Hope & Joe | A Beautiful Summer Wedding at Maryculter House

Some weddings are worth travelling for, and Hope & Joe’s was definitely one of them.

When they first started planning their wedding, they had hoped to get married in Orkney. Unfortunately, with limited venue availability on their chosen date, they decided to celebrate closer to home at the beautiful Maryculter House, just outside Aberdeen. Even though the location changed, one thing didn’t – they still wanted their dream team from Orkney there to capture it all. So that’s exactly what we did.

On Friday morning, I travelled south with the lovely Catherine Leask (videography) , ready for a weekend celebrating two wonderful people. After an overnight stay, we spent Saturday capturing every part of Hope & Joe’s incredible wedding before making our way back home on the NorthLink ferry back home to Orkney on Sunday.

From the moment we arrived, everyone made us feel so welcome. It honestly felt like we’d known their family and friends for years. The whole day was relaxed, full of laughter, happy tears and so many genuine moments that are an absolute dream to photograph.

Maryculter House was the perfect setting, with beautiful grounds and endless photo opportunities. We made the most of every corner of the venue, from the riverside and woodland paths filled with ferns to the grand staircase and elegant interiors. It was one of those venues where every direction you turned offered another stunning backdrop.

Hope looked absolutely incredible. Her hair, beautifully styled by Gemma Leslie, paired perfectly with her makeup by Trisha Cameron, creating such a timeless bridal look. The florals by Flowers by Judith tied everything together beautifully, adding so much elegance and colour throughout the day.

The ceremony was emotional in all the best ways, followed by a confetti throw which I LOVE! Seeing everyone cheering and celebrating as Hope and Joe walked through the confetti made for some of my favourite photographs of the day.

As the evening arrived, the celebrations only got better. The Mustangs had the dance floor packed all night, creating such a brilliant atmosphere, and once the sun began to dip we headed outside for a sparkler exit. Sparklers don't seem to be as popular in Orkney (probably because in summer the sun barely sets) but I thoroughly enjoyed their sparkler exit and we even played about with spelling out names and making heart shapes with long exposure which I've never done before so it was a very quick learning curve for me before the sparklers burnt out.

I also have to mention the cake, created by Cakes by Chloe. It looked absolutely phenomenal and was almost too beautiful to cut.

One of my favourite things about this wedding wasn’t just how beautiful everything looked, but how it felt. Every supplier worked seamlessly together, every guest was so friendly, and the whole day was full of warmth from beginning to end. These are the weddings that remind me just how lucky I am to do this job.

Hope & Joe, thank you both so much for trusting me to capture your day. It was an absolute privilege to travel down with you all, celebrate alongside your family and friends, and document such a special chapter in your lives. I hope these photographs bring you straight back to every laugh, every tear and every dance floor moment for years to come.

Dream Team ✨

📸 Photography: @kirstinshearer_photography

🎥 Videography: @bycatherineleask

📱 Content Creation: @thesocialyouseek

📍 Venue: @maryculter.house

💇🏼‍♀️ Hair: Gemma Leslie

💄 Makeup: Trisha Cameron

💐 Flowers: Flowers by Judith

🌸 Faux Flowers: Yeah the Girls Floral

👰 Dress: Perfect Bridal Rooms

✨ Veil: Emma Louise Hopper Veils

🪡 Seamstress: Martine Blair