A speech in full swing under the canopy of fairy lights at Cottiers in Glasgow, the whole room turned toward the top table. This is one of my favourite views of the venue — the old stained glass and stonework lit in blues and reds, guests packed in close, everyone caught mid-reaction.
I shot this from within the room rather than the front, low and wide, so you get the scale of the hall and the warmth of the crowd all at once. Available light only — Cottiers gives you so much atmosphere to work with that flash would only flatten it.
Reception moments like this are the heartbeat of the documentary coverage I do: no setup, no direction, just the day as it happened. Cottiers was a venue I photographed for the first time, and coming in with fresh eyes let me find angles that made the most of its extraordinary interior.
Location: Cottiers, 93–95 Hyndland Street, Glasgow, G11 5PU.
Keywords: cottiers wedding venue (5), documentary wedding photography (12), fairy light canopy, wedding speeches.