An atmospheric December engagement shoot in Edinburgh

They may have got engaged in their native Florida but a planned trip to Scotland gave Silvana and Steven the perfect opportunity to do a beautiful engagement shoot.

Coming across Strad Photography on Instagram they knew he would capture the look they were after.

Below they tell us all about their special shoot…

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After nearly two years together Steven knew Silvana was not an easy woman to surprise so all planning for popping the big questions had to be done in his lunch breaks at work.

He settled on Lake Eola Park in the heart of downtown Orlando and made dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant in honour of date night.

The planned proposal in November 2019 coincided with the city’s annual Pride celebration so after dinner their walk in the park culminated in a big fireworks display before Steven led Silvana to the perfect spot and asked her to marry him.

“I received the greatest ‘Yes’ I’ll ever receive,” he smiles.

The diligent groom had organised for a local photographer to capture the magical moment but that didn’t stop the couple planning an entirely different engagement shoot.

“Steven and I already had a planned trip to Scotland for December,” explains Silvana.

“Once he proposed I knew that I wanted to take the opportunity to get the engagement pictures done with the gorgeous scenery Scotland has.”

The bride-to-be took to social media, knowing she wanted the images to show clearly they were in Scotland, and found Strad Photography.

“Shem’s work was an impeccable example of being able to capture the scenery around a couple but still focusing on the couple,” says Silvana.

“Scotland as we know tends to be gloomy during this time of year and his work with lighting complements it so well!”

Silvana had previously visited Scotland and was excited to show her fiancé the country she loved.

They decided on Edinburgh for their location and knew the Vennel, Calton Hill, Victoria Street and Christmas markets would feature in the shoot.

Coming from Florida they were also excited to experience a “true winter” and found the warmest coats they could for their outdoor session.

And the verdict?

“The pictures are absolutely breathtaking!” says Silvana.

“Our friends and families have never seen pictures in this style and were completely taken aback by the beauty produced by them.

“We actually used it for our save the date invitation and will be using the images throughout our wedding décor.

“We are already thinking ahead about getting post-wedding pictures done with Shem once we can travel abroad!”

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