I’m so often asked, especially by couples coming from overseas, where they can be married in Scotland. They’re looking for a beautiful – usually outdoor – location, and always on the wish list are mountains, lochs, and castles, sometimes all three.
With so many amazing places to choose from, how on earth do you start to narrow down your choices? Well, budget is the first thing, of course; numbers are another. If you’re bringing a bit of a crowd with you and money is no problem, then you can get all three things on your wish list with no problem. Conversely, if there’s just going to be the two of you coming from overseas then hiring a large venue is unnecessary, but you may certainly be limited, especially if you want a castle setting.
Consider, too, whether you’re planning to spend your time in Scotland touring around - if so, where is your primary location, and is it fairly accessible for other people to get to – ie, your celebrant and photographer? Perhaps most importantly if you’re getting married outdoors, is whether you’re prepared to be completely at the potential ravages of the Scottish weather, or do you want to take cover if you have to – in that case, a hotel with stunning garden views might be your answer, or you could rent a holiday cottage with beautiful views.
In the Highland Capital of Inverness, there are islands which sit in the middle of the River Ness, but with easy access onto them and you can be married with the river almost touching your toes. Just slightly further afield, Dores Beach is on the Inverness end of Loch Ness with beautiful views towards the mountains and you never quite know what’s going to appear behind you in your photographs! If you want to be fully immersed in a mountain landscape, the Cairngorms are a short drive away (although there’s definitely not a lot of cover there). Glencoe, too, has some beautiful locations which don’t involve you having to put on your hiking boots - the lochan in Glencoe Village itself is one such location, especially in autumn, and being married beside the river in front of the iconic white mountaineering bothy is a very popular choice.
I’ve conducted weddings in so many stunning locations from inside church ruins near Eilean Donan to the magnificent gardens of private country estates, and every single place has its own special character, so perhaps a good start in making your choice to prioritise your landscape or building choices.
There are lots of ideas on my website with photos of couples and the different places they’ve married so all that’s left really is to choose your dates and get booking those plane tickets to our beautiful country.
