Raini Rowell Photography

Raini Rowell Photography Hi! I'm a couples photographer based in Edinburgh.

Here to help you craft an unforgettable elopement – focused solely on the deep connection you share and infused with the magic + heritage of Scotland. More than just a photographer… I’m your local insider, your eyes and ears on the ground, your hidden-gem seeker as we go through the planning journey together. As well as capturing artistic emotive images I can guide you through planning a meaningfu

l intimate wedding in Scotland. This means helping you find an awe-inspiring location you’ll want to return to time and time again and creating a stress-free timeline which suits you perfectly as couple.

Why does it take me so long to share elopement stories? I constantly ask myself this. I realise it’s because it feels im...
11/08/2026

Why does it take me so long to share elopement stories? I constantly ask myself this. I realise it’s because it feels important - even if no one scrolls through this post or reads the caption, it’s my little way of paying homage to these incredibly special moments in time. Some days I really wish I could chuck up a few faves and say congrats X+X and be done with it but minimalism has never been my friend.

Telling story of T+G’s elopement feels especially heavy, not because their day was hard but quite the opposite. Within moments of meeting them IRL we were immediately aware of the complete adoration these two had for each other. It emanated in every word, gesture and glance they shared.

I’ve been afraid I don’t really have the words, or frankly the photos, to do it justice.

These two started their day, as every day, with a hot drink together and snuggling their pooch. They chose to get ready together as this moment of connection felt important and symbolic of their everyday life.

Their beautiful heartfelt ceremony was conducted by Rev. Hazel Jane | Scotland Celebrant and began with G singing a few songs for T on his ukulele. That absolutely set the tone - we all had tears in our eyes. And those stayed firmly in place as they said their vows and tied the knot.

Afterwards, we explored and frolicked around the glen. We barely had to say a word as they two shared their loving sides, playful sides, quiet thoughtful sides with our cameras. We loved seeing how they brought out these different energies in each other naturally. They fully embraced being as one in the landscape and in each other’s arms.

Our day wound up with a well earned pint and meal in the Clachaig Inn. And our hearts (and SD cards) came away full 🧡✨

Our handfasting session often gets confused with elopements. Tbh, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easy to see why. ...
23/07/2026

Our handfasting session often gets confused with elopements. Tbh, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easy to see why.

In the years since we’ve started capturing elopements we’ve seen how the handfasting ritual has gone from an obscure but quietly resurging wedding ritual to now almost being synomous with Scotland elopements.

Handfasting has always been used as a unity ceremony - inside and outside of weddings. And our handfasting session was created to honour the use of the ritual outside of weddings/elopements. Because we deeply believe that celebrating your love in meaningful ways after a wedding (or without it) should be the norm. No matter how long you’ve been together.

Anita + Gilbert also resonated with this idea. After 10 years married, the idea of intentionally taking time to celebrate their love whilst visiting Scotland felt special 🧡

We started their handfasting session exploring Edinburgh in the very early hours of the day whilst the city was very slowly stirring. It was a chilly March day but the sun was shining.

Which gave us hazy conditions for their ceremony down at an abandoned ruin. Combined with Fiona’s stjnning elemental ceremony, there was a certain magic in the air.

There were tears, smiles and laughter as A&G renewed their vows whilst tying a knot that symbolised a celebration of a bond that has lasted more than a decade and for the years still to come.

It was such a beautiful morning, leaving my heart SO full, which entirely validated why we offer these kinds of handfasting sessions. And why we’re so protective over keeping them solely for couples who aren’t on a wedding/elopement journey. 🌿🧡

For two lovers whose life is centred around enjoying every minute they share together. Busy jobs mean S+J are incredibly...
06/07/2026

For two lovers whose life is centred around enjoying every minute they share together. Busy jobs mean S+J are incredibly intentional about how they spend their free time - filling it up with tonnes of joy, adventures afar and cosy times at home. 🧡

For such an intentional couple, eloping was the perfect way to celebrate their love in a way that was solely focused on them.

S+J had fallen in love with the idea of being married amongst the ancient Scots pines near water. The Cairngorms suited their vision down to a tee.

As for when - they chose March, a beautiful wild quiet time of the year and absolutely one of our fave months. March was true to form on this day by providing a 4-seasons-in-a-day experience for S+J. Which definitely made it even more memorable!

They had a calm sunny morning getting ready together in their hotel before we ventured to their mossy forest ceremony spot. Here, Kirsty Harding officiated a heartfelt, joyous ceremony which really embodied this special couple. Tears, laughter, cuddles all round! After, they tossed their oathing stone into the loch, hoping that maybe some mystical loch creature might look after it for them. ✨

A standout moment was watching S in complete awe of J as she twirled in the sunlight just as a small sprinkle of rain appeared - making her glow like an ethereal fae!

Upon getting into the car for our next adventure, the snow immediately started. It became blizzard like in an instant. We changed plans and headed up the mountain to see if we could see where the weather was headed. Thankfully, in true Scottish weather style, we waited 5 mins and the sideways snow blizzard began to clear. This gave us the magical conditions of sunlight through snow (with a good dose of wind mixed in!). 🌨️☀️

Here, we could see that our final adventure was likely to clear based on the way things were moving. It was chilly but worth the hike up for a different view over the area. Finishing up our time with a good old swig of champagne to celebrate the wildness of it all! Car heaters on and a quiet evening back at the hotel.

Phew, what an amazing adventure all round!! 🌿✨

🌈🏳️‍🌈 PRIDE🏳️‍🌈🌈I find myself in the same position as I did last year - getting to the end of June without sharing a pos...
30/06/2026

🌈🏳️‍🌈 PRIDE🏳️‍🌈🌈

I find myself in the same position as I did last year - getting to the end of June without sharing a post on my grid to celebrate Pride. 🙈

Last year, I spoke on my stories about how I wrestled with concerns about being perceived as rainbow-washing, especially as a cis-het presenting woman. I had some really great conversations with LGBTQ+ couples and vendors - as well as het folks who similarly felt a bit hesitant. I learnt a lot.

So this year, I might a little late to the party (in true Rowell style!) but I'm sneaking in at the end of Pride to talk about allyship through our lens... What it means for us and how we show up as allies in our business.

I'm *trying* to do this with confidence as I fiercely stand with the LGBTQ+ community as a human (+ business owner). Even if it feels a little awkward to share this post as a BuSinESs BraNd 🙈

But now more than ever it feels extra important to be explicit about where we stand. And there's no better time than June to shout it loudly. 🏳️‍🌈

So to all the LGBTQ+ couples who have trusted us over the years with their wild Scottish elopements: thank you for letting us capture your magic. We are forever grateful to witness your love!!

Read through the slides to see what active allyship looks like behind our cameras. 🩷💜🩵💛💚❤️🧡

(Yes, that is a rainbow added to the final slide, I just thought it looked cute okay 😂🤪)

InclusiveWeddingVendor

Teal + Bud, a Californian couple came to Scotland in early Spring chasing romance, fairytale feels and moody weather. Th...
16/06/2026

Teal + Bud, a Californian couple came to Scotland in early Spring chasing romance, fairytale feels and moody weather. They weren’t 100% sure where in Scotland they wanted to elope but they did know that they wanted it to feature a castle and wild Scottish scenery. After reviewing a few suggestions, they fell in love with the iconic landscapes of Glencoe combined with having their ceremony in front of a nearby castle ruin sitting on the edge of a loch.

They began their day getting ready separately - opting to surprise each other during a first look outdoors. Teal absolutely bringing magic fae vibes with her gorgeous dress, cape and floral dagger in hand 😆 We then headed over the castle ruin for a beautiful ceremony by the loch led by the lovely . They said their vows over a sword in the ground and oathing stone in hands.

The sun was beaming and the wind whipping around them wildly which wasn’t quite the moody atmosphere they been hoping for but having their ceremony witnessed by highland coos and sheep made up for it!

What that bright sun did bring was some stormy conditions with sunbeams piercing through and an epic run into the sunset as we made our way through some of the best spots Glencoe has to offer!

Despite the sun, there was a bit of a chill in the air meaning we had to be careful to keep warm 🧡 even resorting to sharing my penguin arm-pumping trick (scroll for an insight into how we keep warm on chilly Spring days!)

But it’s always a great excuse to get in snuggly as a couple - which is exactly what these two did between moments of joy and silliness as we roamed through the hills!

Our day finished up by lantern light which met T+B’s vision of a fairytale ending perfectly! What a joyous day full of epic sights, laughter and chasing sunbeams! 🧡✨🌿

📸 Raini | Scotland Elopement Photographer
💄 BONNYS WONDERLAND ® | HAIR & MAKE UP
👗 Ever After Bridal
🪢 Carolyn The Celebrant
💐 The Thistle & The Rose Florist

Sneaking in an almost-unheard-of second post of the day to share a wee bit of news before we head off to a music festiva...
12/06/2026

Sneaking in an almost-unheard-of second post of the day to share a wee bit of news before we head off to a music festival to celebrate Dave's birthday...

✨️Delighted to have one of our images selected in the Junebug Best of the Best Destination awards for 2026! Junebug Weddings ✨️

The Destination awards in particular always have a huge amount of appeal to us - because *place* is such an integral part of our work. We always welcome the chance to review our last year's worth of work and really think about what images truly convey a sense of Scotland. What makes a good *destination* image? And it's really interesting to look at our work through that lens 🧡

We LOVE that this image of Val & Sydney won because we feel it's undeniably Scottish 😄 (if you look past the rare sunny day we had!). It was such a joyous moment listening to the bagpipes over the city in a post-ceremony moment of celebration. ✨️

I've also shared just a few of the images we submitted this year that we felt conveyed a sense of destination/place/Scotland.

Thanks so much to Junebug Weddings, the judges 𝑵𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒌 𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 Colorado Elopement Photographers Manuel Aldana / Antigua Guatemala Wedding Photographer and sponsors Wildernis for including this image in the final collection 😍 (congrats to all the other photographers included - just insane work!!)

Happy birthday Dave ✨️🍾Here is a wee ode to the unsung hero/ fan favourite of Raini Rowell Photography 🧡So unbelievably ...
12/06/2026

Happy birthday Dave ✨️🍾

Here is a wee ode to the unsung hero/ fan favourite of Raini Rowell Photography 🧡

So unbelievably grateful to work alongside this wonderful man. It means a huge amount to be able to build a business, meet amazing couples, be creative and travel across Scotland together. It's brought us even closer than we thought possible. ✨️🌿

Off to celebrate in a muddy field at a music festival 🥳😁

//Disclaimer : I did NOT make any deals with any forces, good or evil in the course of this elopement.//How is it almost...
29/05/2026

//Disclaimer : I did NOT make any deals with any forces, good or evil in the course of this elopement.//

How is it almost June already!? Can’t believe how fast the spring season has gone and how many stories we have yet to share 🙈

But let’s chat about this stunning March day in one of Scotland’s lesser known beauty spots 🌿this is one of those areas that seems to have it all - ancient forest, lochs, epic mountainous vistas, waterfalls and best of all, it’s quiet! It’s no wonder that B+J fell in love with the idea of eloping here.

They travelled up from England to secretly elope. (We were delighted to get an update from them tell us that their elopement announcement/celebration with family went well! They even had a brilliant sign up saying “sorry we eloped” 😆)

In their words “we weren’t sure if some of our family and friends would get it at first but every person we show your photos to say “yep, we get why you did this now” (and our personal favourite “wait, that’s not AI, you’re actually married?!”)” And we couldn’t be happier to hear it 🧡✨

Their day started with a cosy morning in a stunning cabin, watching deer and getting ready together. It wasn’t long before they were standing at the edge of a loch to say their vows and officially tie the knot in a handfasting ceremony.

The weather had the typical early March magic which we adore - dramatic, unpredictable and ethereal. This created beautiful shards of light across the glen. Which made for the perfect backdrop whilst B+J celebrated their matrimony by eating cold pizza. Luckily it stuck around long enough us to enjoy over the most glorious vista. Exploring forests whilst the sun went down. And finishing the day with sealing their vows into their oathing stone by dipping it in the water by lantern light. Utterly perfect all round for an incredibly sweet and joyful couple!

✨Team✨
📸
💄
🪢 Kirsty Harding
👗

✨️Taking a quick breath of air from edit madness to say... Last week we got a nice wee surprise email to let us know we'...
12/05/2026

✨️Taking a quick breath of air from edit madness to say... Last week we got a nice wee surprise email to let us know we'd won an award in the Way Up North Awards. We were delighted to find out we'd been selected as a winner in the Best Couple Portrait category.✨️

In the words of Way Up North, the Best Couple Portrait category "is the most competitive category we have in the WUN Awards. Two people, one frame, and the bar is whether the photograph still moves someone in forty years. Best Couple Portrait drew its biggest field of submissions in 2025. Yours made the top ten. A couple portrait that earns its place does so because the couple let you in for a moment, and you gave them something back."

Winning this category last year, among photographers we look up to, was an incredible thrill. Whilst I couldn't be there in person this time, it's a huge honour to sit alongside such talented folks who always inspire us.

Featured here is Val + Sydney taking a wee moment, post-ceremony to enjoy the classic sound of Scottish bagpipes by . Allwhilst soaking up that 'just married' high in some rare Scotland sun! Supremely grateful to work with such wonderful couples who trust us, even in the 'what on earth are they capturing!?' moments. 🤭😘

Thanks so much to the judges . And event sponsors .ai  🧡

🌈Mrs + Mrs🌈A wee ode to the wonderful le***an couples we’ve photographed in our journey as Scotland elopement photograph...
26/04/2026

🌈Mrs + Mrs🌈

A wee ode to the wonderful le***an couples we’ve photographed in our journey as Scotland elopement photographers - in honour of Le***an Visibility Week (not me sneaking in right at the end!). ❤️🧡🤍🩷💜

These have been some of the most heartwarming, emotional and downright bloody joyful days we’ve had the pleasure to witness and photograph! With genuine friendships forged - people we’d warmly welcome to hang out with us whenever they’re in town.

Whilst we know that navigating the world as an LGBTQ+ couple can feel daunting right now, Scotland remains a welcoming and progressive place where couples can legally tie the knot. It’s not a perfect utopia, but it is a safe, big-heart country where you can let your guard down and just be yourselves 🧡🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

We completely understand that for le***an couples, choosing a photographer also means trying to find a genuinely safe space where you can feel celebrated - not just tolerated. We hold the responsibility of your trust close to our hearts, and it means the world that you feel safe enough to let us capture your day.

We see you. And if you work us, rest assured we will celebrate the sh*t outta you two and your elopement day! 🥂✨

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