Hotel to take photos of the bridal party and we found the most epic street art under a bridge it was such a fun moment with every person laughing and enjoying themselves. There were even a few candids of people walking by who jumped in to be in the photos with them. The bridal party walk was definitely one of my favorite memories from this wedding day!
Nicki and Ryan had the most beautiful ceremony in a vaulted room inside of a restored factory, called City View Loft. It’s one of Chicago’s most lovely renovated wedding venues. It’s on the outskirts of downtown and have beautiful skyline views of downtown Chicago. City View Loft has one of the best catering teams, LM Catering, so you don’t have to search for caterers who know the space and beautiful food! Nicki and Ryan also had a taco buffet bar in the middle of their dance party, which was one of my personal favorite parts of the day! Everyone loves a bite to eat in the middle of dancing for hours… especially when dancing with a camera in hand! And of course, the DJ’s at Toast and Jam brought amazing tunes all night long! Overall, this day was filled with memorable moments that will last a lifetime and that is what every wedding day special. Those moments happen with your favorite people, and that will always be unique to you both!
Nicki and Ryan gave me this genuinely sweet review on Junebug Weddings, and I couldn’t be
more grateful to have been there to document and celebrate these two on their wedding day!
”I was lucky enough to have a friend refer me to Melody. I looked at her website ONCE, fell in love, and reached out immediately. Having young kids and living quite a way's away from the city, Melody was more accommodating, flexible, and understanding than she ever had to be. On our wedding day, Melody wasn't just a photographer. It honest to God felt like she was part of the wedding and part of the family, the way she helped organize events of the day and helped with the little important things. That alone makes you feel comfortable in front of her camera. I never truly understood how important finding the RIGHT photographer was until I laid eyes on my own wedding photos. I guess there just aren't the right words to describe how much I appreciate how perfect and beautiful they are. Every detail that I hoped to remember was caught. Every amazing move someone busted on the dance floor was captured. From the tiny details in the decor, to the food, flowers, guests, and everything in-between. When I look at my wedding photos from Melody, I relive one of the best and most important days of my life, vividly! I don’t want to sign off without giving mention to the second photographer Melody brought in for the day, Ross, who captured some amazing photos of the guys! Just goes to show she really knows what she's doing!
I wish I had more room! Trust Melody xo”
- Nicki + Ryan
Lodging - The Ace Hotel Chicago | Ceremony + Reception Venue - City View Loft | Wedding Florals - Flowers For Dreams | Wedding Dress - White Satin Bridal | Catering - LM Catering | DJ - Toast + Jam
If you’d like me to capture your wedding day or see if your wedding date is available,
fill out the form at the link below and I would love to
create something beautiful with you!
Hacienda Siesta Alegre | Puerto Rico Wedding Venue | Destination Wedding Photographer
Hacienda Siesta Alegre | Puerto Rico Wedding Venue | Boho Wedding | Destination Wedding Photographer
Elena and Wesley had the most stunning
tropical destination wedding,
in the heart of Puerto Rico!
Their wedding took place this past December and it was my first time visiting Puerto Rico. I actually flew into Old San Juan on Christmas day. After spending the morning opening gifts and eating a delicious brunch with my family, I set off for a country I’ve been wanting to visit for many years. I took a few days to relax, explore and eat my way through the historic neighborhood of Old San Juan. I really love history, so one of the first places I explored was Castillo San Cristobal — one of the oldest Spanish forts in the New World.
The fact that Puerto Rico’s main airport is so close to Old San Juan makes the country a perfect destination for overseas weddings, offering your guests a chance to take in the city’s many sights, sounds and flavors before celebrating your special day with you.
For destination wedding days, I’m always with you from start to finish to tell your whole story. So, I started the day by capturing Elena getting ready with her girls. There was a gorgeous bridal suite surrounded by greenery at their boho wedding venue, Hacienda Siesta Alegre. The surroundings made you feel like you were on top of the world, with stunning views of the El Yunque rainforest mountain range in the distance. There were so many beautiful corners on the historic hacienda, including arched doorways and French window panes. It made choosing a corner spot for them to read their vows to each other before their ceremony incredibly easy and beautiful.
They had so many unique details, like a cigar bar where handmade cigars were made and given to the guests as favors. Of course, the hacienda had endless places for the bride and groom to take images together with their loved ones. The outdoor reception consisted of beautifully decorated farm tables that surrounded an incredible courtyard with a lovely fountain in the center. The courtyard was lit by string lights that really set the mood for both the reception, and later, an epic dance floor! Their chef, Enrique Piniero, is one of the best chefs in all of Puerto Rico! His food was phenomenal and I highly recommend him if you are going to do a destination wedding in Puerto Rico. I only wish you could taste his food in an image, but you’ll just have to visit and try it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!
The reception dancing was orchestrated by the top DJ in Puerto Rico, Big J Music, playing the best tunes! He is also another solid wedding vendor choice for your Puerto Rican destination wedding! It’s always great to see a DJ who can read the crowd and keep the guests excited for what song is coming next, and to see everyone’s faces light up and rush to the dance floor!
Elena and Wes also surprised the guests by having Plena music played by an amazing local group, Yuvi Plena! The music was perfect for the setting and every single guest absolutely loved it! They had the crowd doing a dance train around the entire venue and the dancers and instruments were all so entertaining — a perfect complement to the evening, tying in a bit of Puerto Rican tradition for the guests with an exciting twist!
They ended the night surrounded by sparklers and their loved ones! The smiles on their faces said it all. It was truly a beautiful wedding day!
If you’re looking for a venue for your tropical, boho destination wedding, Hacienda Siesta Alegre is one of the best wedding venues in all of Puerto Rico, seriously, just google “wedding venue in puerto rico”, I’m not making that up. Beautifully situated within a national forest, the historic villa and unique architecture of the property make for not only a stunning wedding day, but a truly memorable one.
Ceremony + Reception Venue - Hacienda Siesta Alegre / Wedding Planning - Rosalina Torres / Florist Company - Jat Lozano / Make-up + Hair Artist - Javier Moreno / Brides Dress - Gali Karten / Jewelry - Cassouto Jewels / Shoes - Bella Belle Shoes / Garter - La Gartier Wedding Garters / Bridesmaid Dresses - Show Me Your Mumu / Groom Suit - Suit Supply / Groomsman Suits - The Groomsman Suit / Engagement Ring - Majestic Jewelers / Wedding Band Instagram - Creative Design Jewelers / Caterer - Chef Enrique Piniero / Cake - Gabriel Diaz / DJ - Big J Music / Wedding Filmmaker - The Film Writer / Photo Booth - Flipeate / Pleneros - Yuvi Plena
If you’d like me to capture your wedding day or see if your wedding date is available for 2020 or 2021?
Fill out the form below and I would love to create something beautiful with you!
Here is the amazing film by The Film Writer below!
