There is something special about a wedding that takes place right in the heart of Edinburgh. This celebration combined some of the city's most recognisable locations, from the historic Royal Mile to Howies Restaurant and beautiful wedding portraits overlooking Edinburgh from Calton Hill. Located on the Royal Mile, the building of the Lothian Chambers is well known for wedding ceremonies. It offers different rooms for smaller or bigger events. It is literally opposite the famous St. Giles Cathedral. From the biggest room at the Chambers you can see the towers of the cathedral in the window frames. Usually the wedding guests gather outside the building attracting attention of many tourists. Brides arriving also are often asked for photographs by total strangers.
After the ceremony, the guests set off on foot along the Royal Mile and across North Bridge towards Howies Restaurant. It felt almost like an Edinburgh walking tour, with the wedding party making their way through the busy city streets surrounded by locals and visitors. For a documentary wedding photographer, moments like these are wonderful to photograph. Rather than moving from one carefully arranged photograph to another, I could simply follow the wedding party through the city and capture everything happening around them.The bride and groom took a slightly different route in a wonderful vintage Mini, which attracted plenty of attention along the way.
Wedding Reception at Howies Edinburgh - Howies provided a relaxed city-centre setting for the wedding celebrations and worked beautifully for a couple who wanted to keep their day within central Edinburgh. Having the ceremony, reception and portrait locations relatively close together also meant that the city itself became part of the wedding day rather than simply a backdrop.
Calton Hill Wedding Portraits - Later we headed to Calton Hill for the bride and groom's wedding portraits.
Calton Hill is one of my favourite locations for wedding photography in Edinburgh. From the top there are panoramic views across the city's rooftops towards Arthur's Seat, Salisbury Crags and many of Edinburgh's best-known landmarks.The weather gave us beautiful soft, overcast light that evening. Rather than needing a long formal portrait session, we simply walked around the hill and created a relaxed collection of photographs of the newly married couple against the Edinburgh skyline. One of the things I love about Calton Hill is how different it can look from one wedding to another. Changing weather, mist, wind and evening light can completely transform the atmosphere, making every portrait session there feel individual.Afterwards it was back to the celebrations and the dance floor. Comfortable shoes appeared, everyone relaxed and the evening quickly turned into a proper party.
Throughout the day I photographed things as they naturally happened – the walk through Edinburgh, reactions from guests, conversations, laughter, quiet moments and the energy of the evening celebrations. Together, those photographs tell the story of a wonderfully relaxed Edinburgh wedding.
If you're planning a wedding in Edinburgh and would love natural wedding portraits at Calton Hill, the Royal Mile or elsewhere around the city, I'd be delighted to photograph your day.
Curious about other wedding stories from Edinburgh and accross Scotland - see how a full wedding day really feels
Planning a wedding in Edinburgh city centre - check if your date is available
