Glasgow wedding photographer Francis J Smith swapped life behind the camera for an intimate 23 Montrose Street wedding with Jackson
Glasgow wedding photographer Francis J Smith swapped life behind the camera for the other side of the lens, marrying partner Jackson in a relaxed 23 Montrose Street ceremony before dinner and drinks at The Corinthian Club with just 17 guests.
Just a few hours after getting married, the new Mr and Mr Gillespie-Smith found themselves in the aisles of their local Co-op searching for spiced rum and mixer.
“We were back home by 6pm and opened a bottle of champagne – only to discover neither of us actually likes champagne,” laughs Francis, whose day job is photographing weddings as Francis J Smith.
“Our ‘reception’ was essentially watching far too many No Doubt videos on YouTube and doing a first dance to Madonna’s ‘Crazy for You’ in the living room just the two of us.”
There was a sentimental reason for that particular song choice: it was playing when Jackson proposed during Madonna’s Celebration tour in October 2023.
“It wasn’t the glamorous post-wedding celebration people might imagine, but actually one of our favourite things about the day was how normal it all felt afterwards.”
By 11.30pm, the newlyweds were sensibly tucked up in bed.
Wedding highlights at a glance
Ceremony venue | 23 Montrose Street, Glasgow
Dinner and drinks venue | The Corinthian Club, Glasgow
Date | 16th April 2026
Photography | Whitney Graham Photography
Guests | 17
Style | Relaxed tailoring, tartan and alternative touches
Special guest | Fergus, the couple’s French bulldog
An intimate Glasgow wedding at 23 Montrose Street
After a decade of capturing weddings across Scotland, Francis had found himself increasingly drawn to couples choosing an intimate civil ceremony followed by dinner with their favourite people.
“Every time I worked on a wedding like that, I came away thinking, ‘That feels like us’. I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings of all shapes and sizes, and while they’re all brilliant in their own way, I realised we didn’t need a huge production. We wanted something relaxed, personal and low-pressure; no fuss, no big schedule to stick to – just a chance to spend time with the people we love. Ours was much smaller than most of the weddings I usually photograph, but that was exactly the appeal.”
Francis says working in the wedding industry meant he and Jackson already had a good idea of how they wanted the day to flow and which elements mattered most.
“Having so much experience around timelines and logistics took some of the stress away.”
There was another perk to being part of Scotland’s wedding industry: talented supplier friends were keen to contribute.
“We hadn’t even thought about buttonholes, for instance, until Jenny at Flowermug kindly offered to make some for us – it was such a lovely gesture.”
The couple exchanged vows at 23 Montrose Street, the Glasgow registry office venue on the east side of the City Chambers complex, before heading into the city centre for their intimate wedding dinner. The venue is particularly suited to smaller ceremonies, making it a natural fit for the stripped-back celebration Francis and Jackson had in mind.
Choosing a wedding photographer when you are one yourself
Photography, unsurprisingly, was a priority. Francis and Jackson asked Ayrshire-based Whitney Graham Photography to document their Glasgow wedding. Whitney describes her approach as documentary wedding photography with an editorial edge.
“She’s a good friend, and having someone we knew and trusted behind the camera meant we could completely relax and just enjoy the day.”
That didn’t mean Francis managed to switch off his photographer brain entirely.
“I ended up organising the group photos, despite being told not to, because I just wanted everything to run smoothly,” he laughs.
The couple’s French bulldog Fergus also came along for some of their photographs around Glasgow.
“Most of my wedding worries were actually about him – whether he’d be overwhelmed by everything going on and if he’d be on his best behaviour!”
Francis couldn’t resist documenting a little of the day himself either.
“I also couldn’t resist bringing along a little film camera. I shot a few bits of the morning myself – little details and flat-lay photos – which felt like a nice way to have a few photographs from my own perspective without spending the day working.”
Whitney used the same film camera for some of her shots, while Francis’s stepsister and several other guests also took turns with it.
“Seeing those photos afterwards felt like getting little memories back from everyone else’s perspective – I loved it,” he says.
Glasgow city wedding portraits with Fergus
Following the ceremony, Francis and Jackson made the most of their city-centre location for photographs.
Their portraits took them out onto the streets of Glasgow, where the couple’s contrasting wedding looks stood out against the city’s stone architecture and colourful public spaces, with Fergus joining them for part of the walk.
It gave the pair a distinctly Glasgow wedding album without requiring an elaborate photography schedule – exactly in keeping with the relaxed approach to the rest of the day.
Modern groom style with a kilt, velvet and Dr Martens
Both grooms put their own spin on their wedding outfits.
Jackson took a MacGregor and MacDuff kilt as his starting point, adding chunky Dr Martens and a vintage leather jacket from Glasgow vintage shop Mr Ben. MacGregor and MacDuff specialises in made-to-measure and hire Highlandwear, with its kilts handcrafted in Scotland.
“He took inspiration from mod, punk and rude boy fashion, while I went for a Pedro Pascal-meets-Paul Mescal look – relaxed tailoring, a bit of texture, smart but not too polished.”
For Francis, an olive velvet jacket from Moss proved to be the one.
“I always thought people were exaggerating when they talked about having that moment when you just know you’ve found your wedding outfit. But I completely got it. I had a wee buzzy feeling when I tried on my olive velvet jacket from Moss that this was exactly what I was meant to be wearing,” smiles Francis.
The couple finished their looks with coordinating buttonholes by Jenny at Flowermug, while their rings came from Scottish alternative wedding ring specialist Forge & Lumber.
An intimate wedding dinner at The Corinthian Club Glasgow
After the ceremony and photographs, the wedding party headed to The Corinthian Club for dinner and drinks.
The Merchant City venue has several private dining and event spaces suited to smaller wedding celebrations, alongside its larger dedicated wedding areas, making it possible to host everything from an intimate post-ceremony dinner to a full-scale reception.
For Francis and Jackson, however, the appeal was keeping the day simple. There was no packed wedding-day schedule to navigate: the priority was eating, drinking and spending time with the 17 people they had chosen to celebrate with.
And after dinner? Rather than extending the party into the early hours, the newlyweds headed home for that decidedly untraditional evening of No Doubt, Madonna and an unsuccessful attempt to enjoy champagne.
How getting married changed this Glasgow wedding photographer’s perspective
So, has becoming a groom himself changed how Francis approaches the weddings he photographs?
“Definitely. As a supplier, you’re focused on doing a good job, but when you’re the couple, you realise how much the little things matter – a kind message, sharing in the excitement, or simply making people feel their day is genuinely special. Weddings happen every weekend for us, but for the people getting married, it’s one of the biggest days of their lives. So I think I understand the emotions behind the planning process much more now, and I probably make more of an effort to celebrate those moments with my couples rather than just thinking about the logistics.”
True to form, Francis spent the night before his own wedding finishing edits and sending a completed gallery to another couple.
Two days after saying “I do”, he was already photographing somebody else’s big day.
“It felt slightly strange going from being the groom to being behind the camera again”
Francis’s top wedding planning tips
- “If a tradition or part of the day doesn’t fit you as a couple, don’t feel you must include it.”
- “Build in time to spend with the people you’ve invited – that’s what you’ll remember most.”
- “Don’t get too caught up in the little details. The things you worry about beforehand rarely matter on the day itself.”
Wedding Suppliers
Ceremony venue 23 Montrose Street, Glasgow
Dinner and drinks venue The Corinthian Club, Glasgow
Photography Whitney Graham Photography
Francis’s outfit Moss
Jackson’s outfit MacGregor and MacDuff, with a vintage jacket from Mr Ben
Shoes Dr Martens
Buttonholes Jenny at Flowermug
Barber Jai from David Cairney Barbering
Mum/sister hair Keri Convery at Medulla
Mum/sister makeup Artist by Leigh Blaney
Rings Forge & Lumber
Francis’s mum’s dress Fehaute
Francis’s mum’s hat Caitlin Moroney Millinery (aka Francis’s sister)
