Twenty years together.
A proposal on St Andrews beach.
An engagement ring that belonged to Alan’s mum.
An intimate outdoor wedding surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
And, two days beforehand, a storm threatening to scupper the whole thing.
Alan and Ruth’s wedding at Rufflets St Andrews was proof that you absolutely do not need hundreds of guests or a packed wedding schedule to have a day overflowing with meaning.
And this one was particularly special for me because these weren’t simply clients.
I’d known them both for years.
Wedding At A Glance
Venue
Rufflets Hotel, St Andrews
Ceremony
Intimate outdoor celebrant-led ceremony in the Rufflets gardens
Season
Summer
Photographer
JB Moments Photography
Style
Elegant, intimate and family-focused
Favourite Moment
Alan's son pinning the family tartan onto Ruth during the ceremony, officially welcoming her into the clan.
A Love Story Two Decades in the Making
Picture the scene.
It’s 2005 in a busy Edinburgh bar.
Drinks are flowing, people are laughing and a boy spots a girl across the room.
Alan met Ruth.
And over the next twenty years, they built a life together.
There were ups and downs, children and grandchildren from previous relationships and, somewhere along the way, two families became one.
Then one weekend Alan surprised Ruth with a trip to Rufflets in St Andrews.
While walking together along the famous West Sands beach, Alan told Ruth he wanted to ask her something.
Ruth, being the eternal mother hen, immediately assumed he was cold and asked whether he wanted to turn back.
Not quite.
Alan produced his mum’s engagement ring and asked Ruth to marry him.
Through happy tears, she said yes.
Although Alan maintains this wasn’t technically his first attempt.
Apparently he’d proposed more than 20 years earlier.
Ruth thought he was joking.
Timing is everything, Alan.
From RBS Colleagues to Wedding Photographer
This was never going to feel like just another wedding for me.
I worked alongside Ruth at RBS and knew Alan from there too.
Ruth and I shared rather a lot of laughs during those days.
Often when we probably should have been doing some actual work.
So when they asked me to photograph their wedding, it was a genuine honour.
There is something quite surreal about knowing someone in one chapter of their life and then years later finding yourself behind the camera as they walk down the aisle.
And talking of that aisle…
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Family wasn’t simply attending this wedding.
They were very much part of it.
Alan’s granddaughter had the important job of flower girl and led the way beautifully.
Then it was Ruth’s turn.
And the person walking her down the aisle?
Her grandson.
This was particularly lovely for me because I remember that same grandson as a toddler racing through the RBS office.
And now here he was walking his gran down the aisle on her wedding day.
No, YOU’RE feeling old.
The Look That Says Everything
Ruth looked effortlessly elegant.
Her simple gown and colourful bouquet had more than a little Audrey Hepburn about them.
But the best reaction belonged to Alan.
His eyes barely left her as she approached.
This is one of the reasons I love photographing the beginning of a ceremony.
Yes, I’m watching the person walking down the aisle.
But I’m also watching the person waiting for them.
Because sometimes that’s where the photograph is.
When Storm Floris Nearly Changed the Plan
Ruth had always wanted their ceremony to take place outside in the beautiful gardens at Rufflets.
There was just one small problem.
Storm Floris.
Two days before the wedding, Scotland was being thoroughly battered and the prospect of an outdoor ceremony was looking increasingly questionable.
Then the wedding day arrived.
Calm.
Sunny.
Not a cloud in sight.
Because apparently even Storm Floris knew better than to argue with Ruth.
And honestly, I’m so glad the weather behaved.
The gardens created such a beautiful, relaxed setting for a ceremony that was completely centred around family.
Pinning of the Tartan
One of my favourite parts of the ceremony was the pinning of the tartan.
Alan’s son fastened the family tartan to Ruth, symbolically welcoming her into the family clan.
For a wedding already so focused on bringing their two families together, it felt particularly meaningful.
These little personal touches are always the things that make ceremonies memorable.
Not because they’re necessarily big or elaborate.
Because they mean something to the people standing there.
Two Families, One Wedding
After the ceremony, we gathered everyone together for family photographs.
At an intimate wedding like this, these photographs take on even more importance.
The guest list may have been small, but practically everyone there had played a huge part in Alan and Ruth’s story.
Then, with the family photographs safely captured, I borrowed the newlyweds for a wander around the Rufflets gardens.
And this is where this venue really comes into its own.
Wedding Photographs in the Rufflets Gardens
Rufflets is one of those wedding venues where you really don’t have to travel anywhere for beautiful couple portraits.
The gardens give us so much variety within a very small area.
Which is important.
Because I don’t want to drag you away from your guests for an hour-long photoshoot just because the gardens are pretty.
A short wander.
A few lovely spots.
Plenty of time to enjoy being newly married.
And then I give you back.
And because Alan and Ruth had chosen such a small, relaxed celebration, nothing about their portraits needed to feel rushed or overly formal.
We could simply wander, chat and make the most of the surroundings.
Which is pretty much my favourite way to photograph couples.
No elaborate posing.
No disappearing from the party for hours.
Just the two of them enjoying a few quiet minutes together after finally becoming husband and wife.
Twenty years after they met.
And Obviously, There Was Cake
Back inside, it was time for the cake.
Locally made.
Chocolate.
And topped with a rather cheeky cake topper.
And this is exactly why I photograph details too.
If you chose it, made it, commissioned it, paid for it or it means something to you, I want it somewhere in your wedding story.
Because while Alan and Ruth were busy actually enjoying their wedding, my job was to notice the rest.
Worth Waiting Twenty Years For
As I packed away my cameras that afternoon, I couldn’t stop smiling.
I’d known Ruth as a colleague.
I’d known Alan.
I’d seen some of their family grow up.
And now I’d had the privilege of photographing them surrounded by that family as they finally became husband and wife.
It was intimate.
Personal.
Funny.
Beautiful.
And completely theirs.
Proof, if ever it were needed, that a wedding doesn’t need to be huge to be incredibly special.
Congratulations again, Mr & Mrs McClean. x
Planning Your Own Rufflets St Andrews Wedding?
Rufflets is a gorgeous choice for couples wanting an intimate wedding in St Andrews, particularly if beautiful gardens and relaxed outdoor photographs are high on your wish list.
And whether you’re planning 20 guests or 200, my approach stays the same.
I want you spending your wedding day at your wedding, not spending hours posing for me.
I’ll capture the important people, the details you’ve chosen, the moments you didn’t see and some beautiful portraits along the way.
If that sounds like your kind of wedding photography, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
