Helen and David's alternative wedding at The Biscuit Factory, Leith

Helen and David got married at The Biscuit Factory in Leith, an old industrial building in Edinburgh with exposed brick, high ceilings and a massive dance floor. It was a bold, colourful, non-traditional wedding just before Halloween, with a homemade dress, a bedazzled suit, a greyhound in a matching one, a Simpsons seating plan and a face painter working the room all night.

I first met Helen and David, and Mac, their retired greyhound with the most soulful eyes, on Portobello Beach during lockdown. If I’m honest, that shoot was mostly photos of Mac, but who could blame us. So when they got back in touch a few years later asking me to shoot their wedding at The Biscuit Factory, I was buzzing.

A homemade dress, a bedazzled suit and a dog in a suit

Helen and David are the kind of people who don’t do things just because they’re “supposed to”. Helen made her own wedding dress, and she absolutely nailed it. Big, bold, bright, and unapologetically Helen.

David had a custom-made blue suit, embroidered with bespoke patches of their dog, his guitar and all sorts of personal details. Oh, and it was bedazzled with diamonds. Because why the hell not?

Then Mac arrived in his own matching blue suit and sat proudly at the front of the ceremony, watching his humans tie the knot. If you’re planning a dog-friendly wedding in Scotland, take notes. This is how you do it.

A humanist ceremony with Kathleen Hood at The Biscuit Factory

The day started with a chilled morning at Helen and David’s house, then it was over to The Biscuit Factory for their humanist ceremony with Kathleen Hood. If you’re looking for a humanist celebrant in Scotland, Kathleen is amazing. She told the story of Helen and David in a way that had the whole room laughing, crying, and completely wrapped up in it.

The venue suited them. Exposed brick, high ceilings, warehouse bones. If you want a relaxed, fun wedding party in Edinburgh rather than a formal one, this is the kind of room that lets you have it.

Pumpkins and a hand-drawn Simpsons seating plan

The wedding was just before Halloween, so they went all in on the spooky-season decor. Pumpkins, autumnal colours, moody lighting, and none of it gimmicky.

My favourite detail, though: Helen and David are massive Simpsons fans, so one of their friends hand-drew Simpsons-inspired table names, decorations and the seating plan. Honestly, one of the coolest, most personal wedding details I’ve ever seen.

Why The Biscuit Factory is a brilliant party wedding venue in Edinburgh

After the speeches it was time to party, and these guys and their guests knew how to let loose. Because it’s an industrial warehouse-style venue, The Biscuit Factory has a massive dance floor, which was exactly what the wild, energetic party these two wanted needed. They had a cracking DJ, and on top of that a face painter doing bespoke designs for guests all night.

Your wedding, your rules

Most wedding photos you see are white dress, black suit, traditional venue, same routine. If that’s your vibe, go for it. But if it’s not, rip up the rulebook and have a wedding that actually feels like you.

That’s exactly what Helen and David did. And honestly, those are the weddings I love shooting most.

Helen, David and Mac, thanks for having me back.