Andy Gaines Photography

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Andy Gaines Photography

We make creative wedding photography, and documentary wedding films with less cheese and more awesome.

Recent awards include Junebug Weddings 'Best of the Best Wedding Photographers' and Masters of Wedding Photography Awards. Awarded 'Best Wedding Photographer in England 2015' at the National Wedding Industry Awards, Junebug weddings 'Best of the Best Wedding Photographers 2016', Winner of a number of Masters of Wedding Photography Awards and 'Rising Star of wedding photography in the World' by Rangefinder magazine - Andy Gaines is a photographer based in the north of England and working all over the UK, Europe and the world. Specialising in creative wedding photography, with less cheese and extra added awesome. Please visit https://andygaines.com for my portfolio, more info and to make sure the happiest day of your life looks exactly that. Follow me on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/andy_the_gaines/

12/11/2026

7 Reasons Why I Stay Until the End of the Night

Here’s why I stay for the whole celebration, from morning prep to the late-night dance floor carnage.

Because here’s the truth: weddings don’t wind down after your first dance - they ramp up!

That’s why I stay. All day. No cut-off. Unlimited coverage. As standard.

Because the best dance floor carnage doesn’t start till way after 9pm.

Your mates really start showing their love (and moves) later on.

You’ll want to remember how it felt (tasted!) when the pressure was off!

Your first dance is never as good as the last dance!

You’ll get to remember how everyone let their hair down in their own way.

I want you to remember all those sweet, tender moments that happened outside of the wedding timeline.

And because the final, unscripted moments at the end of your wedding day can mean more than everything that came before them…

I’m there for the whole thing, so you don’t miss a moment later on.

03/11/2026

This is why I stay until the end. 🔥

One of the things I love most about weddings is how much life gets squeezed into a single day.

Think about it. You start with nerves, anticipation, people looking their absolute best, the emotion of the ceremony, the speeches, the hugs, the tears. All those big, meaningful moments that weddings are made of.

Then, somewhere along the way, the ties come off, the shoes get abandoned, the drinks have been flowing and everything changes.

And suddenly you’re in the middle of an absolutely ridiculous party.

Claire and Jamie’s wedding at Dunglass Estate was the perfect example. DJ battles, bagpipes, drums, a packed dance floor and the kind of energy you wish you could bottle up and take home. What a way to finish a wedding!

I love photographing all of it. The quiet, the chaos and everything in between. Because that’s what makes weddings so brilliant. They somehow manage to capture just about every side of being human in one day.

It’s also why I’ve never really understood packing up after the first dance. For me, the story is nowhere near finished. Some of my favourite photographs happen then!

The last dance deserves just as much love as the first.

Claire and Jamie, you absolutely smashed it. ❤️

The brilliant people behind the day:

Venue: Dunglass Estate | Wedding Venue
Bridal:
Groomwear: House Of Cavani
Bridesmaids: TH&TH Official
Bridal party: Bridal Hair and Makeup | UK & Destination
Makeup: LOIS BARCLAY MAKEUP ARTIST
Catering: Platter & Pop
Cake: Birthday & Wedding Cakes Glasgow • Edinburgh • Scotland
Music and entertainment: Tartan Entertainment Group | Event & Wedding DJs
Bagpipes and drums: Drums N Roses
Magician: Cameron Young
Cocktails: The Little Margarita Truck | Mobile Cocktail Bar Hire Scotland
Stationery:

01/11/2026

What a lovely day celebrating Jamie & Claire yesterday at Dunglass Estate! Before I escape back over the border I can’t help but share a few sneak peaks from a truly magical day!

Claire and Jamie couldn’t have asked for better weather for a Halloween wedding! Glorious sunshine, the stunning setting of Dunglass Estate | Wedding Venue - with THAT ceremony location! and the loveliest bunch of people to spend the day with.

The whole day was brilliant, but that party! DJ battles, a surprise appearance from Drums and Roses with their bagpipes and drums, and a dance floor literally bouncing - So much energy, so much laughter and just a joy to be part of it all!

Thank you both for having me along. And high fives and thanks to my dream team of Scottish suppliers - absolutely stellar work all round!

The brilliant team:

Venue: Dunglass Estate | Wedding Venue
Dress: Bijoux Bridal | Scotland’s Top Rated Bridal Store
Suits: House Of Cavani
Bridesmaids: TH&TH Official
Hair: Bridal Hair and Makeup | UK & Destination
Makeup: LOIS BARCLAY MAKEUP ARTIST
Catering & flowers: Platter & Pop
Cake: Birthday & Wedding Cakes Glasgow • Edinburgh • Scotland
DJ: Tartan Entertainment Group | Event & Wedding DJs
Entertainment: Drums N Roses
Magician: Cameron Young
Margaritas: The Little Margarita Truck | Mobile Cocktail Bar Hire Scotland
Stationery:
Celebrant: Margaret Gibson OBE - Celebrant
String quartet: Magio String Quartet

30/10/2026

There’s something about weddings that brings out a side of people you don’t always get to see.

At Rochelle and Neil’s wedding there were tears, huge laughs, some incredibly heartfelt words and people being completely themselves in front of everyone who mattered to them.

I love that. The fact that, for one day, people are willing to be so open with each other.

It’s also why I’ve never been particularly interested in making weddings look like something they’re not. I’d much rather photograph what actually happens. The people, the connections, the little moments that nobody thought to plan.

Because the real value of these photographs isn’t just in remembering a brilliant day. It’s in being able to look back, years from now, and see the people you love exactly as they were.

That’s the stuff I want to preserve.

A few more favourites from Rochelle and Neil’s wedding at Horsley Towers. ❤️

Neil Hamilton Fairley

📸 + 🎥: Andy Gaines - Wedding Photographer and Filmmaker
Venue: De Vere Horsley Estate
Dress: Love Spell Design | Best Bridal Shop London
Groom’s kilt: Kings of Kilts
Bridesmaids: Azazie Official
Styling: Karen | Ambience Kingston, Surrey | Wedding & Event Styling
Hair & makeup: Sian Miller - Brush Ltd | UK Bridal Hair & Makeup Team
Flowers: Lovelace & Green
Entertainment: Surrey Event Services
Jewellery: Lyndsay Fairley
Celebrant: Sally Smither Harvey Wedding & Funeral Celebrant Southeast UK

28/10/2026

It rained. And rained. And then rained some more. And it didn’t matter one bit!

Rochelle and Neil’s wedding at Horsley Towers was full of warmth, laughter, happy tears and some seriously good partying. An autumn wedding in every sense, with all the cosy vibes you could wish for.

From the beautiful Filipino veil and cord ceremony to the emotional speeches, a room full of singing guests and a dance floor that didn’t take long to get going, it was such a lovely day to be part of.

And who needs sunshine when you’ve got all that going on?!

A few early favourites from a brilliant day with two very lovely people. Congratulations Rochelle and Neil! ❤️

Neil Hamilton Fairley

Venue: De Vere Horsley Estate
Dress: Love Spell Design | Best Bridal Shop London
Groom’s kilt: Kings of Kilts
Bridesmaids: Azazie Official
Styling: Karen | Ambience Kingston, Surrey | Wedding & Event Styling
Hair & makeup: Sian Miller - Brush Ltd | UK Bridal Hair & Makeup Team
Flowers: Lovelace & Green
Entertainment: Surrey Event Services
Cake: Lorna Magbanua

23/10/2026

Not quite sure where summer went, but autumn is well and truly here! We’re still getting used to the darker mornings and shorter evenings, but it’s been lovely looking back through some of our favourite moments from the summer.

So here’s 20 seconds of wonderful people, amazing weddings, big emotions and all the little moments we love photographing.

And there’s still plenty to come! Lots of lovely autumn and winter weddings ahead, while we’re busy behind the scenes editing photos and making films from all those brilliant summer days.

We really do love what we do. Getting to meet so many lovely people, share in such special moments and create something they’ll hopefully treasure for years to come is a pretty wonderful thing.

A massive thank you to everyone who’s had us along this summer. We never take it for granted. ❤️

22/10/2026

Your grandchildren won’t be scrolling through your Instagram feed.

In a world of instant gratification, AI and increasingly disposable digital everything, there’s something pretty wonderful about having something real you can actually hold.

We’ve always believed a beautiful wedding album is the very best way to enjoy your photographs. Not just now, but in 10, 20 or 50 years. Something to share with your kids, and for them to share with theirs.

Because the pictures you print become your memories. They’re the moments you return to, the stories you retell and the little pieces of your life that become more meaningful every time you look at them.

A proper family heirloom that only becomes more precious with time.

We’ve just taken delivery of two gorgeous new albums, now on their way to their forever homes. And I love knowing they’ll be picked up, passed around, laughed over and treasured for generations.

Your wedding photos deserve more than a hard drive.

Print your pictures. Make an album. Keep the memories forever.

19/10/2026

A 600-year-old Scottish castle. A full-blown rave cave. And absolutely nobody ready to go home.

Claire & Cooper brought all their favourite people across the Atlantic for three days of celebrations, and when it came to the final night, they went ALL IN.

Lights, lasers, incredible music and a medieval castle transformed into one hell of an underground nightclub. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, the bride AND groom both got behind the decks themselves.

And this is exactly why we stay until the end.

Because the story doesn’t finish after the first dance. Sometimes that’s when the best bits begin.

The ties come off, the shoes get abandoned, the dance moves get questionable and everyone completely lets go.

Chaotic, sweaty, hilarious and absolutely brilliant.

We love the beautiful, emotional moments of a wedding. But we love the wonderfully messy, gloriously human ones just as much. It’s all part of the story, and we want to tell the whole thing.

And when you’ve turned a medieval Scottish castle into your own private rave cave, you can be pretty sure we’re not leaving early.

Claire & Cooper, what a night. What a wedding. What a party. 🙌

Cooper Kinley Claire Rainey

────────

The dream team ✨

📸+📹 Andy Gaines - Wedding Photographer and Filmmaker
🏰 Venue | Borthwick Castle
🥂 Planning | Lisa Tartan Weddings
🌸 Flowers | SNAPDRAGON EDINBURGH FLORIST FLOWER DELIVERY | WEDDINGS
🕯️ Styling | Claire Rainey
✨ Décor | Wedding Styling & Prop Hire in Scotland
💄 Makeup | Jacquelyn McPhee
💇‍♀️ Hair | Georgia Peters | Bridal Hair
🎻 Strings | Alerion strings
🎧 DJ | Tartan Entertainment Group | Event & Wedding DJs
🦪 Oysters | The Oysterman Events
🐮 Cooows | Crazy Critters Experience

14/07/2026

Kat and Sam did it right. They chose a small civil wedding in London with their closest family - and then invited all their best mates (and given they’ve both been together since meeting at their yr 11 school prom, that’s a pretty solid bunch of mates) for a massive weekend house party at their uncle’s house. It helps that said house is Netherby Hall Which proved the perfect setting for 2 days of celebration. Including, pyjama party, quiz night, Ceilidh, beautiful outdoor ceremony and so many wonderful, personal touches that I couldn’t fit in the character limit..!

I say it all the time, I know, but to get to spend such special times, with such lovely people and their families and friends, AND get to contribute something meaningful to their lives is a total gift - and one I love to get to continue doing.

Incredible work from an amazing bunch of suppliers - high fives all round:

📸 Andy Gaines - Wedding Photographer and Filmmaker
The Flower Studio
Maggie Sottero Designs | Wedding Dress Designer
Woodfired Guys
Nails By Lottie Thurstan✨
Walker Slater
Cragganmore Ceilidh Band
Azazie
Liz's Country Kitchen

Address

York
YO231JR

Website

https://www.andygaines.com/

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