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A Secret Isle of Skye Elopement in the Moody Scottish Rain

05 March, 2021

When Rebecca and Rakesh first got in touch with me about their plans, I was so excited – they were planning a secret elopement with a mountaintop ceremony in the Isle of Sky, Scotland, which has so many breathtakingly beautiful locations. Rebecca and Rakesh are the loveliest people and I couldn’t wait to shoot their wedding! Unfortunately, Covid meant their plans ended up being put on hold for a while. Even though it was just going to be the two of them, planning a Scottish elopement was still quite tricky, but a few date changes later the Scottish border finally opened back up and in mid-July, we all made our way to the stunning Isle of Skye.

Getting Ready

The day started in Waternish, where Rebecca and Rakesh were getting ready together, in an Air BnB that overlooked the bay. I love when couples get ready together, it feels more intimate and romantic than the hustle and bustle of a busy wedding morning and is the perfect way to start an elopement. Despite it being the middle of July, the wind, fog and rain were constant, but the couple were both still in a good mood and the morning was very chilled. They even took some time to feed the BnB owners sheep before heading off to get married! Rebecca wore a beautiful navy chiffon dress and Rakesh wore chequered three piece suit, hiking boots were obviously a must for both as we were planning on doing lots of walks to beautiful locations around Skye. They both looked perfect.

An Elopement by the Quiraing

If there’s one thing this experience taught me about photographing an elopement in Scotland it’s to be prepared to change plans and just go with the flow. I’m not one to scout locations before the day anyway but if I’d had my heart set on getting a particular shot in a particular location I’d have been very disappointed when we arrived at the Quiraing and could barely see more than two meters in front of us due to the thick fog! Luckily their humanist celebrant had a backup plan and took us a little lower, to a spot where we would at least be able to see each other, even if we still couldn’t see the Quiraing or the views below.

Their humanist ceremony, beautifully lead by Paula from Bog Cotton Elopements, was personal and funny! They read their own vows and had a handfasting and as they shared their first kiss the fog began to clear a little and we were able to glimpse the Quiraing. By the end of their ceremony, we were all soaked through and headed back down to the cars so they could share a drink from the quaich under some shelter. Despite the weather, this was still one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve photographed, the rain and fog just created a moody romantic atmosphere!

Exploring the Isle of Skye

After the ceremony, the weather luckily cleared up a little and we used the opportunity to head to a few different locations around Skye and capture some natural couples portraits. The first stop was Brothers Point which is on the coast. It was a bit of a walk from the car down to the shore but the views all the way down were stunning! We pretty much had the area to ourselves so we took some time to have a wonder around and take it all in.

We then headed back into the fog and to The Fairy Glen, which is a beautiful spot for photos, with its unusual rock formations and incredible views of hilly landscapes and distant waterfalls. It was a little busier here so the newlyweds received lots of congratulations from passers-by and even a flower from a shy little girl! The wind and rain started to pick up again, so we kept our time at the Fairy Glen short and sweet. Since we were all still very wet and cold, we parted ways there and headed back to our BnB’s for some hot tea.

This was such an incredible, unforgettable experience! If you’re planning your own Scottish elopement I would love to hear from you!

Supplier Shout Out!

Celebrant – Bog Cotton Elopements

Flowers – To A Mountain Daisy

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