I was really looking forward to being Colin and Caroline’s Balmoral Hotel wedding photographer. I recently met Colin and Caroline at Penicuik Estate for their pre-wedding photoshoot and enjoyed their company. It’s great when you work with a couple who are relaxed, fun and are happy to put in the effort to get some unique photos.
The Balmoral Hotel is a gem of a building,located right in the heart of Edinburgh. Often described as iconic, opulent, classy and luxurious, it never fails to impress me. A bonus from a photographer’s point of view is the scale of the building and the opportunities for creating newly-wed photos in various and interesting locations.
I arrived at The Balmoral Hotel to photograph the latter part of the girl’s preparations. The atmosphere was great – Caroline looked relaxed as she was pampered and beautified, and her bridesmaids added to the sense of calm and quiet excitement in the build-up to the wedding ceremony.
Downstairs with Colin and the boys, it was slightly different. Everyone was in high spirits, laughing and joking with each other at the Balmoral Bar. I took the lads out onto Waterloo Place for a few street photos and individual portraits at the entrance to the hotel.
Great to see a familiar face officiating the wedding. Humanist Celebrant Tim Macguire brought the perfect mix of sincerity, formality and fun to Colin and Caroline’s wedding, and had the guests smiling at a few anecdotes about the story of how Colin and Caroline met and how their love blossomed. A brilliant ceremony and Colin and Caroline looked so happy as they kissed each other for the first time as newlyweds.
One of the things I love about being a Balmoral Hotel wedding photographer is that the staff allow you to shoot a few photos up on the roof of the hotel with the newlyweds. Massive thanks to the brilliant Toastmaster Bob Henderson who escorted us up onto the roof and helped the day run so smoothly. We couldn’t have picked a better time to go up on the roof – the weather was perfect, the sun was setting, and the city looked beautiful in the background.
A highlight of the day was the wonderfully entertaining speeches. Colin’s speech, in particular, was great, I honestly can’t recall having laughed so much at a wedding! Brilliant fun and a pleasure to photograph everyone enjoying themselves.
As my time with Colin and Caroline drew to a close, we made our way out onto Waterloo Place to shoot a few nighttime photos of the newlyweds. It was quite a surreal experience standing in the middle of this wide road, camera, tripod and flashes set up and passers-by in cars and on foot all congratulating the newly-weds as we created a few beautiful photos. Colin and Caroline were so much fun and made my role as Balmoral Hotel wedding photographer a pleasure.
By the time I left this Balmoral Hotel wedding, the party was in full swing in the Sir Walter Scott Suite.
What a wonderful day – intimate, fun, exciting and perfect. Congratulations again to Colin and Caroline!
Balmoral Hotel Wedding Photographer Gallery
Shown below is a selection of my favourite photos that tell the wonderful story of Colin and Caroline’s Balmoral Hotel wedding day.
