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Spring Elopement on Scotland's Isle of Skye

  • 4 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Bride and groom walk a trail in a moody landscape with the black Cuillin Mountains behind them, smiling, bride lifting her white dress, snowy peaks behind.


Getting Married on the Isle of Skye

With it's unique landscapes and deep historical roots, Scotland has become one of the world's best places to travel and get married. The Isle of Skye is particularly popular for elopements, and rightfully so. There are many exciting features to explore and visit on your wedding adventure, like the Fairy Pools, Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing, Neist Point, and many castles.


Sarah and Lachy were planning a beautiful adventure together all the way from Queensland, Australia to Scotland, where Lachy's family descended from, so they decided it would be the perfect place for them to exchange vows and become Mr. & Mrs. Trimingham. Here's there story and their photos (with a little vintage film sprinkled in too!)


Their Story

This felt like the sunnest day Scotland has ever seen (The driest, best weather all week long infact!) They rented a cute little home in a remote village on the Isle of Skye, shared with Sarah's mom and best friend. Sarah's hair and makeup were done by Alanna Artistry Studio in Glasgow, who traveled to the island to work on-site. You'll notice pictures of little dinosaur details, which fit perfectly with Lachy's interest and schooling in paleantology. I also really love the custom rings they had made, Lachy's having a large opal stone with claws around the edges and wood grain detailing, and Sarah's surrounded by stones as leaves on a tiny branch. Their first look at the house was such a fun moment! I don't think Lachy could have been happier to see her and stunned by how amazing she looked. He placed a pearl necklace around her neck to top off her look before we piled into the cars and headed towards the River Sligachan for their ceremony.


Makeup artist touches up a seated woman at a cluttered dining table in a sunlit room with flowers and cosmetic tools.

A film photo of a cream wedding dress hanging in a warm, sunlit attic room with a skylight and scattered clothes, calm and airy mood

Embroidered black cowboy boots beside a lace veil and floral headpiece on a chair, suggesting a rustic bridal setup.

A film photo of a bride applying makeup with a hand mirror in a cozy room with plants, candles, and blurred yellow flowers in the foreground.

Wooden garment rack with black suit jacket, white shirt, and black vest on hangers in a tidy room.
Black textured jacket on a wooden hanger, with a small dinosaur pin on the chest, against a soft light background.
Black-and-white portrait of a groom in a suit adjusting his cuff, standing indoors before a round mirror.

A film photo of a smiling groom in black suit and white shirt stands in a warm-lit room with a round mirror and wooden shelves.

Black-and-white portrait of a bride adjusting her hair, wearing a shell-patterned shirt against a bright background.
Black-and-white photo of wedding prep as the bride's mother adjusts her veil while her bridesmaid watches in a bright room.
Black-and-white scene of three women in a bedroom, one in a wedding gown, others assisting, with a mirror and clothes on the bed.
Bride in white dress laughs with another woman in a bright windowed room, sharing a joyful, emotional moment.
Bride in a veil gazes at her reflection in a round mirror, black and white, with a calm, contemplative mood.
Smiling bride in a white gown stands on a wooden staircase under a skylight, with a soft, airy mood.
Black-and-white photo of a bride in a flowing white gown climbing a stairwell, head bowed, with a wooden banister and veil behind her.

A film photo of a sunlit windowsill still life with perfume bottle, jewelry boxes, ring, Polaroids, and baby's breath flowers.

Open wooden ring box with a gold ring, surrounded by Polaroid photos and dried flowers on a white surface, soft romantic mood

A groom walks along a garden path, seen through a window with hills and houses beyond.
Bride in a white gown holds a bouquet while a helper adjusts her veil outside a cream house on a sunny day.
During their first look, a bride in white veil touches groom in black hat on a hillside garden, with cloudy sky and rolling green hills behind them
During their first look, a bride in white veil and groom in black cowboy hat stand in a sunny garden with hills and cloudy sky in the background
The first look of a bride and groom seeing each other on their wedding day. The bride in white veil faces smiling groom in black cowboy hat, with hills and cloudy sky.
Black-and-white wedding portrait of a smiling couple outdoors. The groom places a pearl necklace on his bride, as she holds a bouquet.
Bride in white dress and groom in black hat wave happily in a sunny garden with hills and cloudy sky behind them.
Bride in white dress walks with groom and guest through a garden path beside a white cottage under a blue sky.
Bride in white gown and veil walks beside groom in black hat holding bouquet, outdoors by hedges under blue sky, calm mood


Their Ceremony near Sligachan and the Black Cuillin Mountains

We met their officiant, Rona the Humanist Celebrant, in the parking area and walked the trail for a bit until the ladies and their shoes had enough of the rocky path. We found a beautiful little spot by Allt Dearg Mor (Gaelic for Big Red Burn//River) that cascades down from the Black Cuillin Mountains, which were the perfect backdrop for their wedding ceremony. The first time the couple had ever seen snow was on this trip, and I love that it got to be a part of their wedding pictures forever! Rona performed the ceremony beautifully, with personal touches and inspiring words about human connection that made this moment everything Sarah and Lachy wanted. They shared a handfasting ritual with a custom handfasting cord, read vows that they wrote for one another, exchanged rings that Sarah's mom and best friend presented, and finally became official life partners.



A film photo of a narrow path through brown moorland toward dark snow-dusted Black Cuillin mountains under huge cloudy sky, calm and remote. Taken on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

A film photo of a group of wedding guests, bride, and groom walks a gravel trail through brown moorland toward misty, snow-dusted Black Cuillin mountains of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The sky is overcast.
In Sligachan on the Isle of Skye, a bride and groom are exchanging vows on a rocky riverbank while guests watch, with misty mountains and a white house behind them.
On the Isle of Skye in Scotland, a bride and groom stand on rocky ground by a river during an outdoor wedding, with a guide nearby, mountains and a small white house in back.
Bride and groom holding hands outdoors; he smiles in a black cowboy hat, she wears a white veil, with blurred hills behind.
Bride and groom hold hands during an outdoor wedding ceremony on a rocky hillside, with an officiant in the foreground

A grainy film photo of a bride and groom smiling on a rocky mountain landscape, the bride in a white gown and veil, the groom in a dark suit and cowboy hat

Black-and-white wedding portrait of a bride in veil and groom in cowboy hat holding hands, standing outdoors before blurred hills.
Bride and groom holding hands during a wedding ceremony, her white dress and veil beside his dark suit, intimate and joyful
Smiling bride and groom stand together holding hands during their ceremony; he wears a black cowboy hat, she wears a white veil and dress.
Blurred bride and groom in wedding attire stand by a rocky river, with dark snow-dusted mountains under a cloudy sky.
Bride and groom smile on a rocky riverbed with mountains and a white house behind them under cloudy skies.
Wedding rings in a box, a hand-fasting cord, and a rock holding down 2 written vows, sitting on a bed of rocks by a river.
Bride and groom hold hands during an outdoor wedding ceremony, with officiant smiling on a rocky mountain backdrop.
Wedding ceremony handfasting with a couple and officiant outdoors, tartan cloth wrapped around their joined hands, smiling mood
Bride and groom in wedding attire holding hands before misty mountains, smiling outdoors.
Smiling bride and groom hold a tartan ribbon during an outdoor wedding in front of misty mountains.
Smiling bride and groom in wedding attire hold a plaid ribbon overhead against rugged mountains.
Bride and groom stand by a rocky river with misty mountains behind them, sharing a quiet wedding moment.
Black-and-white wedding portrait of a man in a cowboy hat facing a bride in a flowing white dress on a rocky hillside.
Groom in dark suit reads handwritten vows to bride in white dress outdoors, warm sunlight and blurred rocky background.
Bride in white dress and groom in black hat stand on rocky riverbed, exchanging vows beneath cloudy mountain peaks
Bride and cowboy-hat groom exchange rings by a rocky river, with mountains behind them in a warm outdoor wedding scene.
Bride and groom exchange rings during an outdoor wedding ceremony, with an officiant holding a tablet nearby.
Smiling bride and groom outdoors; he points at her ring, both in wedding attire with a black cowboy hat and veil.
Bride and groom kiss on a rocky riverbank, her long veil trailing, with snowy mountains and cloudy sky behind.
Bride and groom embrace in a mountain valley, smiling in wedding attire with snowy peaks and cloudy sky behind them.
Bride and groom embrace on a rocky riverbed, the bride in a flowing white gown and veil, with mountains and clouds behind.
Bride and groom kiss on a rocky mountain riverbank, her veil blowing wide in the wind under cloudy skies.

Bride and groom embrace on a rocky riverbank, her veil blowing in the wind, with rugged mountains and cloudy sky behind them.
Bride and groom in wedding attire walk hand in hand along a rugged mountain path under cloudy skies.

Black-and-white bride and groom walk a mountain road; bride looks back smiling, veil flowing, under cloudy skies.


Portraits and Dinner

We drove down the road just a bit to the historic Sligachan bridge for a few photos before they made their way to dinner at Am Braigh, a modern and delicious restaurant that's a part of the Bracken Hide Hotel. Their plan was to wing it for dinner, but Rona called, pulled some strings, and made a last minute reservation for them because she knew they would have a great experience, and it can be difficult to find availability in the popular tourism months. The restaurant was kind enough to surprise them with a bottle of champagne to get their celebration dinner started.


Between the emotional moments were many silly ones and big laughs to accompany them. Part of my strategy to getting genuine moments from couples is asking questions about them and their relationship, but these two are always having such a fun time together that my tricks weren't even necessary.


It's always such a joy photographing weddings in the Scottish Highlands, and this was no exception! Thank you again to the Triminghams for having me there to document this exciting moment in your lives.



Bride in white gown and veil with groom in black cowboy hat pose smiling on the Old Sligachan Bridge before rugged Black Cuillin mountains and cloudy sky. They're on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
Black-and-white wedding portrait of a smiling bride and groom in a cowboy hat, standing on the old Slagachan Bridge with mountains behind.
Smiling bride and groom pose on the Old Sligachan Bridge with mountains behind them; groom wears a black cowboy hat.
Smiling bride in white and groom in black hat share a kiss in a rocky mountain landscape, with cloudy peaks behind.
Smiling bride in white dress and groom in black cowboy hat pose before rugged mountains.
Bride in white dress and groom in black hat embrace and smile on a stone wall in a moody mountain landscape.
Smiling bride in a white dress stands on a rocky mountain path under cloudy peaks, with a moody landscape behind her.
Smiling bride in a white dress and veil stands outdoors with blurred mountains behind her.
Smiling man in black cowboy hat and suit stands on rocky moor with cloudy mountains and snow patches behind him.
Man in a black cowboy hat and suit stands in a rocky mountain landscape, gazing off to the side with a calm, confident look.
Black-and-white bride and groom walk hand in hand on a mountain path beneath snowy peaks, romantic and windswept.
Smiling bride and groom in wedding attire walk outdoors in a rocky mountain landscape.
Black-and-white couple embracing by a stone wall, man in a hat and woman in a flowing dress, with mountains behind.
Bride and groom embrace on a windy hillside, her white dress and his black hat contrasting with the soft brown landscape.
Bride in white dress and man in dark suit walk into a modern wooden building, seen from behind, calm wedding mood
Smiling couple in formal attire toast with wine at a plant-filled restaurant table, with menus and warm wood decor.
Hand with jeweled nails on Ambraigh menu beside vintage camera, wine glasses, and cutlery on a marble restaurant table.


Planning Your Own Isle of Skye Elopement

The Isle of Skye is an incredible destination for couples who love adventure, natural beauty, and history, so it's the perfect place to plan your wedding day as well. But with all of it's attributes comes a few challenges as well, like...

  • The unpredictable weather and rain

  • Driving one lane roads and on the opposite side

  • Being flexible if the plans have to change due to weather/nature

  • Busy tourism seasons/parking


If you're in the beginning stages of planning, I've created a complete guide covering all topics related to putting together the perfect wedding in Scotland! And read below for a few Q&As to help you get started.



FAQs about this Elopement


Why choose the Isle of Skye?

The Isle of Skye has many remarkable sites in a very small space, so it's great to base yourself in one place and drive around the island to see everything.


Why is spring a great time of year to visit Scotland and the Isle of Skye? The weather in spring is perfect for wearing jeans, sweaters, wool socks, rain boots and a warm coat on top. Not too cold or warm, and the wind isn't wild like the winter months either. The real benefit to spring though is that it's not nearly as busy as the summer months, so you don't have to deal with parking issues, sharing popular spaces with droves of other tourists, or booking reservations 4 months in advance. And in April, the pesky midges (like a mosquito) haven't emerged yet.


How much hiking was involved?

No difficult hiking was involved at all here. If anything, we encountered a short 5-10 minute walk from the parking area, and the trail wasn't nearly as muddy as many other locations around the island. The biggest challenge was that the footwear the ladies wore had heels on them, which can be difficult to walk on rocks with.


Elopement Photographer and planning guide who photographed weddings across the US and Europe. Standing with the Quiraing behind her in Scotland.

Ready to begin your elopement journey in Scotland?

Hi! I'm Carly - an adventure wedding photographer and elopement planning guide with a deep affection for the Scottish Highlands and it's culture. I've explored Glencoe, The Isle of Skye, Cairngorms NP, and the many lochs around the country, and I'm ready to help you explore them next! Check out my elopement packages at the link below, and fill out the contact form to have your questions answered or to schedule a phone/video call with me.



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