Taypark House Wedding | Audrey & Jinj
A relaxed family wedding in Dundee filled with kilts, bubbles, Fireball and a love story more than 20 years in the making.
“Some love stories begin with fireworks. This one began with a good luck kiss on a Dundee street corner.”
Wedding at a Glance
Venue
Taypark House, Dundee
Photographer
JB Moments Photography
Ceremony
Registrar-led indoor ceremony
Style
Relaxed, colourful and full of family
Season
Summer
Favourite Moment
The flower girl taking charge of the bubble gun and choosing chaos
A family affair
I love every wedding I photograph and inevitably fall a wee bit in love with all my couples.
But when it’s a family wedding, it hits differently.
Last month, it was finally the turn of my little sister-in-law to tie the knot, making it a very special day indeed for both me and Mr JB.
Being invited to celebrate with them would already have meant the world to me. Being asked to photograph their wedding as well made it even more special.
No pressure, then…
A long, long time ago…
Audrey and Jinj’s story goes back rather a long way.
To 2005, to be precise.
Audrey was Jinj’s Freshers’ Angel at Abertay University. They became good friends and lived just across the road from one another, so they saw each other regularly.
Then, early one morning, Jinj was leaving his flat to catch a train to a pool tournament.
Like a scene from a film, Audrey came flying out of her flat to give him a good-luck hug.
Somehow, that hug turned into a good-luck kiss on the corner of their street.
And that was that.
Fast forward through living together, finishing university, finding jobs and buying their own home, and we arrive at Audrey’s birthday in 2025.
They went on a date to Mills Observatory, where Audrey began to wonder why Jinj was acting a bit strangely.
Jinj, meanwhile, was desperately trying to get her alone and away from the tour guides and other visitors.
Eventually, he managed it.
Once Audrey was standing on her favourite planet, Jupiter, he got down on one knee and proposed.
After nearly two decades together, it was finally time to plan their wedding.
What’s in a name?
Before we go any further, I should probably explain something.
Jinj’s actual name is Andrew.
Despite knowing him for years, we had only ever known him as Jinj. In fact, we discovered his full name and surname just a week or so before the wedding.
Seeing Audrey and Andrew written across all the wedding stationery felt strangely formal.
Thankfully, we weren’t the only confused ones. Quite a few of their friends had exactly the same reaction.
Andrew may have been the name on the sign, but Jinj was still very much the man getting married.
A relaxed afternoon at Taypark House
Taypark House is a boutique country-house hotel and wedding venue set in woodland on the outskirts of Dundee, with views towards the Tay Estuary. Its characterful rooms, gardens and individually designed bedrooms gave us plenty of options throughout the day, especially when the weather began changing its mind every five minutes.
After almost a fortnight of solid sunshine, rain clouds began threatening the wedding day.
Audrey and Jinj, however, could not have been more laid-back.
They were simply excited to finally be getting married and weren’t about to let a little Scottish weather spoil anything.
The boys
Jinj was fully embracing his Scottish citizenship by wearing a kilt and had plenty of fun persuading his English family to join him in traditional dress.
I have to say, everyone scrubbed up rather nicely.
I do love a kilt.
The Girls
Audrey, meanwhile, was having a wonderfully chilled-out afternoon with her bridesmaids as they helped her get ready.
There was no frantic rushing or unnecessary drama.
Just Audrey, her closest people and a beautiful room filled with natural light.
Then, before her brother and best friend could walk her down the aisle, Audrey insisted everyone have a Fireball shot.
A very calm and traditional bridal preparation, obviously.
A ceremony filled with love and laughter
The ceremony was everything you would hope for.
Cute flower girl?
Check.
A groom completely blown away when he saw his bride?
Check.
Love, laughter and a room full of people delighted to see these two finally getting married?
Check, check and check.
The ceremony room at Taypark House was bright and airy, with natural light flooding through the large windows.
In other words, an absolute photographer’s dream.
One of my favourite things about their ceremony was how completely relaxed they both looked.
After such a long time together, there was no sense of nerves about the decision they were making.
They were simply delighted that the day had finally arrived.
Bubble trouble
Instead of a traditional confetti throw, Audrey and Jinj chose bubbles.
Every guest had been given a little vial ready to blow as the newlyweds made their way back down the aisle.
Unfortunately, the heavens opened at precisely the wrong moment.
So, rather than abandoning the plan, we moved the bubble exit back inside the ceremony room.
While everyone practised with their little pots, I was handed a bubble gun to create some bigger, more dramatic bubbles in front of the camera.
Not my first rodeo with a bubble gun.
However, I could immediately tell that someone else wanted it far more than I did.
I handed it to the flower girl on the strict condition that she cause as much chaos as possible.
Challenge accepted.
And very successfully executed.
Honestly, she understood the assignment perfectly.
Making the most of Scottish weather
Between the rain showers, we managed to get everyone outside for the full group photographs and take Audrey and Jinj into the grounds for their couple portraits.
But the rain also gave me the perfect excuse to explore more of Taypark House with them.
This is exactly why a wet wedding day doesn’t need to mean disappointing photographs.
A good venue gives us options, and Taypark House certainly did.
The bridal suite featured a gorgeous roll-top bath.
Well…
It would have been rude not to use it.
The room also came with access to its own turret, giving us another unusual setting for photographs without having to venture out into the rain.
My favourite formal portraits, however, were taken beneath the huge elm tree in the grounds.
The soft light, deep greenery and Audrey’s orange bouquet all came together beautifully.
I think these may have been Audrey’s favourites too.
Why I loved photographing Taypark House
If you’re considering getting married at Taypark House, these were some of the things that stood out to me:
✓ Large windows and beautiful natural light in the ceremony room
✓ Characterful bedrooms and indoor spaces for wet-weather portraits
✓ Mature grounds with plenty of greenery for couple photographs
✓ A relaxed country-house atmosphere close to Dundee
✓ Quirky touches, including the turret suite and a rather memorable TukTuk
Shenanigans
I didn’t need to worry about Mr JB while I was busy photographing the wedding.
He was perfectly happy getting into all sorts of mischief with his favourite cousins.
Things escalated when they discovered the Taypark House TukTuk parked outside the hotel.
Naturally, they climbed in.
The photograph suggests that some sensible transport arrangements were being made.
I can confirm that absolutely no sensible transport arrangements were being made.
Party time
Before we knew it, it was time for the speeches, cake cutting and first dance.
Audrey and Jinj took to the floor surrounded by the family and friends who had watched their relationship grow from that first good-luck kiss all the way to their wedding day.
Usually, this is the point in a wedding blog where I write something reflective about packing away my cameras and heading home.
Not this time.
My camera went back up to our room…
…and I joined the party with everyone else.
Final thoughts
It really was the best day.
Audrey and Jinj’s wedding was relaxed, colourful, emotional and filled with the people who know and love them best.
It was incredibly special to watch my little sister-in-law marry the person who has been beside her for more than 20 years.
And it was an absolute privilege to tell their story through my photographs.
They may officially be Audrey and Andrew Watson now…
…but they will always be little sis and Jinj to me.
Congratulations, you two.
Jenny xx
Thinking about getting married at Taypark House?
If you’re planning a wedding at Taypark House and would love relaxed, natural photography that captures the laughter, family chaos and moments you didn’t even realise were happening, I’d love to hear all about your plans.
