What Makes Edinburgh City Chambers So Special?
The wonder of being an Edinburgh wedding photographer for me is in the variety. Grand hotels filled with many guests in all their finery, or the most intimate of elopements. Edinburgh has it all and despite the vagaries of the Scottish climate, can lay claim to being an international wedding destination.
One of my favourite spots to cover a smaller wedding is Edinburgh City Chambers. It’s positioned on the historic, cobbled Royal Mile (High Street), that links Edinburgh Castle with Holyrood Palace.
If location alone is not enough, the registry office within the City Chambers where weddings take place, underwent a significant renovation in recent years and the ceremony room and adjoining suite (Alexander Suite) is of “hotel” equivalent standard. The adjoining suite is particularly useful, as post the ceremony if the heavens open, you can take some very special photographs without venturing outside.
If you do venture outside, there are areas that remain recessed under the building with arches that can give you stunning images, bringing in fine Scottish architecture, whilst protecting you from the worst of the weather.
Within a minute or so of the City Chambers and the courtyard, the Royal Mile beckons for the adventurous. There is a myriad of photo opportunities around St Giles Cathedral, the many ancient alleyways (vennels) and nearby Victoria Street with its quirky shops. A little further afield (minutes by car) is the hills, crags and lochs of Arthurs Seat. I cannot think of any other city that has quite the mix of history, architecture, culture and natural beauty in its city centre.
Who Can Get Married At Edinburgh City Chambers?
There are no hoops to jump through to be married at the City Chambers, it is open to anybody planning a marriage or civil ceremony that does not wish a religious ceremony. I have seen as many intimate and beautiful moments in the understated surroundings of the City Chambers as I have in many a large church wedding. In fact, the proximity of the guests to the ceremony and its informal nature often makes for a unique experience and interaction between bride, groom and guests. Please follow the link City Chambers Weddings for more information.
What Are The Things You Need To Know
As an experienced wedding photographer, covering many elopements and small intimate wedding at the City Chambers in Edinburgh, I have come to appreciate that to make the best of the venue you must appreciate that it can be busy and embrace the wonders of it’s surroundings. Busy from the perspective of potentially a wedding taking place before or after you. That means that as a photographer I must work smartly and quickly and be sympathetic to the smooth running of the venue. Ceremonies tend to be relatively short, the benefit being that a 2 hour photographic engagement will typically yield more than enough coverage for you at the City Chambers and a photoshoot afterwards nearby.
If there is another wedding following yours, fortunately you have plenty of options around the courtyard of the City Chambers or you can move along the High Street to find other magical photo opportunities. It is therefore something to be aware of and plan for, but not be concerned about.
You should know that its location makes it busy from a tourist perspective in the peak months of May to September. Tourists do come into the courtyard from the High Street to admire the bride and groom and will take photographs. My view is that the tourists and the bustle of the High Street adds to the flavour of this Edinburgh jewel and the energy brought be embraced and integrated into the wedding photography if that is your wish.
Edinburgh cobbles can be treacherous, so my top tip if the brides shoes are on the high side (particularly stilettos), is to have some comfortable shoes to hand. That way the walk hand in hand on the cobbles of the Royal Mile is stress free without you worrying about trying to maintain balance.
If you are looking for a small wedding venue in Edinburgh, check out the City Chambers. I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.
About The Photographer
Tony is a professional wedding and social photographer, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a former alumni of Napier Photographic School.
