Wedding: Rachel & MJ, Leuchie Walled Garden wedding
Ever got married in an actual storm? Me neither but I’ve witnessed one and it was an invigorating treat of a day after all the madness and lockdowns…
One of the couples who’ve booked an elopement in Edinburgh with The Elopement Society mentioned that they love book stores and wanted to see if we could find an indie bookstore that might host their ceremony. And serendipity sent me to Rachel at Rare Birds Books and I didn’t even realise this amazing wee shop was the work of one of my previous brides.
Then I remembered that months ago I promised to post some shots from her amazing day at Leuchie Walled Garden, with a total dream team of suppliers, which was featured on Love My Dress last summer, and I haven’t ever got my act together to tell you about it.
Then I started looking at the photos and reading the feature and it reminded me that stuff always works out ok in the end and to chill the hell out instead of letting everything feel like a stressy barrier.
“I am convinced Solen is the best in the game. She has this incredible knack for capturing all these fun, cheeky moments – her pictures have a wonderful energy about them.
It’s always true that you end up hanging out with your photographer for most of your wedding day but this was especially true for us – it was my family and Solen hanging out all afternoon.
She took amazing pictures but was also just a joy to be around in general – she just got on with everyone.”
Leuchie Walled Garden in East Lothian is a wee treasure. A mid century modern house built on the side of a beautiful walled garden which I’d love to see without nearly drowning one day. It was fun to find windows and corners to snap them in and build up some themes with the colours, despite all the super heavy rain. Storm Alex was wild but I really loved the challenge. It was one of the few weddings that I got to shoot in 2020 and Rachel and MJ had changed their plans and made a really special tiny day with their immediate families.
Everyone was so welcoming and because of the rain, the small numbers and the fact they’d already been isolating together for ages for travel restrictions, we just had a laugh together despite the storm. Rachel’s family are from Toronto and I have friends and family there so those lucky souls got my renditions of the best TV ads from the Ontario area in the 90s — Fabricland and Marineland if you wanna know - both top flight jingles that I still remember from holidays there as a kid, watching Much Music TV.
I felt like a welcome guest which I always love and the speeches were an actual emotional rollercoaster. which I also love. The very best thing about tiny weddings, as Rachel says herself in the feature, is that you get concentrated time with the folks that matter most. Everyone is a bit freer to be their honest and vulnerable selves and to really celebrate the couple and all they’ve been through.
“Our wedding day also happened to fall on the wettest day on record (not an exaggeration – hello Storm Alex!). It poured rain for 18 hours straight and she didn’t care at all – she was soaked through and still had a smile on her face all day. I think the quality of her photography speaks for itself; she delivered us an album of photos of my family enjoying themselves that I’ll genuinely cherish forever.”
The wedding was coordinated by Carrie at Union Weddings and I loved the styling, it worked so so well in the space too. Feather Grass Florals made a little area outside, the only space covered, that would allow for the ceremony to happen without everyone wearing masks to follow the restrictions of the time, but also not get soaked by the storm. It looked great with the marble busts from the gardens too. Nikki and Hollie from Daisy Fay’s Weddings and Events made amazing lemon drop cocktails and looked after everyone on the day. You’ll find all their links at the bottom of the Love My Dress feature.
I can’t wait to see Rachel as our ceremony host for the upcoming elopement but kinda hoping for a sunnier day. Edinburgh is tiny and it’s lush when things like this happen and I get to work with someone again in a whole different way. It’s one of the very best things about The Elopement Society and I’m glad of the good reminder while everything feels a bit like a struggle.
Thanks everyone who follows my ramblings and my 3423 socials pages for each of my personalities, it’s much appreciated.
More rants and inconsistency coming up soon-ish x
When Art meets Wedding Photography
Specialising in capturing human connections and wingwoman for the camera shy, Solen’s unobtrusive, natural and artistic approach to photography is highly coveted for weddings, elopements, portraiture and events.
