Drunk in love | Our beautiful photoshoot from Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
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For the January 24 issue of Your Scottish Wedding magazine we gathered together a crack team of wedding professionals and rails and rails of gorgeous gowns and suave grooms outfits, taking over the Greyfriars Hall of Virgin Hotels Edinburgh.
We had great fun dressing models Gillian and Chris before letting loose and exploring all the nooks and crannies of this super-stylish wedding venue.
Check out the results below…
‘Wellesley’ dress with detachable sleeves by Suzanne Neville (POA) and ‘Valentina’ veil by Peter Langner (£1,100), both Rachel Scott Couture and silver summer breeze pearl enamelled leaf sprig clip by Ivory & Co (POA), Kudos Dunfermline
Get the look
Stepping through the doors of Virgin Hotels Edinburgh in the Old Town’s Victoria Street it’s almost impossible to believe this was once the nightclub Espionage (the scene of more student nights out for our editor Katie than she’d care to admit!)
You can just about see the footprint of the old watering hole’s meandering corridors and endless rooms but thankfully that is where it ends.
Now, everywhere you look all is chic and contemporary with playful décor details and elegant furnishings.
Don’t get us wrong, the hotel’s famed Scarlet Lounge has all the feel of a club, but a really, really upmarket one.
And with so many rooms and corridors to explore, Virgin Hotels made an excellent backdrop to our shoot, not least the epic Greyfriars Hall.
With all that exposed stone and the vaulted wooden ceiling, it would be the perfect wedding location.
Gillian – ‘Bailey’ dress with revealed shoulders and feather details (POA), Mirka Bridal Couture. Pearl tiara by Arianna (£145), Pamela Jayne’s Bridal with ‘Red Naomi, Bourbon Street’ and ‘Sweet Avalanche’ roses (POA) Moss & Blossom Floral Studio. Chris – Scottish national team tartan kilt with matching waistcoat and jacket (all made to measure), blue shirt, red tie, horse hair sporran, ghillie boots, Kilberry Bagpipes handcrafted sgian dubh (all POA), all Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers. Buttonhole with dried bougainvillea and red sedum (POA), Moss & Blossom Floral Studio.
Chris – Spirit of Loch Fyne kilt outfit (from £145 to hire and £1,299 to own), Kilts 4 U. Buttonhole with lisianthus and grasses tied with rustic wire (POA), Moss & Blossom Floral Studio. Gillian – ‘Querubi’ dress by Rosa Clara (£2,170), Kudos Edinburgh. Hair clip as before.
Chris – Modern Wallace tartan trews (made to measure), velvet evening jacket (made to measure), red braces, black wing collar shirt, red self-tying bow tie and black Gordon Nicolson brogues (all POA), all Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers. Gillian – ‘Kalea’ dress by Rosa Clara (£1,950), Kudos Edinburgh with ‘odyssey’ statement pearl cluster band by Ivory & Co (POA), Kudos Dunfermline.
Our shoot brought together all the must-have looks and trends gracing the bridal boutiques and groomswear outfitters this season.
We’re talking feathers, sparkles, trews and velvet jackets.
‘Alice’ sequin dress with revealed back (POA)< Mirka Bridal Couture. Pearl and diamante tiara by Twilight Designs (£110), Pamela Jayne’s Bridal.
Hair and make-up artist Caroline Stewart was on-hand for our ‘bride’ Gillian’s glam and she used Nip + Fab Hyaluronic Fix Extreme4 jelly eye patches and Simple water boost hydrating moisturiser “to get the skin glowing and hydrated.
“These products don’t have any harsh chemicals, they aren’t too oily and can be used for all skin types.”
She started with a natural look using an eight-hour cream and Laura Mercier’s illuminating primers to give a glowing base and then intensified the look as we progressed using products including Tarte Cosmetics bronzers, Urban Decay eye primer potion in ‘Sin’ and Charlotte Tilbury’s famed ‘Pillow Talk’ lipstick, followed by ‘Coral Kiss’.
The Spirit of Loch Tay kilt outfit (from £145 to hire and £1,299 to own), Kilts 4 U.
Moss & Blossom Floral Studio provided the gorgeous bouquets and buttonholes for the shoot with the white looks incorporating the likes of ‘Shade of Belge’ roses, lisianthus and grasses while the red and pink ones had a super-contemporary feel using ‘Red Naomi’, ‘Bourbon Street’ and ‘Sweet Avalanche’ roses in the bouquet and dried bougainvillea and red sedum in the buttonhole.
‘Nebula’ dress (POA), and satin opera gloves (£330), both by Vivienne Westwood, both Rachel Scott Couture
Dream team
Flowers | Moss & Blossom Floral Studio
Hair & make-up | Caroline Stewart Makeup Artistry & Hair Styling
Models | Gillian Cheung and Chris MacRae
Photography | Laura A Tiliman Photography
Stylist | Euan Spiers
Venue | Virgin Hotels Edinburgh
