MATERNITY LEAVE

We’re pregnant!

While we are so excited for this new chapter of parenthood, we have been working hard behind-the-scenes to make sure our elopements remain as unchanged as possible.

Our wee boy is due to arrive sometime between mid-August and mid-September (but it’s impossible to know exactly when he will arrive). In order to maintain a resilient business through the fall season, we have hired an associate photographer to our team! We have explored many suitable photographers, and have made our decision based on skill, personality, and how well she fits into our existing business and upcoming elopement schedule.

We believe our associate photographer is the perfect fit for our business, and feel extremely confident in her abilities to provide the same exceptional experience!

What is an associate photographer?

An associate photographer is essentially a subcontractor that shoots under an existing business. They usually work under the creative direction and brand name of the main business, and operate as a part of that business (separate to their own professional identity). Here is how it will work in our case:

Our associate photographer will photograph all elopements alongside both MJ and Conor throughout June, July and August to ensure a smooth transition onto our team. She will be extremely familiar with our elopement experiences, and the shooting style of our photography.
For the necessary elopements after our baby arrives - our associate photographer will take MJ’s place alongside Conor, and will help provide the same seamless experience that Scotland Elopement Co is known for.
Our associate photographer will only be shooting on the day - MJ will still be processing and editing all the photos, so you can still expect the same level of work and signature style.
There will be no extra costs, travel fees, or changes to existing bookings.

When is MJ’s maternity leave?

Even though we have an expected due date range, we don’t want to make any assumptions about when the baby will arrive, or how long MJ’s recovery will take. Here are some policies we are heading into the season with:

Our associate photographer is scheduled to be at all elopements in June, July, August, September and October - with the possibility of extension in unforeseen circumstances.
No matter the date of the elopement, MJ will plan to be there if her recovery goes well. She will continue to shoot as many elopements as possible through the fall, if recovery allows.
For the elopements MJ is able to attend, she will shoot alongside our associate photographer to ensure thorough and consistent coverage - without worrying about needing a break.
For the elopements MJ is unable to attend, our associate photographer will work alongside Conor and provide MJ with all image files at the end of the day to be processed in-house.

Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to decide at this moment which dates MJ will be able to attend, so we are putting plans in place to have our associate photographer cover all of them.

A note on emails…

(from mid-August)

Luckily we’ll be able to continue working from our computers throughout the fall season! Although our response times will be much slower as we prepare for the baby and adjust to our new family life after his arrival.

We are hoping to tie up any remaining planning tasks for 2024 elopements before mid-August to allow us to take a a few weeks away from our computers, until November or so. We will keep an eye on the inbox, but we will only be responding to urgent emails during this time.

For all 2025 elopements, we will put a pause on planning emails until later this year.

MEET OUR ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHER:

JONI BARCLAY

Hi, I’m Joni!

A heartfelt hello to all the beautiful couples who have chosen to elope this year with MJ & Conor!

Allow me to introduce myself :) My name is Joni, I’m a Scottish elopement and intimate wedding photographer born and raised in the small quaint fishing village of St Monans, on the East Coast of Scotland. You can find me out exploring with my husband Joshua and our little fluff ball Murdo or cosy pizza nights in whilst enjoying a good TV series or movie!

Over the last 4 years I have been building my own business - Elope with Joni. I feel blessed to have found my calling in life capturing love stories around this gorgeous country that I get to call home.

There is nothing I love more than capturing the love between two people. I have been obsessed with romance from a kid, be it love from the movies to my very own story of marrying my high school sweetheart!

With the incredibly exciting news that MJ & Conor are expecting their first little baby boy later on this year, they have kindly asked me to team up and be an associate photographer for Scotland Elopement Co.

It means the absolute world to me that these two beautiful souls have asked me to be a part of something so special and I will forever be grateful of having the privilege to photograph your elopement.

From my heart to yours, I am so honoured and excited to go on this journey with you x