How to plan an outdoor wedding in Scotland

Have you ever thought about trading the neat rows of a hotel venue for a rustic set of hay bales, logs, or rocks on a beach? If you are the outdoorsy kind of person, you probably have and are wondering if it’s a wise choice and what you should consider for making your outdoor wedding a success.

In Scotland we are lucky that there are no restrictions on where to get married. It could be a beach, the top of a mountain, an atmospheric woodland, on a boat, or in your family’s garden. If you’re an avid camper and want your Scottish wedding to be somewhere truly out of the way, you can even find an isolated beauty spot and marry in a tent. Choosing the wedding location is part of the application process, so you just need to decide on the location in advance.

When I talk to couples about their outdoor wedding ideas, they are usually full of enthusiasm, and feel a small bit of trepidation. Established wedding venues offer some security whereas the great outdoors has uncertainty. Venues have dedicated personnel to deal with your questions, but where do you start when nature is your destination?

Choosing a location

Let’s start with the location dilemma. Couples are often drawn to known beauty spots, especially if they are not local to the area. It’s a great start to be inspired by Instagram or such but it’s always worth leaving the beaten track and trying to find your very own personal location. If a scenic spot is well photographed it means it’s also well visited, so if you want it to be truly personal, just you as a couple at an elopement or micro-wedding, make the effort to find a lesser-known spot. Ideally, visit and get a feeling for the landscape, or if that’s not practical then speak to some locals. Your celebrant might have ideas too.

Planning for Scottish weather

The next consideration is the weather. When I speak to couples, they usually picture sunshine, a light breeze, and just the right temperature. Couples are often sure the weather gods will be with them on their very special day, or that they will barely feel the cold or notice the rain because they will be truly in the moment. All might be true and yet the Scottish elements can be fierce. Rain might be horizontal, the slight breeze could turn into a proper gusty wind, and while photographers usually appreciate some clouds in the sky a drab shade of grey might disappoint on the day. I always encourage couples to try and see themselves in such conditions and then decided if it’s still the right location and type of wedding. You can put on an extra layer to deal with cold, on a still day an umbrella helps with the rain if it’s vertical, maybe a grey sky really does not matter to you, and yet go wild in your imagination and find your very own comfort zone. Then you can adapt your plans and go back to find a location that is suitable for most, if not all, conditions.

Who will be attending your wedding ceremony?

I also ask couples to give some thought to who will be attending their ceremony outdoors. When I was planning my own Highland wedding many years ago, I would have loved to get married on the beach, but we had family attending who would have been unable to access my dream location. Having them around won over the scenery.

Often all it takes to make a place suitable for all attending is some proper gear. At a recent spring wedding on a scenic Highland beach, the location was only accessible via a fifteen-minute walk on a scenic rough path with a drop on the side, or a lesser scenic farm track and a descent through a slightly boggy area. The couple considered everybody involved and we decided the lesser scenic way was the better option. Everybody was kitted out with wellies and all family and friends, from the smallest children to older relatives had a safe wander to the ceremony location.

Choosing a wedding celebrant is another important consideration. On the Scottish Wedding Ceremony site, you can find twenty different celebrants who are happy to offer outdoor weddings and cater to a wide range of faiths.

Yet another worthwhile consideration is what bells and whistles you would like for your outdoor wedding. What do you want to wear, do you want special flowers, a special meal? Transport for guests? Accommodation for a larger group of friends and family?

In conclusion

Scotland is vast and whilst it offers many stunning locations, some of the infrastructure you would find in a central location is harder to find or missing altogether. For some couples who are looking for a very intimate and small micro wedding this might not be an issue, but the more elaborate your plans the more important to find out what is available locally, and what you can bring with you or have sent. 

Sometimes you might be surprised. Many of my recent weddings had the most beautiful locally grown flowers provided by a specialist local to the area, we have a small cake decorating business on our doorstep too. Creative catering solutions might exist. For those who would prefer more support, some elopement wedding planners are now covering most of Scotland also.

My recommendation would be don’t be deterred by challenges, see them as opportunities to create your own unique wedding experience in a very special setting. Some research and finding connections goes a long way in making your Scottish outdoor wedding happen!