How to Elope in The Scottish Highlands & Islands
There is no right or wrong way to Elope or to plan your elopement - ultimately it is your day and your adventure so truly make it your own and do what resonates with you most. In this blog post I’m going to cover the very basics for Eloping in Scotland so this hopefully allows you to go away with a little bit of inspiration and clarification!
STEP ONE: LOCATION
Scotland is full of so many beautiful locations - many of which you may not even know about. Having a rough idea on the general area is a really useful starting point as that will allow any vendors you reach out to come back to you with an informed quote of what their services would cost for that general location. The specifics of an exact location for your ceremony can be decided at a later date. We’d always recommend talking to those you’ll be working with on the day and seeking out their recommendations as often those working in the industry will have a much more refined and thorough selection of locations they’d recommend for a ceremony to take place.
Some of the general areas we’d recommend considering to have your Scottish Elopement would be the following:
THE ISLE OF SKYE
The Isle of Skye is such an incredible place to choose to Elope to. From countless jaw dropping sceneries that truly feel like they belong in the Lord of The Rings to a really cosy Scottish feel within the town centre & amongst all the local restaurants and accommodations. Skye has a really beautiful Elopement community also with lots of us Elopement Suppliers living here on the island.
The opportunities are pretty endless and Skye really does make up to be the perfect place for your Scotland Elopement if you’re looking to incorporate mountains, lochs and beaches into your day.
One thing we would note about Eloping to the Isle of Skye is that there are a lot of heavily populated tourist spots that in recent years have become less and less feasible to hold a ceremony at / have your photographs taken at. We would recommend chatting to your photographer about finding spots that are a little less populated and would recommend considering Eloping at sunrise. If you get a sunrise on Skye you’ll be in for a real treat - they may be rare but they’re something special.
Take a Look at Colin & Kristen’s Isle of Skye Elopement
THE ISLE OF MULL
The Isle of Mull is a truly mystical place full of so many beautiful landscapes and much less populated than somewhere like the Isle of Skye due to there being a ferry to access the Island. The Isle of Mull is home to some really epic sceneries from castles to black sand beaches to mountain passes and rural beaches. It is a really spectacular place and would make any wild Scottish Elopement a real adventure.
With Mull being a lot more rural than the Isle of Skye there are less suppliers who cater for the Island so if you’re looking to Elope to the Isle of Mull to book in your suppliers as soon as possible.
Take a look at Toni & Jake’s Isle of Mull Elopement
GAIRLOCH
Gairloch and the surrounding area is one of our absolute favourite locations for an Elopement. Being able to tie in Loch Maree, Gairloch Beach and then have the mountains towering above you throughout the course of the day really allows space for such a variety of landscapes. This specific location is most magical in our opinion throughout Autumn & Winter leaving the area pretty quiet and tranquil.
Take a look at Brandon & Bryher’s Loch Maree Elopement
GLENCOE
Glencoe of course is absolutely beautiful and has so many incredible spots to hold your Elopement Ceremony at. The things we love about Glencoe are that everything is within reasonable distance of each other so you won’t feel like you’re in the cars all that much on your Elopement Day where as the previous location suggestions often do require being in the car for longer stints to get to different locations on the day. The other thing we love about Glencoe is that it truly looks and feels different every day. You can really see the seasons shift throughout the year as Glencoe changes from rich and vibrant greens and purples to golds, browns and whites.
Glencoe is also a lot more central for a lot of Elopement Suppliers opening you up to a wider range of people to join the team for your Elopement day.
Take a look at Sarah & Tylo’s Glencoe Elopement
THE CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
The Cairngorms are the perfect spot for those of you who love woodlands and water. With many lochs and wooded areas to explore the Cairngorm National Park offers breathtaking locations for you to Elope to. One thing to note though is that many locations within the Cairngorms do require special permits that need to be obtained in good time. Due to the popularity of the Cairngorms we would recommend avoiding weekends and holiday times as it can get exceptionally busy here but visiting off peak during the week strikes gold.
Take a look at Merran & John’s Loch An Eilein Elopement
There are obviously plenty of other jaw dropping locations throughout Wester Ross and the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Shetland Islands and more including:
BARRA - HARRIS & LEWIS
THE ISLE OF ARRAN
THE ISLE OF BUTE
THE ISLE OF IONA
THE ISLE OF CANNA
THE ISLE OF RÙM
THE ISLE OF EIGG
TORRIDON
SANDWOOD BAY
Once you’ve got a rough idea of a location the next step would be to look into setting a date.
STEP TWO: SET A DATE
When setting a date theres a couple of things worth thinking about.
What time of year would you prefer - look up photos of the area in the different seasons to get a feel for what the colours and scenery would likely closest reflect on the day.
What kind of timings would you be looking at for the day - in the winter months theres obviously much less light throughout the day meaning you probably wouldn’t be wanting to book a full day photography package.
Are there any dates that hold significance to you?
When are the local school holidays. We’d always recommend avoiding School holiday time (unless you’re working in education) as areas can often be much busier during holiday time. We’d also recommend avoiding weekends where possible. The best time to Elope is on a weekday during term time giving you the most intimate setting for your Elopement.
If you’re feeling flexible with Step 1 and Step 2 then we’d recommend starting with Step 3.
STEP THREE: BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM
Find the Elopement Suppliers you’d like to work with. We’d recommend chatting about what is most important for you for your day and starting from there. For some that may be finding the perfect celebrant, for others it might be finding the perfect cake.
BOOKING A CELEBRANT
If you’re wanting to do a legal ceremony / have a ceremony conducted for you we’d recommend having a look into the different types of ceremonies you’re able to have in Scotland and see what you feel resonates most with you.
Theres:
AGNOSTIC CEREMOMIES
HUMANIST CEREMONIES
INTERFAITH CEREMONIES
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
All are catered in different ways and each uniquely special - we’d suggest doing some research on each to see what speaks to your souls and go from there. For narrowing down booking someone to deliver your ceremony our best advice would be to book someone who you feel you get along with really well and who you feel comfortable sharing your story in depth with.
BOOKING A PHOTOGRAPHER
When looking at photographers don’t just look at the price. Look at the work. How does their work make you feel? Do you feel you’d be good friends with them and get on with them well on the day? Do you feel the story of the couple within the photos? What is the kind of vibe you’re looking for? A good way to work out what it is you truly want is to go onto instagram or Pinterest and save images you feel drawn to to a board and see what the overall feel is. Are you drawn to a more dark and moody artistic edit? Are you drawn to a more true to life & honest edit? Are you drawn to a more light and airy edit? Have you saved mostly obviously posed images or are they mostly unposed.
It’s a lot to think about but booking the right person for you and your story is so important. Your photos will go on to become your legacy, something that will get shown and shared for generations so you want to get it right.
Before booking anyone we’d recommend making sure you’ve seen more than just an instagram feed of images. Most photographers will blog their work and that is a really great way to see more of a story and understand the overall feel of what the experience will be like.
BOOKING A VIDEOGRAPHER
Having your elopement captured in Video is truly so so beautiful and well worth the investment especially as a gift to your future selves. But booking a videographer can be extremely tricky especially if you’ve already got a photographer booked in.
In the case you have a photographer secured already it’s important to look out for a videographer who compliments the style and approach of the photographer so as to not cause any clashes on the day. Generally speaking if you’re wanting to include video on the day we’d recommend avoiding booking a posed photographer as this will not translate into video well at all. Ideally you need a team of people who work in the same kind of way so that throughout the day any prompts from the photographer / videographer contribute to the end result of the other.
Our best recommendation would be to book a Photography & Videography duo - there are plenty of these in Scotland. The benefit of this is that you know the day will flow seamlessly having the two working together, the end results should compliment one another and ultimately be an extension of the other and generally speaking the cost of booking a joint package will likely be more cost effective than booking each individually.
OTHER SUPPLIERS:
It’s then worth looking into other areas of the day that you may want to invest in a supplier for whether that be food related, Hair & Makeup or Florists. These are all things your Photographer / Celebrant will likely offer recommendations for depending on the location.
STEP FOUR: THE LEGALITIES:
Now this is the more complicated side of things. If you’re wanting to legally marry here in Scotland you’ll need to do the following things:
If you’re in the UK:
You’ll need to contact the local registry office (of the location you’re eloping to NOT the registry office where you’re from) and obtain the forms required and pay the registration fee. You’ll then need to complete the M10 form and have that returned 29 days - 3 months before your Elopement date. We would recommend getting this done at your earliest opportunity just incase something gets delayed later down the line.
If you’re travelling to Scotland for a Destination Elopement from outside of the UK:
You’ll likely need to apply for a marriage visa depending on the laws and requirements for the location you are from. This is a slightly lengthier process so we’d recommend starting to look into the specifics and application processes as early as possible. You’ll then need to also complete your M10 form.
In all our years photographing Elopements here in Scotland we have only captured a handful of legal destination ceremonies. We have found that most of our couples have taken more comfort in opting for the stress free element of doing the legal paperwork in their home country. This is of course totally up to you and don’t want you to feel pressured either way but if the thought of doing all the legal side of things over here is overwhelming it doesn’t have to be the be all and end all!
If you are having a legal ceremony you’ll need to have 2 witnesses present for your ceremony. This could be friends, family or if you’re wanting to elope just the two of you your Photographer & Videographer can act as your witnesses.
The day before your Elopement you’ll need to collect your Marriage Schedule from the registry office and return this the day after so that can all get filed. Please note though that registry offices usually operate a Monday - Friday 9-5 regime and so you’ll need to plan your time factoring in your trips to the registry office.
STEP FIVE: OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
The beauty of Eloping is that it truly is such a unique experience to a wedding and though you may choose to wear a dress / suit there are some things that may need a little extra thought when it comes to planning what you’re going to wear.
If you’re choosing to wear a dress we’d recommend making sure you can freely move in it, easily sit down and stride your legs. For colder elopements during the Autumn and Winter months we’d also recommend opting for a dress you can get away with wearing a pair of thick leggings under to keep you that extra bit toasty.
Sensible shoes are an absolute MUST - the terrain in Scotland is pretty wild and unpredictable and so a sturdy pair of shoes is essential. We’d recommend getting on the hunt for a nice pair of hiking boots or investing in some Blundstones or Dr Martens.
Layers are always a good idea too - Scotland can truly give you 4 seasons in a day and so we’d recommend having a jumper / sweater and coat that you’d feel happy to incorporate into your day.
OTHER THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO INCORPORATE:
Elopements aren’t a copy and paste experience and should be unique and tailored to you and your story so have a look into any experiences or elements you may want to have included in your day. For example if you’re foodies you may want a private chef or a picnic platter. If you’re wildlife lovers you may want to include a boat trip. If you have dogs you may want to include taking some intentional time to take them on a walk together before getting ready for the day. If you’re early birds you may want to have your ceremony as the sun rises and if you’re night owls you may want to spend the day adventuring and having your photos taken before finishing up with your ceremony at sunset.
STEP SIX: BOOK ALL TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION
Especially if you’re coming from abroad you’re going to want to make sure you’ve got all the travel elements booked well in advance. If you’re looking for help planning an itinerary for your whole trip we’d highly recommend chatting to Aisling from Kanna Adventures as she offers incredible services for planning your dream trip - which would be the perfect way to reduce any other stress having your wider itinerary all sorted and organised. She’s also one of our past couples and really is an absolute genius when it comes to all things travel!
Something to bear in mind when booking accommodation is where about the accommodation is located. For example the Isle of Skye is rather vast in comparison to what you may think and so if you plan to have a ceremony in the south but are staying in the north this will include a longish 1.5-2 hour drive.
If you’re travelling to Scotland and flying in we would highly recommend keeping all your essential Elopement things (attire included) in your hand luggage. If you call up the airline you may be able to book a separate hand luggage item as your dress / suit. We would also recommend hiring a car whilst you’re in Scotland - it is worth noting that most available cars closer to the time will be manuals so If you’re wanting to secure an automatic we’d recommend booking one sooner rather than later.
STEP SEVEN: ELOPE
Enjoy every second, soak it all in and be intentional with your time here in Scotland. Take things slowly - time will fly by but this is an experience you’ll want to hold onto.
We’re Joanna & Nathan - We’re based on the Isle of Skye and work together adventuring all over Scotland with our incredible couples capturing a little of their story through Photography & Videography both of which can be booked individually. We also offer unique ways to have your memories preserved through 35mm Film Photography & Camcorder Videos. We hope this guide for Eloping to Scotland has been helpful and if you’re feeling ready to start planning your dream Elopement somewhere in Scotland get in touch - we’d be honoured to work with you!
