Chloe and Jack’s elegant autumn wedding at the Fife Arms in Braemar was magical. Autumn is a really atmospheric time of year here in Scotland, especially in the Cairngorms in early November, when the autumn fall colours are typically at their height. Chloe really leaned-into this autumnal palate, with shades of burnt-orange and burgundy, and the cosy interior of the hotel added to the cosy autumnal feel of the day.
The Fife Arms is nestled in the quaint and characterful village of Braemar in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. Built in the 19th century, the Fife Arms is forty-five bedroom boutique hotel decorated in gloriously opulent Victorian style. You can feel the history in every corner. Each room is completely unique, making the Fife Arms a stunning backdrop for a wedding day.
Kind words from Chloe & Jack: “We just wanted to say thank you so much for our photos. They’re absolutely incredible! Thank you for making us feel so comfortable and for capturing our special day.”
Read on to see the full story of Chloe and Jack’s Fife Arms wedding in Braemar . . .
When planning their Cairngorms wedding, Chloe and Jack had imagined a slow, peaceful morning that allowed them time to go for a quiet walk around the village together, to prepare themselves for the day ahead. They wanted to avoid any sense of stress or time pressure, so they planned a ceremony around midday, to allow plenty of time to get ready.
When we arrived at the Fife Arms, the village was surrounded by a gentle autumn mist, and the soft morning light glancing through the trees and illuminating the bedrooms in the most beautiful way. We love photographing ‘morning preparations’ on a wedding day, and being able to shoot in characterful interiors like these is a treat!
Chloe chose to get ready for her wedding day with her best friends, who were also her bridesmaids. Jack chose to get ready with his brother. We always recommend inviting the people who are going to bring a nice, calm energy to help you to get ready in the morning. It’s a really fun part of the day, and you want to be surrounded by people who are going to calm any pre-wedding nerves (not bring the drama!) The space that you choose to get ready is really key, too, as this is essentially the backdrop for the first chapter in the story of your wedding day; somewhere with great light and great decor (like the rooms at The Fife Arms!) is going to make a huge different to the look and feel of your wedding photos.
With the wedding ceremony time approaching, Jack took a moment to look over his personal vows that he and Chloe were due to exchange in a private moment down by the river later in the afternoon. Many couples feel that there are some works that they would like to share privately, away from their guests, as this allows them to be more emotionally open. We really love it when couples do this, as it makes for a very personal moment during the day. Writing your personal vows out in a characterful notebook also means that you get to keep them as a memento from your day afterwards.
Jack and his brother headed-off to welcome their guests at the church, while Chloe waited behind ready to make her ‘big entrance’ . . . She had planned to do a private ‘first look’ with her father before they left for the church. This can be a really sweet and special thing to do. The amazing staircase at the Fife Arms definitely lends itself to a this classic wedding moment. One of the things that we really enjoy about photographing weddings as a husband and wife team is that we can be in two places at once during a wedding day. This allows us to capture the day from different perspective and to tell a fuller and more nuanced story of the day.
Chloe and Jack had chosen to have their wedding ceremony at St Margaret’s Church in Braemar, which is just a stone’s throw from the Fife Arms. The building is now deconsecrated, and it’s used as an events space. The natural light filtering through the stained glass windows is so atmospheric, and it makes a really lovely setting for a Cairngorms wedding ceremony. Chloe and Jack had elected to have a humanist wedding ceremony, which incorporated a traditional Scottish Hand-fasting, to reflect the Highland setting of their day.
After their wedding ceremony, Chloe and Jack headed back to The Fife Arms for some drinks and canopies and a few family photos. The drawing room at The Fife Arms is fabulous backdrop for group shots. You feel like you’ve stepped into a Gainsborough or a Van Dyke painting. We love to use the visual style of 17th and 18th century portrait painters for family photos. It brings a timeless elegance to these images, meaning that they will date well. Chloe and Jack a huge dog-lovers, so we couldn’t resist getting one ‘family photo’ with their pups.
Chloe and Jack wanted to ensure that there was space in their day to allow them to head out into the Cairngorms to enjoy some peaceful time together away from their guests. It was the perfect opportunity to capture some atmospheric couples photos that made the most of the glorious autumn colours along the way!
Couples can sometime worry about taking time-out from their guests on their wedding day. But Chloe and Jack felt very relaxed about this, knowing that their friends and family would be left in the excellent care of the Fife Arms team, and would be kept well-supplied with drinks and canapés until they rejoined them for dinner and the evening celebrations.
We had picked-out a peaceful, private spot down by the river surrounded by forest for Chloe and Jack to exchange their personal vows. In moments like this, we always give couples space to have a quiet moment together. The rush of the water and the whisper of the trees overhead meant that their words were carried-away on the wind.
Couples often feel that there are some things that they would like to share privately with each other, without their guests looking-on. People can often feel self-conscious and ‘self-edit’ if they know that they’re sharing their vows in front of 50 guests. So planning a private vow exchange gives you the opportunity to share your feelings without any sense of ‘performance anxiety’. Looking back on their wedding day afterwards, couples often tell us that it’s these quiet moments together on their wedding day that they enjoyed and valued most. So we highly recommend making space for this on your day!
Chloe had the most beautiful custom-designed veil. So, of course, we had to take a moment to have a play with it amongst the trees! We find that capes and veils are a great way of adding texture and moment to your bridal look, which in turn translates in to artistic photos. So it’s a really great idea to think about this when deciding on your wedding day outfit.
It’s also worth thinking about what your dress is going to be like to walk in. If it’s difficult to move in when you try it on in a wedding boutique, then imagine how uncomfortable it’s going to be to wear for an entire day. Choosing something that’s easy and effortless to wear will really help with your enjoyment of your day. It will also help you to look effortless and elegant in photos, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind!
As the daylight faded, we headed back to Braemar village and the Fife Arms, where the fires were roaring, the candles were lit and delicious smells were wafting-out from the kitchen. Chloe and Jack had planned a relaxed banquet-style dinner with long tables and a convivial atmosphere that harked back to traditional Scottish Highland weddings in days gone by. The dining space at the Fife Arms definitely lends itself to this!
Once everyone was seated, the speeches began, they were the perfect mixture of humour and heart. We always suggest that could invited their guests to keep their speeches to a maximum of 5 mins each (especially if there are several people speaking). It’s so much better to share a few thoughtful and well-chosen words than to ramble-on for half an hour . . . especially when dinner is ready and waiting and your guests are hungry!
With dinner cleared away, and the evening drawing-on, it was time for Chloe and Jack’s ‘first dance’. We knew there was a fantastic courtyard space, decorated with festoon lights that would make a great setting for this… and we used a white smoke bomb, for some added drama! There are lots of fun ways to get creative with the look of your first dance to turn it into something a little more unusual. It’s always worth discussing this with your photographer in advance, and coming up with a plan!
The evening ended in celebratory style as Chloe and Jack let their guests loose with a bunch of sparklers. There’s nothing like sparklers to fill people with a sense of childish excitement, and we love seeing how people’s faces light up the moment they have a sparkler in their hand! It’s also a really nice way to capture an unposed group photo when guests are relaxed (and perhaps a little tipsy!) at the end of the night. You can capture some lovely spontaneous reactions this way.
We left Chloe and Jack partying the night away with their guests, with a relaxed ‘morning after’ breakfast planned the next day. The Fife Arms has to be one of our all-time favourite Scottish wedding venues. If you are planning a wedding at the Fife Arms in Braemar, we would love to hear from you!