LUXURY VIRGIN HOTELS EDINBURGH WEDDING WITH A JAPANESE TWIST | WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | CHARLOTTE + CHRIS

22 Oct

Well, what can I say about my first experience at the luxury Virgin Hotels Edinburgh? It was pretty damn awesome…And luxury! :-D I could hurl a whole lotta superlatives about how great the venue was, but we will get to that later. Very much one of the main reasons that this wedding was so cool was down to the couple themselves.

A PRE-WEDDING LOVE STORY

Charlotte and Chris described their intended wedding theme as an enchanted autumnal vibe with a bit of Japanese influence - a balanced maximalism if you like! Colourful, a bit artsy, definitely quirky, but still a bit sophisticated. They definitely hit that mark! Japan featured heavily in the couple’s formative relationship, as that is where they met and lived for their first 5 years together (not to mention visits for each of their anniversaries!). As is so often the case when I’m listening to the various speeches of the night, it’s actually really good fun just hearing tales of someone else’s life, as told by themselves and their guests, especially when there is exotic travel and of course a bit of ribbing involved! One of my main takeaways from these speeches is that Chris is in fact good at everything. So don’t challenge, or compete with him at anything ;-D

Whilst living and teaching in Japan, the couple fully embraced the culture there as their relationship began to blossom. Lots of little, subtle touches around the wedding hinted towards their Japanese experiences; Charlotte in particular was instrumental in hand-crafting and preparing these touches, with her arts background coming really handy for things like pottery and origami! Even the wedding favours were pottery, used also for the wedding decorations, thrown and glazed by the couple themselves. VERY impressive. Ideas like the Kimono-style dressing gowns for all the wedding party, really brought a bit of visual flair to the bridal preparation photographs, and were of course, really fun! Levels upon levels of wedding creativity that also made the day really novel for me to photograph.

A LUXURY AND UNIQUE WEDDING VENUE IN THE HEART OF EDINBURGH | VIRGIN HOTELS EDINBURGH

The wedding venue itself couldn’t have suited the couple and their day more. Like I said, it was my fist time attending this spectacular venue. The central location made it both easy to locate (just a minutes walk from the famous Royal Mile) yet somehow it had an air of secluded tranquility, tucked away in a quiet corner at the top of ‘Harry Potter Street’. Once inside, the hotel is a feast for the senses - distributed over several floors, it’s quite the rabbit warren! Round every corner lies some quirky feature or piece of classic architecture that makes it perfect for my creative brand of photography. From leafy halls, to funky decor, to eclectic art, to the grand Greyfriars Hall where the ceremony and wedding breakfast took place, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh was a visual treat that made my job a joy to experiment with on the day. Charlotte and Chris said that although they had a wealth of lovely wedding venues in the Edinburgh area, the choice in the end was quite easy for them, as the hotel had such a unique look; providing a space that feels both historic and modern, with that stunning stonework and high ceilings, yet also provided somewhat of a blank canvas to sate the couple’s desire for personalisation and creativity. Both I, and the couple, also noted the very slick operation on the day by the wedding coordinators. What could potentially have been a tricky day to organise, was in fact made very easy for us all in the end. And THAT is a bonus in my book! :-D

AN EDINBURGH CITY CENRE WEDDING

Charlotte and Chris were also keen to make use of the opportunities that a wedding in the Scottish Capital provides! An Edinburgh City Centre wedding is a beautiful, big bag of craziness. It’s fair to say that in terms of picturesque, rustic and historic scenery, Edinburgh as a city probably takes the crown. No shade on my fair home city of Glasgow, but I have to give credit where credit is due - Edinburgh is a beautiful city. And with all that majestic scenery….comes PEOPLE ;-D If you plan to have your wedding in the heart of the capital city; it’s going to be busy. Whether it be tourist or resident, people are going to be flooding the streets enjoying the same backdrops you are. My advice - is to embrace it! Charlotte and Chris (not to mention their dog Kumo!) took to the streets like total pros, meandered through ancient streets, along the colourfully decorated Grassmarket and ‘Harry Potter’ Streets, and up to The Vennel to take in views of Edinburgh Castle. That’s no mean feat in wedding shoes! In the midst of these busy streets, photographs can still convey an intimacy along with the vibrancy of city life, that’s uniquely calm and attractive. Kumo even took the chance to decorate these ancient and picturesque streets with some of his own…additions… ;-D Good boy! :-D

THE PERFECT WEDDING DAY

I’m sure that I have waffled for far too long now :-D Of course the main aspect of any wedding is the opportunity for the couple and their guests to all get together and have a damn fine time. If you’re not having fun on your wedding day then what’s the point? For all the potential photographic excellence that was available on Charlotte and Chris’ day, the most important thing was that they enjoyed themselves. A ceremony, a quick jaunt arount the city, a meal, and some ceilidh dancing…oh yeah, and a VERY proficient and fluid first dance routine! What’s better than that?

Congratulations guys!! :-D

Hair: Sally Drummond

Web: https://www.instagram.com/sallydrummondhairstylist/

Makeup: Alisa Gurevich

Web: https://www.instagram.com/alisag.mua

Dress: La Novia – bought at Bliss Studio

Web: https://www.blissstudio.co.uk/

Shoes: Esska

Web: https://esskashoes.com/

Florist: Snapdragon

Web: https://snapdragonedinburgh.com/

Wedding planner: Virgin Hotels Edinburgh