Rainy Merridale Cider Wedding

Caitlin and Andrew were married at Merridale Cidery in September. It rained a lot, but there were plenty of umbrellas to go around. The couple and their guests weren’t going to let a little rain get in the way of a very fun day.

Andrew is from Scotland, so he and his brothers wore kilts and the couple incorporated a Quaich ceremony, which is a Scottish tradition where a cup of whiskey is shared between the couple to symbolize the joining of the families. They had a guest play guitar during the registry signing, which was a sweet touch. The ceremony itself was full of crying and giggling by both Caitlin and Andrew.

The rain continued into the portrait time, so we took some family portraits under cover. The couple wanted to wait a bit before taking portraits to see if it cleared up, so they spent some of cocktail hour with their guests, chatting and playing lawn games, and we still got plenty of great portraits. I always want my clients to spend as much time enjoying their guests’ company as they can, especially when many of them came from far away for the wedding, so this worked out perfectly in my book.

They had a quiz before dinner with Scottish and Canadian words and definitions, which lead to lots of great guest photos as they got really into playing. Later in the night, the couple lead the guests in a round of Scottish dancing. It’s definitely worth it to plan out some fun activities for your wedding guests, which can make the cocktail hour and reception fun even for guests who don’t know many people. It also makes for some unique photos with great expressions.