Edinburgh Castle as a Wedding Venue

“From the point of view of a photographer”

The Edinburgh Castle is the most iconic building of the city, and from inside of it you get spectacular views of the rest of Edinburgh. Ideal venue for history lovers, medieval architecture enthusiasts and the romantics.

Things to consider

Tourists

If you hire any of the rooms, either for just the ceremony or your entire wedding, if it’s during the normal opening times, you will have to share your venue with the tourists that are visiting. The room will be private to you, of course, but the rest of the castle and the grounds will be open to the public. So when it comes to taking your couple’s photos, we will be accompanied by the events manager (for safety reasons, as there are live ammunitions on site) and we won’t be able to move any of the tourists from areas we want to photograph at. Some outdoor areas around the room are also private so you won’t be escorted/ have to be among tourists for all of it, just some parts.

It has not been an issue, though, so far, as most people are respectful and try to move out of the way to let us take the photo. But we can’t explicitly ask. You will be photographed by them though, and get a lot of congratulations!

A lot of my clients have expressed being nervous, but all of them were able to forget the tourists and take beautiful photos. It also varies depending on the time of year and day of the week. But not any more difficult than any other public location.

The managers have all been very nice, helpful and sweet in all the instances I have been hired to photograph a wedding, so don’t be scared to ask what you are allowed to do or not, and there are ways to get more areas of the castle, as it usually depends on time of the year, how busy the castle is and weather.

Ceremony Rooms and what areas you get

St Margaret Chapel

So far, my clients have had this area for at least an hour to have the ceremony and have the outdoor space around it closed off just for you and your guests to take photos. Usually, when my clients hire the chapel, they don’t have access to the cannons in the lower area.

See Full Album

Inside the Chapel

We were only allowed in this room as it was a storm, and the rest of the castle was closed off to tourists, so very unlikely you’d be able to have photos taken here

During the winter it gets dark by 3.30 so if your ceremony starts later in the day, I would recommend having the photos first, as the appeal of the castle is the views!

Gatehouse Room

The gatehouse has a big balcony adjacent to it that is completely private for photos, and you also get access to the cannon area and a few different spots on the same level, but cannot go to the higher levels (St Margaret Chapel)

Full Album for a Gatehouse Room Wedding

Staircase in front of the cannon area

Gatehouse Balcony that also overlooks the entrance of the castle

Cannons!

War Memorial - Not allowed to take photos in front of out of respect

Queen Anne Building / Jacobite Room

Ideal for bigger parties with more guests. I have only photographed a pre-wedding party before in these rooms, in the evening, and my clients had the whole castle to themselves, which was great for photos. Please consult the event managers for more information on this for a daytime wedding.

How to prepare

The castle is windy, and generally cold all year round, so if you don’t think you need it, please bring a jacket anyway to have while we move around locations, otherwise the cold will make it really hard for you to relax!

The whole thing is cobblestone and an uphill battle. If you think you will struggle in heels, bring an alternative to change from walking to photos, or if your dress covers the shoes, you might not even need the heels.

The rest just leave up to me, I will direct, pose and help you throughout the whole day, so just bring yourselves and have fun!

Edinburgh Castle Wedding Photography / Edinburgh Castle Wedding Photgrapher