The Elopers: Meave + Johnny Keep it Simple
Delighted to share this gallery from a recent Edinburgh City Centre Elopement with The Elopement Society.
The couple chatted to Mo before the wee (big) day to arrange the legalities, to talk through their story and work out their vows for the ceremony. They also requested traditional handfasting and a reading from one of the witnesses.
The Elopement Society community involved for this one were me on camera duties, Jenny at Studio Seapink on florals and Mo from Fuze Ceremonies helped the couple with the legalities, on forming the content of their ceremony and vows and conducted the lush wee celebration on the day.
3 of Meave’s local relatives came along, 2 as witnesses and 1 with cake. Everything was so relaxed and simple. Meave and Johnny are high school sweethearts from Ireland who’ve just bought their first home together here. The ceremony Mo conducted for them was really beautiful, a wee story of their journey from high school to today along with a reading and a handfasting with some beautiful lace.
They kept their families at home involved by reading cards and letters before the ceremony over some fizz, with video messages and with our candles. Meave’s family have a wonderful tradition of lighting a candle at all family events and celebrations for those who couldn’t be there in person so Maeve had bought some candles for family to light at ceremony time and one for the ceremony itself. A very emotional wee moment for me and such a lovely moment.
After the ceremony in a wee private room at The Kimpton, the staff brought drinks and delicious sharing dishes from Baba next door. We then took a little wander around the nearby streets while the couple’s guests had some cocktails. Then it was cake and time for me to say goodbye.
I can’t thank Meave and Johnny enough. It was so much fun to work with them both, they just *got* the whole ethos and idea of what I’m trying to build straight away and were so supportive and generous. It’s hugely rewarding to work with your ideal clients straight off the bat when behind the scenes has been such a weird and stressy time full of doubts and jumping headfirst into the unknowns.
I love shooting small intimate weddings and elopements, everyone relaxes into being their true selves and are a lot more vulnerable. I think sometimes there’s pressure to entertain all your guests at bigger events and that can be quite hard work for shy or introverted couples. The day disappears in a surreal blur whichever way you chose to do it so it’s important to factor in lots of time for just you together and take time out from the festivities to be alone together as it’s a celebration of you.
Often couples really enjoy our wee wander around for couple’s portraits even if they usually hate being photographed as I make sure we just have a laugh and that you get a second to take it all in and appreciate that you went for it and made it all happen.
Huge congratulations to them on their new home and married life together. It was a wildly windy sunny wee celebration but it all felt so warm and relaxed and right. Beautiful folks inside and out. Thanks to Meave and Johnny, this wee day was a (bit of a windy) dream to work on x
With thanks to our on-the-day team
Studio Seapink on blooms | Mo from Fuze Ceremonies | Solen on Photography
