Edinburgh Elopement With Mexican Food At The Basement Bar

Katie and Carl swapped their initial plans to have a big wedding for an intimate Edinburgh elopement with a few close friends and family, and don't regret it one bit. Katie casually got ready with her girlfriends whilst sipping mimosas, then headed to the City Chambers to say her I dos in an incredible strapless wedding dress, whilst Carl honoured their Scottish heritage in a tartan blazer. After some stunning couples portraits with Northern Aye Photography amongst the Scottish countryside, Katie then changed from her fitted bridal gown to a short blazer dress before heading to their favourite bar and restaurant (where they first met) to enjoy Mexican food and tequilas. What a way to celebrate.

Mimosa bar for wedding morning preparations

Personalised wedding morning getting ready robes

Embroidered wedding date on the brides getting ready robes

Groom in tartan suit for Edinburgh elopement

Bridal party in black and white getting ready robes drinking mimosas

Beautiful bride in strapless Wtoo by Watters wedding dress for Edinburgh elopement

Natural bridal makeup for Edinburgh elopement

Groom and best man walking to the Edinburgh City Chambers wedding ceremony

Bride and bridesmaid in black dress entering the Edinburgh City Chambers wedding ceremony

Wedding ceremony bridal entrance at intimate Edinburgh elopement

Bride and groom say I do at intimate Edinburgh elopement

Beautiful bride in strapless Wtoo by Watters wedding dress

Bride in strapless wedding dress being embraced by wedding guests

Stylish bride and groom at intimate Edinburgh elopement

What Made Our Day Unique
Our wedding party and ceremony was very small and intimate. We spent our special day in all of our favourite places in the city where we met and fell in love. We eloped, so we were able to simply enjoy everything that we planned with our closest friends and family. We walked through the city in our gown and suit; ate, drank and danced at the bar where we met, and ended the night at our hotel with our guests sat around a fire-eating pizza and looking at photos from the day. Neither of us would change a thing!
Katie & Carl

Suppliers
We eloped and didn't have really have "suppliers" for most of our day, but we chose a few specific vendors for flowers and cake by researching on the internet and reaching out to shops to discuss our ideas. Narcissus Flowers did an incredible job with our flowers, which we had to design completely remotely, and the cake from Cuckoo Bakery was spectacular. We chose our reception venue - Basement Bar - because it's the place where we first met in 2017. They don't usually have events in the bar space, but they made an exception for us and it was completely perfect!
Katie & Carl

Edinburgh Elopement

We love Edinburgh and we love elopement weddings, so this Edinburgh elopement has been a real treat to put together for you all today. Not only did Doug of Northern Aye Photography manage to capture the beautiful architecture of the city, but he also captured the breathtaking views at Holyrood Park, giving the impression on two wonderful weddings and styles in one. Katie and Carl were the perfect subjects, full of smiles, fabulous fashion and love, and have given us a wonderful example of how to elope in style.

Inspiration & Styling
Our 'vibe' was modern-romantic and understated. My dress fit perfectly with our low-key venue, and the guests all managed to colour coordinate with our gorgeous flowers without even being asked! We both adore Edinburgh and tried to give subtle nods to the city and Scotland where we could. Carl's suit was a subtle tartan, and the flowers featured heather and local flowers. We didn't want the simple styling to feel stuffy, and so we chose more modern accessories including edgy earrings and custom slate cufflinks. For the reception, I changed into a white blazer-dress which fit our reception venue perfectly.
Katie & Carl

Favourite Moments
We both agree that the best moment from our day was sitting down at the Basement Bar with all our guests after the wedding and listening to a live guitar player while we all drank margaritas and ate tons of Mexican food in our dresses and suits. We never wanted our day to feel over- orchestrated, and so sitting down to a casual meal with the drinks flowing and music playing in the background was absolutely perfect to us. Plus, we met at the Basement Bar and it's one of our favourite places in the world!
Katie & Carl

Winter, Edinburgh elopement at City Champers

Intimate Edinburgh elopement with a handful of wedding guests

Nine weddings guests at stylish Edinburgh elopement

9 weddings guests at winter Edinburgh elopement

Bride and groom portrait by Northern Aye Photography at Edinburgh elopement

Bride and groom walking the city streets at Edinburgh elopement

Beautiful bride in faux fur cover up for Winter elopement

Wedding nails and bridal accessories at Winter elopement

Bride in strapless Wtoo Watters wedding dress

Bride and groom kissing at Edinburgh elopement

Edinburgh elopement portraits in the countryside

Groom embracing his bride at Winter wedding

Winter wedding bouquet with roses, eucalyptus and heather

Cocktails at The Basement Bar in Edinburgh

The Basement Bar and Restaurant in Edinburgh

Bride and groom toasting at their Basement Bar reception

Neon bar sign for stylish Edinburgh elopement

Stylish bride and groom at bar reception in a blazer evening dress

Intimate bar reception for Edinburgh elopement wedding

Stylish bride in blazer wedding dress for Edinburgh elopement

Bride and groom enjoying Mexcian food at The Basement Bar and Restaurant in Edinburgh

Wedding speeches at Basement Bar reception

Advice
When we got engaged we were planning a huge, expensive wedding. It would have been beautiful, but the day we ended up having was perfect. We got one-on-one time with each of our guests, and there wasn't a moment wasted to making sure every little thing went smoothly because we didn't over-plan every detail. We weren't even sure there would be live music at our reception, but there was, and it created an amazing, spontaneous vibe. Our advice is to plan whatever day you want, but leave room for some unexpected moments, those are what made our day truly memorable.
Katie & Carl

We've shared some wonderful micro weddings recently; from intmate rooftop celebrations for two, to stylish city shindigs. Search our archives to see these and more real wedding elopements, plus, read our article for tips on how to elope in the UK.