Having visited Edinburgh, Scotland a handful of times as a flight attendant, I was looking forward to doing an engagement photography session while on my layover in Edinburgh. With excitement and anticipation, I worked the flight over from Boston to Edinburgh and was ecstatic to meet Rach & Peter for the first time, only days before their wedding. We decided to meet at 5pm at my hotel lobby, as I was looking to capture them in the hills just outside of the city in the late afternoon and evening light. I only had 24 hours layover in Edinburgh, was on a 6 hour time-zone change, and had just worked overnight to Scotland without sleep! Adrenaline and pure excitement was my fuel that day! As soon as we met, I knew it was going to be an amazing session! They were both teachers, and the more I learned about them, the more I saw how excited, adventurous, and friendly they were, and up for anything! My perfect clients! The Royal Mile was swamped with tourists, so we headed quickly past everyone to get lost in the hills. As we started into Arthur’s Seat, we saw another bride and groom, and waved our congratulations. Yet another bride was racing to the top of a ledge to say her vows just as it started to downpour. We were caught up in it, too, but Pete & Rach were serious troopers and were not about to let rain, common in Scotland, change our plans. We knew that the hills would be quiet of tourists because of the rain. I spent a total of 4 1/2 hours photographing Pete and Rach around the hills as they frolicked in the rain, the wet grass, the slippery steps, kissing, holding hands and laughing their heads off - so in love with each other - and so relaxed only days before their wedding! We hiked two of the seven hills in Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat and the Braids, and saw in the distance the Castle on a third hill, a striking and dominant feature on the Edinburgh cityscape.
An Engagement Session In Edinburgh
Photography by Destination Anywhere Photography
We met in July 2011 at a dinner party in Edinburgh hosted by my twin sister’s then boyfriend, Iain. Pete and Iain met in 2003 while travelling in New Zealand, and Pete (who was based in Trento, Italy) stayed with Iain most summers while teaching English at Edinburgh University. I wasn’t even supposed to go to the dinner party - I had plans in Perth, where I was living, but cancelled them last minute to go to the dinner party!
Easter 2018 in the sun and snow of the mountains above Trento. We had talked vaguely about getting married, but when he got down on one knee (in his shorts, in the snow!) I was so surprised!! I burst in to tears and replied, ‘Yes please!!’ - so polite!! We then went to the nearby cafe and ordered a bottle of Prosecco and called home to tell them the happy news! Later, we caught the bus back down in to Trento, and celebrated with friends. It was all like a dream!!
We love the green and wild spaces of Edinburgh, including Arthur’s Seat (an extinct volcano!) and Blackford Hill and The Braids. We love running on these hills and taking in the views over the city across the sea and over to the Kingdom of Fife beyond, so they were the perfect choice for a wild and romantic photo shoot in Scotland!
Through a friend who put us in touch from her dive boat off Fiji…crazy, but true! I thought Vanessa and Sherry knew each other, but it turned out that Vanessa had just seen an online post!!
Wild and romantic images from Sherry’s amazing website, Destination Anywhere Photography!
I loved how Sherry got the best out of us and made us feel so comfortable. Pete spinning and dipping me, including on the edge of Salisbury Crags on Arthur’s Seat, was epic! Dancing in the long grass, and walking over The Braids with no one else around (apart from Sherry) was brilliant! Oh, and it was AWESOME to see Pete rocking a kilt in the hills around Edinburgh!!
GO FOR IT!! We had our shoot a few days before our wedding, and it really made us used to having a photographer around us! The time out in beautiful locations was a fantastic escape from all the hectic wedding prep, and made us feel so much closer in the run-up to the wedding. Lose your inhibitions and enjoy the experience of an outdoor shoot (even if the weather turns ‘a bit Scottish’!!) Get the photos on your wall quickly - they are a daily reminder of love, commitment and adventure!
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