Joyee and Xen’s small and intimate Perthshire wedding at Ballintaggart Farm combined spectacular views, Scottish and Indian culture, amazing food and so much laughter and love. We think it’s fantastic when a couple dispense with tradition and really make their wedding day their own — these guys certainly did that!
Joyee comes from an Indian family, while Xen’s family have Scottish roots. So they decided to create a day that reflected their heritage, their love of hiking and the Scottish countryside, their quirky personalities and their appreciation of delicious food. Ballintaggart Farm was the perfect location — set amidst the peaceful, rolling green hills of Perthshire and with a national reputation for amazing food.
Read on to see how their amazing Scottish-meets-Indian wedding day unfolded.
In a rural destination in Highland Perthshire overlooking the beautiful Tay Valley, Ballintaggart Farm is a home from home. A restaurant with rooms, featuring the best seasonal Scottish cuisine (often sourced from their own Kitchen Garden and orchard) Ballintaggart Farm is a really special place.
Joyee and her bridesmaids enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the farm, before starting their morning preparations. While Xen and his groomsmen got ready a couple of miles up the road at the incredibly stylish, Grandtully Hotel.
The sight of Joyee arriving for the wedding with her father, walking down the Scottish hillside in her beautiful bridal lehenga was really special. The intimate wedding ceremony that followed was simple but deeply moving. Xen also has to be the first groom we’ve seen memorise all of his wedding vows by heart!
After the ceremony it was time to relax, celebrate and sample some of Ballintaggart Farm’s delicious food! We’re lucky enough to capture weddings in all sorts of amazing places, with incredible chefs, but the food that we tasted at Ballintaggart was up there with the best we had all year!
Joyee and Xen were keen to leave space within their wedding day for a bit of a hike with their guests. Being adventurous, outdoorsy types who love discovering new places, it felt fitting that they should weave some of this into their wedding day.
So we all put on our hiking boots, packed some champagne and headed off for a woodland walk to a waterfall. After a champagne toast, the guys dived-in to the freezing cold water for a refreshing dip! They definitely worked-up an appetite for the amazing seasonal feast menu that followed!
We loved the open-plan kitchen at Ballintaggart, allowing us to watch the chefs preparing all sorts of incredible dishes. With all the amazing colours and scents, it was a real sensual delight to see each plate coming together. Their food is packed with local produce to create exciting menus with big, seasonal flavours.
During a break between courses, we noticed that ‘blue hour’ (the time just after the sun has set) had arrived, bathing the valley in beautiful, soft, violet light. So we nipped out with Joyee and Xen to have a peaceful moment and enjoy the view. Amidst all the joyful bustle of a wedding day, it’s so nice for couples to take a quiet, romantic moment to themselves. We highly recommended it!
As wedding photographers, we have heard a lot of speeches. It has to be said, that some are better than others. But the speeches on this particular evening were utterly brilliant: clever, witty, heartfelt, and at points just downright eye-wateringly hilarious! We’ve rarely laughed so hard behind our cameras. Massive high-fives to them all — particularly as everyone delivered their speeches, faultlessly, without notes!
Finally, it was time for Joyee and Xen’s first dance before leaving them and their guests to a night of swirling saris and whisky around the fire. We departed as darkness settled on the Tay Valley with the soft call of owls echoing around the farm.
We love capturing small and intimate Scottish weddings in rustic venues, especially when couples want to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature. If you are planning an intimate wedding in Scotland, and beyond, we would love to hear more about your plans!
