Isle of Mull, Scotland elopement

Cristine envisaged their ceremony in an ancient stone circle on the eve of midsummer. After scouring the internet, she found her ideal Stone Circle, a breathtakingly beautiful setting near a verdant sea shore and under the watchful eye of majestic trees and hills. The circle is thought to date back to the Bronze Age, and that powerful sense of ancient history combined with the peaceful location instilled an incredible atmosphere to their day. Cristine selected a bespoke dress by the wonderful Ukrainian designer Mywony Bridal with flowers by Wild Flower Workshop while Alex wore Walker Slater , which were all perfectly in harmony with the rustic Scottish setting.

The weather in Scotland is notoriously changeable, even during the summer months. This particular day in June brought a mixture of sunshine and stormy showers that made for amazingly dramatic skies and it certainly added to the sense of spontaneity and adventure, which Cristine and Alex embraced to the full. We began by taking the scenic mile-long walk along the shores of Mull, past the ruins of a 15th century castle to the stone circle. Here, we were greeted by their celebrant, Ceci Alderton.

Ceci created a beautifully personal ceremony that included many natural symbolic elements, such as fire and water, as well as a traditional Scottish hand-fasting. After the ceremony, we took some time to further explore the island together. It was the first elopement wedding that we’ve photographed on Mull, and we were struck by the rural, slow-paced island atmosphere, and the sense of getting away from it all—it felt a lot calmer and more peaceful than other more popular tourist locations, like Skye.

In the afternoon the sun broke through the clouds and we headed down to the harbour at Fionnphort for a quick lunch of delicious locally sourced fish and chips. We then boarded a beautiful old Danish wooden sailing boat for a private boat tour around Mull and Iona. It was a wonderful day to see the islands from a different perspective and for Cristine and Alex to enjoy a peaceful moment together accompanied by just the wind and the waves. After a some Scottish cream tea (scones, clotted cream and jam), they enjoyed a first dance on deck to David Bowie, with just us, the skipper and some seagulls looking-on.

As the sun went down and the evening closed-in we returned to the harbour, and left Cristine and Alex to enjoy a romantic meal for two at The Ninth Wave—a restaurant that uses the croft’s home grown produce, fresh-caught seafood and local organic meats. It was a wonderful way to end what had been an incredibly special day; a day that Cristine and Alex had crafted just for themselves, and incorporating all the things that they love and find inspiring.

If we were to offer one piece of advice to couples planning a Scottish elopement wedding, it would be this: put together a list of all the things that make you your happiest (as individuals and as a couple) and all the experiences that you have most enjoyed together…and then devise an elopement that includes as many of these things as possible! This way, when your wedding anniversary comes round each year, you will look back on it as a joyful, happy day that was completely ‘you’.