Scottish Winter Elopement - A Candlelit Picnic of Dreams

Summer might be the traditional time to get married but at Wee Wild Weddings we love a Scottish winter elopement too so we were over the moon when after 10 years together Paula and John finally decided to make it official and got married in a beautiful Scottish Winter elopement in December.

This intimate wintery wedding was the perfect way for them to tie the knot, just the two of them, no fuss and plenty of beautiful wild Scottish scenery. What could be more romantic than running away into the hills to marry your true love?!

After planning their day from London with our gal Fin Flükra on hand to help their dreams come true, the pair came up to Scotland and got married at Monachyle Mhor. Wee Wild Weddings even provided the witnesses so they didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Hidden away in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Monachyle Mhor is an absolute gem of a wedding venue and fast becoming a Wee Wild Weddings favourite. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and hills as far as the eye can see it’s the perfect location for couples wanting to run away and tie the knot without having to hike up a mountain first.

Paula and John arrived at the hotel a day early and spent some time wandering the gorgeous woodland paths around the hotel scouting out the perfect place for their elopement. They chose a stunning spot near the shores of Loch Voil and Loch Doine giving them an amazing backdrop of hills, lochs and woodland.

On the morning of the wedding after getting ready separately they chose to do a first look with our photographer extraordinaire Sarah from Joy Story. This is a great option for couples having an elopement or micro wedding where there isn’t a long aisle for them to walk down like a “traditional wedding.” The couples get to see each other before walking to their ceremony spot together and it helps settle your nerves before you take your vows.

Claire the Humanist gave everyone all the feels with her personal and moving ceremony (Jean from Scottish Wild Picnics who was a witness for the couple may or may not have been shedding a tear in the background). There was even a firepit to warm everyone up if the romance of the whole scene wasn’t enough to warm our cockles!  The couple looked gorgeous and we love a bride who doesn’t mind getting her dress muddy. Sarah managed to get some great shots of the newly-weds by a waterfall after the ceremony.

Our florist Mel, from Briar Rose Design, created a beautiful seasonal bouquet for Paula in a wild and natural style to suit the wild landscape. She used mainly British grown flowers and foliage, many of which were chosen so that the bride could then try to propagate them once she got home and grow them in her garden. Mel created a matching seasonal buttonhole for John and some cute wild flower jam jars to decorate the couple’s cabin for the wedding picnic.

After the ceremony the happy couple returned to their cabin (a former CalMac ferry waiting room re-purposed by Monachyle Mhor) which Jean and the Scottish Wild Picnics team had transformed into a scandi-style romantic picnic complete with record player and candles. Here they could relax, have their first dance, and cosy up with a picnic as their first meal as husband and wife.

If you’ve been inspired by Paula and John winter elopement and want to plan your own wee wild wedding get in touch or follow us on Instagram for more inspiration and tips.