A Glasgow University Wedding: Wind, Cloisters and a Very Good Plan

Some venues reward a plan. Glasgow University is definitely one of them.
It is spectacular, obviously. The Chapel, the cloisters, the stonework and the sheer scale of the place!
It all gives you a great start as a photographer, but it is also a busy, structured, very organised wedding venue.

Glasgow University runs a tight ship, and that’s a compliment. If your ceremony is at 1pm, there may well be another wedding coming in at 3pm. You do not have unlimited time to wander around, snapping away hoping the right photograph eventually appears.

And with Daniel and Louise’s wedding we also had one extra uninvited guest. Very strong wind.

Starting the day properly

I started off the day with the grooms team. Daniel and the lads were all suited (but not quite) booted – just buttonholes to be applied, kilt laces to be tied (future grooms please bookmark this video How to tie Kilt Shoes) and cufflinks straightened

The morning gave us time to make proper portraits rather than just documentary coverage. That makes a huge difference. When prep is too compressed, the pictures become purely reactive. When there’s a little space in the schedule, you can still keep the morning relaxed, but you also get the chance to make photographs with a bit more shape and intention.

I was so gratified that Louise was 99% ready when I arrived. It allowed for some beautiful relaxed portraits and a lovely atmosphere – even with SEVEN bridesmaids and a mother all getting ready in the same house, no one ever felt rushed or under pressure. In fact, I even had the opportunity to ask the bridal car to move away from a big (unnoticed) muddy puddle to a nice clean patch of pavement. Something you’d never have had the opportunity to had we all been rushing out the door.

Then Glasgow joined in

Glasgow University towers over the city and being up high means it can be windy.

Very windy.

Not “that’s a bit of a breeze” windy. More like “your veil may be en route to Denmark” windy.
Not necessarily a bad thing. Wind can ruin a photograph if you fight it, but it can also give you movement, drama and energy if you’re ready for it.

On this wedding, the wind made me move from Plan A, to Plan B, to Plan C. It changed where I would normally photograph the family groups. The grass, the edge of the grass and the cloisters were all vetoed by the weather, so I settled on a location that kept everyone out of the worst of it while still keeping the University clearly in the pictures.

Working with the wind, not against it

The cloisters are the obvious Glasgow University location, but obvious does not mean lazy. They work because they give shelter, symmetry, scale and a clear sense of place within a few steps of the Chapel.

On a windy day, they also let you control just enough of the chaos without losing the drama.

Once we had finished the family groups, Daniel and Louise had a little more freedom to move. That is when the wind became useful. The veil, the dress, the movement through the archways, all of it gave the photographs a bit more energy than we would have had on a completely still day.

That is the trick with weather. You don’t always get to choose it, but you can decide how quickly you adapt to it.

From Glasgow University to Kilmardinny House

This wedding started at the University of Glasgow and continued later at Kilmardinny House, which gave the day a lovely change of pace.

Big architecture first. Relaxed garden party afterwards. A very good combination. Because we had worked efficiently at the University, the reception did not have to become a second formal photo session. The important group photographs were done.

We had really strong couple portraits. That meant the reception could feel like a reception.

This is why I like weddings with a bit of structure. Not because I want the day to feel rigid, but because good planning gives everyone more room to enjoy it.

At Glasgow University, that matters. The venue is beautiful, busy, windy, dramatic and brilliantly organised. If you work with it rather than against it, you can get the important photographs done properly and still leave space for the rest of the day to breathe.

Planning a Glasgow University wedding?

If you’re planning a wedding at the University of Glasgow, I’ve put together a fuller guide to the venue here. And if you’re looking for someone who can keep things calm, organised and still make the most of a flying veil, I’d be happy to hear what you’re planning.