How To Elope In Scotland: A Full Guide

Are you not excited about planning a traditional wedding and instead want to do something more adventurous? Does the idea of saying your vows in an epic landscape excite you? An elopement in Scotland might be right up your alley. In this guide I will go over all the steps on how to elope in Scotland.

If you need help with planning your Scotland elopement, feel free to reach out anytime and I’d love to answer any questions.

Table of Contents: How To Elope In Scotland

• Why you should choose Scotland
• Deciding when to elope
• Choosing your photographer and videographer
• Deciding on a location
• Book your accommodations
• Finding a celebrant
• How to legally get married in Scotland
• Best places to elope in Scotland

Why You should elope in Scotland

Eloping in Scotland offers a truly magical experience, especially with its breathtaking, rugged landscapes. Imagine exchanging vows amidst towering mountains, serene lochs, and dense forests. Its beauty of nature adds an unforgettable touch to your special day. From hidden waterfalls to secluded glens, Scotland’s remote locations provide the perfect backdrop for a private and intimate celebration. Scotland is the ideal place for couples seeking a romantic escape.

Deciding When to Elope in Scotland

Scotland’s seasons vary in temperature, busyness from tourism, and look of the landscapes depending on when you decide to elope. Regardless it’s beautiful year round.

The best seasons in my opinion are their spring (April-May) and fall (October-November). The summer is by far the busiest time of the year for their tourism and the popular locations can get very busy during the day. Spring and fall will be less crowded. The spring also brings wildflowers and warmer weather while the fall will bring golden foliage. However if you do choose the summer (June-September) then consider choosing a sunrise or sunset time for your elopement to avoid crowds.

Choosing your photographer and videographer

Once you officially decided you want to elope in Scotland and have a time of the year you are leaning towards, it’s time to find your photo+video team. My wife and I are more than just your photographer and videographer. We help you with the whole planning process on choosing the best locations, customizing the day to exactly what you want, and helping to create back up plans if needed.

As soon as you reach out to us, we will meet over a zoom meeting to get to know you on a personal level and go over the planning process. Once you decide to book us, we will begin to plan a stress free and fun elopement that you will never forget!

Deciding on Your Location

The next big step is for you both to decide on a location. The location or locations that you choose will be the backdrop for all of your photos so this is a big decision. When you’re looking back on your photographs when the day is all said and done, what do you see? Are you exploring Scotland’s highlands, walking on a beach, chasing waterfalls, frolicking in a forest, or hanging at a peaceful loch. There’s so many options to choose.

I’ll send you over an elopement location questionnaire that will help you think about what you want from your day and narrow down the choices. This will help me know which locations will fit you best. From there I can send over a list of personalized locations to choose from. It’s important to get a location decided early on so we can book the best accommodations in the area for your experience.

Book Your Accommodations

Scotland has a wide variety of places to stay from castles, mountain huts, modern Airbnbs, and luxury hotels. You’ll most likely be spending a decent amount of time in your lodging and it will most likely be part of your elopement day. So you’re going to want to find a place that looks amazing and excites you. You’re going to also want to prioritize a place that’s within a 30 minute drive from your elopement location.

Below are some of the best resources to finding a unique and fun place to stay.

Airbnb – this is a great resource to find places throughout Scotland that can be modern or unique but overall beautiful.

Coolstays – you’ll find a wide variety of unique and luxury places to stay throughout all of Scotland here. From cabins along the shore to luxury mountain huts in the highlands.

Booking.com – if you’re in search of hotels in Scotland than booking.com will be the place to search.

Finding a Celebrant to Marry You

In order to legally get married in Scotland, you will need to find a celebrant to legally marry you. They can be a religious or belief celebrant. They have lists of different types of celebrants you can find that are registered in Scotland. Here’s a few options to begin your search.

• Humanist Society Scotland
• Humanist Association Scotland
• One Spirit Interfaith Foundation
• Agnostic Scotland

How to legally get married in Scotland

If you want to legally get married in Scotland, I’ll go through the steps you will need to take below. However if you want to avoid dealing with the stress of the legal paperwork and finding a celebrant to marry you, you can always opt for a symbolic ceremony.

Symbolic Ceremony

If you don’t know what a symbolic ceremony is, let me explain. A symbolic ceremony is everything that a legal ceremony would include aside from the paperwork. You will still exchange your vows, commit yourselves to each other, and if you want someone specifically to officiate your wedding you can. You just won’t legally get married at that time.

Instead you can do the legal paperwork of getting married before or after your elopement to Scotland by going to a courthouse in your hometown, having a small ceremony at your local church, or even at your home. Either way the legal paperwork side is taken care of before or after you elope to make it simpler or less stressful for your elopement day. You can still count your elopement day as your official wedding anniversary because a piece of paper doesn’t dictate that.

How to do the legal paperwork

If you plan to have a legal ceremony during your elopement be aware there is a significant amount of paperwork that you will need to complete. You need to speak with your celebrant before you start filling out your paperwork as the will be a great resource for you. They will be able to tell you exactly what you need to do. If you are keen to read more, then all the information you need can be found on the National Records of Scotland website, including this handy leaflet snappily called the RM1 leaflet, and also the Marriage Notice Form which both of you need to submit between 3 months and no later than 29 days before your wedding. It costs around £100 to submit your Scottish paperwork.

If you are eloping from outside the UK or Ireland, you will also need to apply for a Marriage Visitor Visa. You can apply for up to three months before your travel date. You will need to send your passport away and go for an interview. I recommend starting this process as early as possible. The cost for this is £115, but you can pay more to expedite the process.

The legal steps

Here’s the following steps you’ll need to complete upon your arrival to Scotland to gather your marriage paperwork, specify your witnesses, and return the documents to make it legal.

1. Pickup up your legal documents within 7 days of your ceremony date at the Registrar. This has to be done in person so be sure to make time for it during your trip or you won’t be able to legally get married.
2. Choose your witnesses for your ceremony. If you are having family and friends join you then they can act as your witnesses. Otherwise if it’s just the two of you eloping, my wife and I will gladly act as your witnesses. The celebrant and witness details form [PDF] needs to be submitted to the Registrar with the M-10 form.
3. After your elopement, you must return your marriage schedule to the Registrar within three days of your wedding. If you return it in person, you can collect your Marriage Certificate straight away. Otherwise it will be posted to you.

Best Places To Elope In Scotland

There’s so many incredible locations within Scotland to choose from. Some are more popular than others and with that will come more tourists during the popular months so be aware of that.

Isle of Sky

Isle of Sky is perhaps one of the most famous places in all of Scotland and for good reason. It is absolutely EPIC and some of the most jaw dropping locations. It gets really busy during the summer months (June-August) so I’d highly recommend choosing a time between September and May to avoid large crowds. You can also choose to have a sunrise or sunset ceremony at your chosen location to help avoid crowds as well.

Here’s a list of some of the most epic places on the Isle of Skye:

1. The Old Man of Storr is one of the most popular locations on the Isle of Sky. It’s roughly an hour hike up the hill but the views are so worth it. This is definitely a spot for the more adventurous couples. The huge stone monoliths are truly a sight to behold and the views looking out to sea are incredible. A sunrise ceremony here will be the best way to avoid the crowds.
2. Quiraing is another otherworldly location that brings you unbelievable views of high cliffs and rock formations only five minutes from the car park. You can get to amazing ceremony locations within minutes but the 4 mile loop hike around the Quiraing is so worth the adventure!
3. The Fairy Glen is only a 10-15 minute walk from the road. It features a mountainous landscape with small rounded hills.
4. Loch Coruisk is a remote location that can only be accessed by a boat trip from the fishing village of Elgol, over to the base of the Cuillin mountains. The loch is only a short hike from where the boat drops you off. For these reasons your ceremony will be very private.

Glencoe

Glencoe is a true gem for couples dreaming of an unforgettable elopement. The sweeping landscapes with peaceful lochs and mist-covered peaks, create an intimate setting for saying “I do.” Whether you’re surrounded by ancient forests or standing beneath cascading waterfalls, Glencoe’s wild and romantic atmosphere offers an unparalleled backdrop for your special day.

Cairngorms National Park

The Cairngorms National Park is the largest park in the UK and part of the Scottish Highlands. It’s home to 4 out of 5 of the largest mountains in the UK and a quarter of Scotland’s forests. There are a ton of options for your elopement location in the park and it’s a paradise for outdoorsy and adventurous couples.

Torridon

Torridon is an area in the Northwest parts of the Scotland Highlands. It receives far less visitors than the more iconic locations but is equally as beautiful with amazing lochs and incredible mountains. Because it is more remote there are less options here for hotels and Airbnbs so make sure to book at least 6 months in advance to get the best options.

What to Pack for Your Scotland Elopement

• Light gloves/hand warmers
• Passport, driver’s license, and other ID you need
• Light puffy jacket, rain jacket, and lightweight layered clothing
• Hiking boots and plenty of socks
• Water bottle
• Snacks
• Headlamp
• Sentimental items for your elopement
• Vow books
• Wedding rings
• Light gloves
• Dress pants, suit jacket, belt, pocket square, and anything you want to wear
• Wedding dress, earrings, necklace, leggings for under dress
• Marriage license (if applicable)
• Bathing suits for hot springs

Meet Your Adventure Elopement Photographer

Hey, I’m Marcus! I’ll be your go to resource for all your Scotland elopement planning. I’ve traveled all around the world since 2018 when I was only doing landscape photography. I’ve explore various countries and landscapes. Through this I learned so much knowledge on planning and logistics that is essential to make a stress free elopement. Now I’m using that to help you.

Scotland Elopement Packages

Let’s make your Scotland elopement process easy so you can have an epic adventure!

Having traveled all around the world, I know how to create a day that is full of epic adventures and photos. I’ll create a full timeline for you so you don’t have to worry about planning any logistics. I’ll be your go to resource for everything. Just tell me what your dream day looks like and we’ll collaborate on creating an unforgettable elopement. I also include back up plans just incase the weather decides to get crazy.

My all-inclusive Scotland elopement packages are created with all this in mind! The packages include – all day or multi day photo coverage, timeline and location planning, vendor recommendations, optional videography add on, and all of my travel fees to Scotland!

Packages range from $6,500 to $15,000!

Fill Out My Contact Form Below or click here to send me an inquiry!