City Halls and Old Fruitmarket, Merchant City Glasgow | Same Sex Wedding Photography | Graeme + Jonny

Back into the swing of things! I intended to hit the 2024 wedding season running and Graeme and Jonny’s wedding was an absolutely perfect way to start. After the downtime of Christmas and New Year the nerves are always jangling, especially shooting with two new cameras and some new technology: what if I’ve forgotten how to shoot? What if all the knowledge and photography reflexes that I’ve built up over the last couple of decades has dripped out of my ears and I look like a lost amateur in front of the entire wedding party? What if I miss all the important bits? :-D Of course none of this ever happens - after the first couple of clicks are nailed you just blend right back into the zen flow state, melting into the background, enjoying the jovial atmosphere and capturing memories for the couple. Ninja stylee.

It really couldn’t have been a more ideal scenario either. Despite waking up to -7 degrees January temperatures on the coldest day of the year, Graeme and Jonny had chosen a beautiful day to get married with piercing skies and bright sunlight strafing through the city streets casting long shadows, making it an almost cinematic scene. The wedding venue that the couple had chosen was The City Halls and Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, in the heart of the Merchant City area of central Glasgow. Being big fans of live music it made perfect sense to the couple to have their wedding hosted in a venue that also caters to concerts. The venue itself is very unique and quite quirky in it’s nature, housing what was once a functioning market until the 1970s, maintaining much of the original signage from that era. Add to that the fact that it can cater to huge numbers, it was love at second sight for Graeme and Jonny :-)

Despite the rather grand nature of the venue, in essence the day was intended to be actually very low key in atmosphere; concentrating on what was most important to the couple - spending some quality time with the friends and family. A lack of fuss, formality and just the intention to have a really good time - which as a photographer, suits me down to the ground!

An added bonus logistically speaking was that both Graeme and Jonny were getting ready right next to the City Halls building in a rather snazzy little Air BnB apartment, which tends to be much more common with same sex wedding morning preparations, and is a peach of a time saver for the rest of the day as we can do some of the couple shots before the ceremony, leaving the couple with more time to enjoy with their guests later on. Always gotta be thinking about the logistics! :-D Helpfully, the apartment also came with an amazing set of arch-framed windows on which I could work a little of my photography magic. So a couple of minutes spent here with a splash of funky creativity, and we walk out with some atmospheric and cinematic groom photos and a very pleased photographer ;-)

The rest of the day went as smooth as could be. The beautiful and touching ceremony was interspersed with an amazing piano accompaniment, courtesy of Chris Connelly, and none other than Carol Knight conducting the ceremony, making sure it was plenty entertaining! The guys opted for a very stylish unmaty-matchy suited look, in sync with their chosen colour scheme of blues, greys and creams. And I have to say, they looked effortlessly stylish throughout the day - and that comes on good authority as I am often described as a style maestro of some renown myself! ;-D

It was just a downright fun day to be honest, great to flex my creative muscles once more and Graeme and Jonny were so chilled, it was a pleasure to work with them. Taking a couple to enjoy some of the urban architectural delights of Glasgow City Centre, on a busy weekday can be a little daunting for newlyweds, but a whistlestop tour is all it takes. A walk round the block, pick a few nice corners, have a laugh and see what the city presents us with and we are done. Back inside to enjoy the rest of the day. And with a slew of excellent, heartfelt speeches and some funky evening entertainment, there was plenty to enjoy!

Thanks for breaking in my 2024 season with such grace guys :-)

And congratulations!

Venue: City Halls and Old Fuitmarket

Celebrant: Carol Knight

Pianist: Chris Connell

Venue decorations: Ivory Tower Weddings

Band: VH5