Scottish adventure elopement.
We sat down with TIE THE KNOT magazine to chat about our Scottish adventure elopement.
Elopement Film: Cinemate
Photography: The Caryls
Location: Corrie Fee, Glen Clova, Cairngorms, Scotland
April 1st 2019
The Caryls Photography
When did you get engaged and what was the setting for the proposal?
We got engaged on 10th February 2019. Laura proposed to Adam at Corrie Fee in Glen Clova. It was a crisp clear february morning and we where taking a walk. The place is really something and I though wouldn’t it be amazing to get married here. We had already agreed that I would let Adam know when I was ready to get married and he would then propose. But being there on that day I was completely overcome by the surroundings and how happy we where I knew I had to ask Adam to marry me. But what actually came put my mouth was ‘Will you though?’. Luckily he understood and said yes and we skipped back down the hill (we did actually skip I think).
What was the first wedding planning decision you made?
Adam had already done a spreadsheet of potential guests and it was over 140 people (he loves a spreadsheet!). We decided straight away that we wanted to get married exactly where Laura had proposed.
What wedding venue did you choose and why? What options did you have in terms of setting? If you chose a remote location, what implications did that have? Did your venue do anything special for you both as a couple?
We choose to get married at Corrie Fee partly because Laura proposed there but mainly because we loved the setting, the large natural amphitheatre, mountains, trees and rivers, it felt remote but is only a short walk in and the Glen Clova Hotel is not far away. The remoteness although only an hour away we were consciousness of the terrain and how that would effect not only the guests but what we choose to wear as well.
Talk about your ceremony. What type of ceremony did you choose and why?
We choose a humanist ceremony and easily found Denise Morton who lived locally to Glen Clova. This type of ceremony offered us exactly what we wanted, a personal touch that we could alter to fit our needs. Denise was lovely and certainly exceeded our expectations. With such a small wedding party she was more like family.
Who did you have in terms of witnesses?
We had both of our mums as our witnesses. They also made surprise speeches!
Did you have a ‘reception’? What did you do afterwards?
We had an initial champagne reception, some veggie haggis sausage rolls and broken biscuit cake whilst hunkered down out of the wind beside the trees on the edge of the amphitheatre. We then had afternoon tea infront of the roaring fire at the Glen Clova hotel with our parents, Denise, Jim and Kate (The Caryls Photographers) and Simon and Greg (Cinemate Videographers). The weather had closed in by this point Laura and Adam drove to St Andrews to spend the night at a hotel.
Which key suppliers were involved and how did you go about choosing them?
It was very important to us to find the right photographers, we wanted everything to be captured and were so happy when we came across the Caryl’s. They were wonderful, amazing on the day running all over the place to get us some incredible shots.
We discussed that if we wanted an elopement we would want to be able to share it with those people who weren’t there on the day. It made sense for us to look for a videographer. It didn’t take Laura long to find Cinemate. They are an incredible team who created a stunning film for us, we are so pleased they were available and couldn’t of asked for anything better.
We were recommended to the Tartan Blanket company by our photographers. These were incredibly valuable on the day as Laura wore one to protect her from the weather and we had two more that we brought as back ups.
Glen Clova hotel is at the foot of the valley below Corrie Fee so we had a great stay there the night before the wedding and afternoon tea after the walk and ceremony was really wonderful.
What was the main inspiration behind the look/atmosphere of your wedding?
Adventure elopement photographers The Foxes.
Our own adventures.
Scottish landscapes and weather.
Why an elopement? Everyone jokes about eloping at some point when the planning gets stressful, but how did you know it was actually right for you?
Laura: The thought of a traditional wedding left me feeling numb, while the idea of spending a year planning and being asked ‘How’s the wedding planning going?’ had me starting to think that perhaps marriage just wasn’t for me. I then discovered adventure elopements, I was instantly taken by the breath taking photographs and authenticity of two people just heading off into the wilderness to make their vows. No crowds, no fuss, just them. That moved me, just the thought of heading up a mountain with Adam to get married would make me emotional. After a few discussions on marriage that took place well before the proposal we both knew completely and utterly that this would be how we would get married.
If they knew about it, did you receive a lot of resistance from family and friends? If they didn’t know about it, how did you keep it a secret? What’s the best way to keep everyone happy, in your mind? What kind of compromises had to be made? Or do you think people will always feel disappointed no matter what the arrangement? How did you make peace with that?
We had made it fairly clear that if we ever got married it would probably look a bit different. The semi serious joke was ‘Well, we’ll probably just run away up a mountain somewhere’. So, when the time came to break the news that we where engaged it didn’t come as much of a surprise that we where planning to get married in less that 6 weeks in the Cairngorms with only our parents.
We kept the engagement a secret for about a week, it happened on the 10th February but my big sister was getting married on the 16th! We had no intention of stealing any thunder so we waited until the week after the wedding. My sister and her new husband had the most spectacular day, and all the family where there. With her wedding over I knew the family had just about time to recover before my brothers big day July 2020. I didn’t think there was enough time or energy for another one unless we wanted to wait until 2021 or beyond. This worked in our favour as my wedding weary parents were delighted by the idea of a low key day. Adams parents where equally content and unsurprised.
I don’t believe there is anyway to keep everybody happy when it comes to weddings. People have a way of making it about them whatever you do. At the end of the day a wedding should be about the two people getting married and what they want. I’m sure some people were a bit disappointed that we didn’t make an event of it, but when we look back on our day, we can truly say that it was ours.
What are the legalities involved with eloping? What should couples know beforehand and what sort of timeline should they expect to adhere to? What about the paperwork, what’s to be expected?
The only thing to keep in mind is that the declaration to marry that you have to make with the council in the area you plan to elope takes 28 days to process. We almost missed this and ended up picking it up on the Friday before our Monday wedding. The benefits of getting married on a Monday where that even though we only had 6 weeks to plan, our photographers and videographers where available even at short notice. You can legally be married in the outdoors in Scotland but note that the spot you say the ceremony will take place in is the spot you also have to sign the marriage certificate. So I wouldn’t recommend anything shorter than 6 weeks, we got everything done in that time with pretty much no stress well before the day. It was glorious. Actually, the day felt more like a hike with friends.
What sort of budget should couples allocate, especially where the venue/setting is considered?
An elopement could cost a couple as little as £500; the fee of the person delivering the ceremony plus a little admin and travel costs. Add a dress from online and a couple of extras and a £1000 could have you up a hill saying I do in no time. But we knew we wanted to share the day with our friends and family afterwards. We are passionate about good photography and film so we hired exceptional photographers and videographers. What they delivered on and after the day was beyond our expectations and have allowed us to fully re-live our incredible little adventure over and over.
We spent £7000 all in, £3000 of that went on photography and videography, Laura’s dress cost £300 from Monsoon and Adam hired his kilt. That budget included 2 nights stay in hotels, plus food, humanist, flowers, rings and all the other bits and pieces. Considering an average wedding these days can cost more that 4x that amount, we were more than happy with it. That is the joy of an elopement, you can keep costs down very easily and tailor it to your needs.
Whatever type of wedding a couple decide on, a photographer whose work you love should be top of your list, because once the day is over the photographs will be all you have left. And if you’re going to make the effort to haul yourself to some remote location you’re going to want to document that!
What practicalities do you need to consider? What are the challenges of planning an elopement? The pros?
Sensible shoes, layers for warmth (Blankets are great!) You can’t control the weather so prepare for the worst. We bought storm force umbrellas. The champagne at the top was fab but we could have done with a flask of tea! Make sure your guests also come prepared with very warm clothing, water and anything else they need to feel comfortable on the day.
What should couples know about eloping before they begin? What did you wish you’d known?
Like anything, they should know that it is definitely what they want. They should be prepared that even after the wedding you might find out someone wasn’t happy with your decision or try to make you regret not having a big day. Just take the time to look back through your photos and remember why you eloped and how amazing it was! Be aware that even if you plan on getting married in a very remote location, there may be other people there and they may choose to eat their sandwiches on a rock very near by and watch! Luckily for us they had moved by the time the vows came around.
How did you create a sense of occasion and a warm atmosphere with just the two of you?
We had our parents there so that was super special, but in the morning it was just us. It was so relaxed and we just pottered around getting ready. After we had walked back to the Glen Clova hotel the rain came through the valley and we had afternoon tea by the fire, everyone had that warm happy tired thing going on.
If you could do it again, would you do anything differently?
My mum wasn’t very well the day of the wedding and got very cold, so we would have double checked everyone had warm enough jackets and water etc. And like I said before a warm drink at the top would have been great! Apart from that we’d probably do it again exactly the same!
The Wedding Album | Designed by Laura
Any last advice for couples thinking of following suit?
You don’t have to have a wedding that pleases someone else. The time and money that is saved eloping is one thing, but even without that, Adam and I were present throughout our whole day. It didn’t speed by in a whirl of stress and people and chaos, it was slow, and steady and completely ours. We were married and left with nothing but beautiful memories, no debt, no regrets and no resentments. Do the thing that lights you up, if thats a day spent with friends and family, do that, if that’s hiking up a mountain in a wedding dress, do that.
