When shooting a wedding, it’s important to be ready for anything…like your brides setting off confetti cannons right in the middle of the ceremony. If I had to pick one word to describe Wioletta and Hailey’s big day it would, without a doubt, be fun. From the moment I arrived at their venue – a beautiful stone mansion hidden way in the heart of Edinburgh Zoo (!) – I could tell this was going to be one-of-a-kind, and these ladies did not disappoint.
Arriving before the zoo opened, I followed the trail of red pandas and meerkats to the Scots Baronial manse on the hill, where chef Wioletta and geologist Hailey had just begun preparations for the day ahead. While Wi slipped into a classically beautiful white dress, Hailey honoured her Scottish heritage by donning a full kilt and sporran, and the wedding party were adorned with ammonite brooches to add some sediment to the sentiment.
With the wedding party dancing down the aisle, the emotional, humanist ceremony took place on the upper floor of the mansion, where the windows looked out onto the wild, snow-capped Pentland Hills in the distance. Not just a marriage between two people but also two cultures, the Scottish/Polish fusion was in full effect; from a traditional, post-ceremony bread-giving to the evening of ceilidhing that followed.
The spirit of the day lifted that of the guests, and the joy radiating from the happy couple was reflected on the faces of everyone in attendance. Wi and Hailey might not have made it to their scheduled panda viewing on account of inclement weather, but inside, the party never stopped.
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