The Botanics sits to the north of the city, across the Water of Leith. I have photographed weddings there in June when the rhododendrons were still out, and in October when the light comes low through the trees before three in the afternoon. Both days were different. The photographs from both are ones I return to.
Edinburgh's popular 'Botanics' is the obvious place for your wedding if you love heritage gardens and unusual plants. You'll find an extensive selection of options for both your ceremony and wedding breakfast here, as well as several package deals. The most extensive package includes a full multi-course Scottish meal, champagne, linens, canapes, and even a piper.
Outdoor weddings at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh
If you're not one to want a lot of separate suppliers, the Botanics are a great option and will help you with most choices. As far as locations go, you can choose from the 1843-built Caledonian hall or a variety of more modern and outdoor spaces. The Chinese pavilion is particularly lovely and a bit unusual.
Only an Edinburgh Botanics wedding can showcase a wedding venue with a room of soft bark flooring, giant redwood tree pillars, vibrant rhododendron bush walls, and windows that are the open sky itself.
Isa and Colin, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Plant lovers will appreciate the Botanics' mission to conserve various incredible plant species. There are plenty of unusual ideas for favours with that in mind! Lastly, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh are fully wheelchair-friendly. If you require a wheelchair yourself or have family who do, this makes it a top accessible choice.
Royal Botanic Garden wedding cost, capacity, and more
What's unusual about this venue is that you can book it for your wedding ceremony only, the whole day, and even for just your evening reception. The latter is an excellent option if you're looking for an unusual venue to let your hair down after saying your I do's in the capital.
The various different locales at the Botanics can host from just 10 to 200 guests. Prices are readily available on the venue's website and start at £192 per person for a minimum of 40 guests.
Full details on packages and pricing are available on the Royal Botanic Garden venue hire page.
What makes this a unique wedding venue in Scotland?
It's a well-known and well-loved spot within Edinburgh. The Botanics are both easily accessible and feel like a real hideaway from the city. Those looking to give their wedding day a vintage touch will particularly love some of this venue's spots.
Photographing at the Botanics
The glasshouses change things. Most wedding venues work with architectural light. Windows positioned by design, rooms built for occasions. The Temperate Palm House works with ambient light filtered through glass and foliage. What you get depends on the season and the time of day. This is not a problem. It is a different set of conditions, and the results tend to be unlike anywhere else.
The outdoor spaces are more straightforward. The Chinese Pavilion sits in its own pocket of the garden and photographs cleanly. The paths between areas give you natural transitions between one part of the day and the next.
The Botanics do not feel like a venue. This is their particular quality. The people arriving for a wedding here are not arriving at a wedding hall. They are arriving somewhere they might walk on any Sunday. What that does to how they carry themselves, how they arrive, how they settle in, shows in the pictures.
Also in Edinburgh
More Edinburgh wedding photography: Edinburgh Castle · Prestonfield House · Signet Library · Carberry Tower · Scottish-Norwegian wedding at the Botanics
If you are planning a wedding at the Royal Botanic Garden, get in touch.
