How I Planned My Wedding on The Isle of Skye

I have lots of experience of getting married on The Isle of Skye, not only as a photographer, but because I did it myself! Here are some tips I learned when I planned my wedding on the Isle of Skye.

I did have the advantage of been a big part of many others, so I knew who to contact, and you can see my top picks here. I also knew all the best places, and you can find a few ideas here, but that was it!

Step One – How do you want your wedding or elopement to feel?

Before you start to contact suppliers, it is a good idea to decide how you want your special day to look and feel. If you want sunshine and a warm breeze then the Isle of Skye may not be for you. We do have days like that, but they are by no means guaranteed. The west coast of Scotland is notoriously wet – it’s where we get the lovely green scenery from!

• Do you want to legally marry or do the official deed back home and then have a meaningful spiritual ceremony with none of the paperwork?
• Do you want it to be just you and your celebrant, or will you have friends and family along?
• What type of ceremony will you have? Will you be quick and to the point, have a religious element, use lovely Scottish traditions to tie the knot?
• Who would you like to conduct your ceremony? What do the different celebrants offer and who do you most resonate with?

These are the fundamentals. It’s not ALL about the photos!

Step Two – Admin

There are some things you need to do before you get carried away with romance. You need to submit any paperwork for visas and licences for legal ceremonies. Booking a celebrant is the first step to take – your whole day will be about making the right choice here, they also get booked up very quickly. Choose your date and find somewhere to stay. The Isle of Skye is super busy in the summer so make sure you have somewhere booked. If you are cool about the cold or wild weather you may want to consider eloping in the winter months, when it is much quieter. I have some useful links here.

Step Three – Where!

To be honest, there are so few bad places on Skye that you can’t go wrong! When choosing your wedding location on Skye think about the practicalities. You can marry ANYWHERE in Scotland, you are not bound by licensed premises, although you may have to ask landowners’ permission.

• If you hate crowds, you need to steer clear of the main attractions or hold your ceremony early or late in the day. Most of the pictures you see have people removed in Photoshop, or are taken at quiet times of the day. It is rarely very quiet! If you are considering The Quiraing, Old Man of Storr, Fairy Pools or the Fairy Glen, it is difficult to plan a visit when it is not busy. You will have many more people watching you than you expect!
• Decide on how far from where you are staying you are prepared to travel.
• Have a back up plan for bad weather. Lots of people say they love the wild weather, but the reality of standing still in sideways rain is very different from how it looks in the pictures. You can get hitched somewhere warmer and calm, and then venture out for the pictures!
• Do take time to look at lots of photographs and reference them on a map.
• If you have a disability or are bring relatives who are less nimble than they were, take their needs into consideration, ask for advice. There are some really gorgeous spots just a few metres from the road, that look to be completely desolate when photographed! You don’t need to be a mountain goat to reach some gorgeous locations.
• Do you love the sea, the mountains, a bit of both, rocky or sandy beaches?
• Your photographer will have LOTS of ideas for you. Trust their advice about times of day etc – they have done this many, many times and want to help you to get the very best photographs!
• Have you considered distillery or a castle, if you have a fear of bad weather?

Step Four – Choosing your Photographer

Once you have your celebrant and papework in place, you can relax and little and decide the other stuff.

There are lots of photographers on The Isle of Skye. It is really important that the one you choose is the right person for you. They will be a massive part of your wedding, from helping you with your plans, to spending at least a couple of hours with you. They may even act as your witness if you are eloping! If you have any doubts about how you will get on, look elsewhere. You WILL find your person!

• Look at lots of pictures! Choose a style you like and are sure you will like in the future too. If you choose them on price but don’t like what they do, you will be disappointed.
• The photos are the thing that you will keep forever, and will look back at for many years. Choose a photographer whose style you won’t get tired of!
• Write a comparison list, its a big investment.
• Give them a chance to get back to you after you first enquire, they may be busy! In peak wedding season, lots of photographers only manage to check their emails and messages once a day, but it’s worth waiting for the right one to reply. Don’t settle for the first one to reply if you are shopping around.
• Do arrange a virtual meet up. It gives you a chance to get to know them and also gauge how you will get on. They will also give you lots of ideas.
• Don’t say yes while on your meeting. Hang up and have a think about your conversation, go back to their website, make sure you are entirely happy.
• Do listen to their advice on locations and what to wear etc. We know what works and what doesn’t!
• Make sure they offer all you want or need before you book them.

Step Five – Other Suppliers

Next you need to decide if you at flowers, hair and make up, dinner, cake, a piper…. These are the little extras that can make all the difference. You need to book them well in advance as in the height of the season there can be as many as five or six weddings a day on the Isle of Skye!

My Top Tips for The Best Wedding or Elopement on Skye

Here are the things I learned, some of them the hard way…

• Don’t aim for perfect! Relax, enjoy the day, and then you cannot be disappointed.
• Make plans for bad weather but don’t worry about it. It’s wasted energy as there is nothing you can do about it.
• Book hair and make up, if you want them, as early as possible, these guys get booked up super early.
• Everyone on Skye is here to help and we will make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible. It might be a small island but it is brimming with talented professionals who will make your day.
• Don’t underestimate distances and time to get from one place to another here. Our roads are not 3 lane highways, and a road blocked with cows or sheep is fairly normal here!
• If you’re having a wedding with more than a couple of guests, remember that moving them from location to location can take much longer than you think. Don’t plan too much and allow for ‘herding cats’.
• Leave enough time for photos if they are important to you, but if you have guests you must spend time with them too.
• Keep a sense of humour. This is about your commitment to each other, not one day.

And My Wedding?

Well, we took fifty people on a boat, in some very choppy weather, to Loch Coruisk. The weather was so bad two men had to hold my mum down and we only stayed for the length of the ceremony because it was so unpleasant outside! We came back to a marquee in the garden for home made pizzas and a wee dram or two!

Many thanks to Love Skye Photography and Lynne Kennedy Photography for capturing the day for me. Also thank you to Misty Isle Boat Trips for risking life and limb to get me there, Flowers by the castle for my gorgeous bouquet and Davina for marrying us so beautifully. Fiona MacKinnon made us a stunning cake, Bee Bonnie Bridal made sure I looked my best, Ally the Piper added all the atmosphere and everyone made it a really special day.

I bought two cheap dresses, so I had a dry one for when I got back, and my biggest spend was on my super sensible shoes!