It’s no secret that I love everything about Edinburgh. From the pubs to the cobblestone streets, I find something new to love about the city every time I visit. So when Jon proposed to me in December 2023, there was no question that we would have a destination wedding in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh has always been very special to both of us, it even inspired Jon when designing my engagement ring. While shopping in New Town, we happened to see a beautiful emerald ring in the window of Laing’s jewelry store. We were both really excited when we saw it and took a picture, which Jon later used to create a very similar ring for me. We knew we wanted to get married, but it has always felt like the magic of Edinburgh led us there.

When we started planning our wedding, I knew two things. First, I wanted to stay at The Balmoral Hotel. The Balmoral has always been one of my favorite hotels and is perfect for a special occasion. It was designed with such care and feels so uniquely Scottish. The tartan carpets and the greens and purples throughout the rooms give you the feeling of being deep in the Highlands, even while you're in the middle of Princes Street. One of my favorite features of The Balmoral, though, is the grand staircase with its stained glass windows, and I knew it would be the perfect spot for our first look photos.

The second thing I knew was that I wanted to get married on Calton Hill. To me, Calton Hill has always been such an iconic part of Edinburgh. Not only are there stunning views of the city skyline, Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Palace, and the Firth of Forth, but both the Nelson Monument and the Dugald Stewart Monument are there as well. I had a vision of standing in front of the Dugald Stewart Monument, with the city skyline and Edinburgh Castle as our backdrop, incorporating our favorite place into our ceremony.

To fill in the rest of the details, we worked with our amazing wedding planner, Laura Gonzalez from Wild Hearts Elopements. Even if you love to plan (like me) and are extremely detail-oriented, having a wedding planner for a destination elopement is a great idea. Laura knew the best local vendors and helped plan the timeline of the day to make sure we got to do everything we wanted. She really took the time to get to know us, and by the time the wedding rolled around, it felt like she was a friend we’d stay in touch with long after the planning was done.

After months of preparation, our day finally arrived, and we got to celebrate in Edinburgh. We got ready and took our first look photos, and then it was time to head to Calton Hill with our parents. Being in Scotland, I wanted to incorporate a few Celtic traditions into our ceremony. Our humanist, Candice, helped us plan a ceremony that included handfasting and a quaich cup. We said our vows with a tartan ribbon wrapped around our hands, and when we finished, we pulled the ribbon from both ends and symbolically ‘tied the knot’. And even though Scotch isn’t my favorite drink, sharing a dram of Ardbeg from our quaich cup with my new husband felt like the perfect way to end our Scottish ceremony.

Our wonderful photographer, Anna Urban, spent the next few hours with us, commemorating the day with beautiful photos. We stopped at St. Bernard’s Well, Circus Lane, the Vennel Steps, and even hiked up to St. Anthony’s Chapel. Don’t worry, we both wore custom-made sneakers for the day, so no one was hiking in heels. Anna was incredible to work with and had great ideas for different shots and locations that she knew would turn out well. She asked us ‘why Edinburgh?’ and we told her it’s our favorite place in the world. We really had no choice but to get married there.

Instead of a traditional cocktail hour before dinner, we wanted to include a fun tourist activity. Laura helped us book a private Scotch tasting at The Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile. We learned about the different types of Scotch, tasting profiles, and all about peat. The highlight of the experience was everyone getting to blend their own Scotch to take home as a souvenir.

Wedding celebration at The Scotch Whisky Experience on The Royal Mile

Our final stop of the day was our wedding dinner at Timberyard. It’s one of our favorite restaurants in Edinburgh and was the perfect spot for a celebration with our parents. We booked a private dinner in ‘The Shed’ and were treated to a delicious four-course meal, plus the most amazing cheese course. There is truly nothing like cheese from the UK. Timberyard specializes in local Scottish cuisine and was the perfect intimate space for our small celebration.

Walking back through Edinburgh after dinner, still in our wedding attire, it was hard to believe we had just celebrated our wedding in our favorite city. The memory of walking through Grassmarket Square with Jon and hearing shouts of congratulations and well wishes will stick with me for the rest of my life.

When we returned to our hotel, we found celebratory macarons and champagne in our room from The Balmoral team. It was the perfect end to the perfect day—eating macarons and sipping champagne with a view of Calton Hill from our window. I can’t speak for everyone, but if you love a place the way we love Edinburgh, I highly recommend celebrating there. Planning our wedding in Edinburgh allowed us to make the city we love a main character in our story, and now, every time we return, we’ll be able to revisit the memories of our wedding day.

Eloping in Edinburgh

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