Emotive Glen Etive elopement
Ingredients for an emotive Glen Etive elopement
Two things Marleen and Steffen knew for sure: they wanted a remote Scottish elopement in Glen Etive, and they had to have cake (lots of cake)!
They had travelled from Germany to Glencoe before, had their hearts stolen, and knew they wanted to be nearby for their elopement.
Not every couple dreams of a meticulously planned elopement with a jam-packed schedule. Some couples, like Marleen and Steffen, want to avoid a rigid schedule and checklist and instead go with the flow and see where the day takes them.
But they definitely had a vision of having a relaxed and unhurried day where they could hike, explore, and let the day unfold naturally. And when the chill of the Scottish weather started to set in, they wanted to retreat to a cosy cottage, sip some tea by the fire and enjoy the peace of landscape around them – and that’s exactly what they did!
What unfolded was a spontaneous elopement day with no checklist in sight!
Having found a cosy wee cottage hidden in a nearby valley guarded by a significant herd of Highland coos, the couple spent the morning getting ready together and writing their vows.
We had such a brilliant, exciting day as we danced excitedly under the stormy looming sky, barely feeling a drop of rain. The sun poked through at their loch-side ceremony but then hidden away for their special private vows by the water. It was such a wonderfully emotional ceremony and handfasting!
Obviously, we had to include a little German ritual called ‘kaffee und kuchen’ to celebrate after such a beautiful ceremony!
After they said their vows, we enjoyed some of Marleen and Steffen’s favourite treats — cake and Irn Bru — in the warmth of their cottage. This was a lovely way to warm up and refuel before an equally exciting afternoon of adventuring.
Cinematic late Autumn light for dreamy enchanting portraits
But it wasn’t long before the beautiful autumnal light of the afternoon had us back outside chasing light shafts, clambering rocks, and bog tramping. Not to mention shoo-ing the coos by their cottage (my favourite job!).
It felt like another day with old friends as we all marvelled at the sights. Marleen, with her landscape photography skills, was sitting with us, feeling the itch of creativity that Scotland evokes. On our final elopement of our season, we photographed into the dusk, embracing the last embers of light. This included a final little boogie in front of the car headlights as we welcomed in dusk.
When we returned to the cottage, we popped on the fire (and the kettle!) and captured M&S as they opened letters and gifts from family and friends. Drinking a well-earned cup of hot chocolate, they were touched and emotional over the outpouring of lovely thoughtful gestures their loved ones had sent with me. It was the perfect way to round off a perfect day!
It’s hard to find the right words, but we LOVED every moment of our experience with Raini!
Marleen + Steffen
We eloped to Scotland in November and chose Raini as our photographer because we loved the natural style of her photos but also because she seemed to be a nice and fun person (from what we could tell from her homepage and following her instagram for a while).
From the very beginning of the planning process and our first video call we knew she was the right choice, Raini is super lovely and everything was so well organised, she regularly sent us emails containing lots of useful guides and information, reassuring words or just for making sure everything was going well with the planning.
Together with her we chose our ceremony location, activities and the ideal timeline for our day.
Although Raini is not a wedding planner, it was great to know she was always there to help us with questions or concerns and we never felt ‘left alone’ with the planning.
On the morning of our elopement, my partner and I were incredibly nervous, and worried that we would be awkward in front of the camera (never had photos taken of us before), but when Raini and Dave arrived (on time and in great spirits), we quickly relaxed, and from the moment of our „first look“ everything felt completely natural and we had lots of fun!
I saw couples mention it before, and it’s true – while being absolutely professional, Raini and Dave never made us feel like we were in a photoshoot but more like it was a day out with good friends, and that really helped making us feel comfortable!
Raini had many great ideas and was able to capture the mood and real emotions of our day so perfectly, we can’t wait to show the whole gallery to our family and friends, and we know we will be able to relive our elopement day again and again by looking at the photos.
They are much more beautiful than we could have ever hoped for, it still feels unreal to see our own faces in Rainis art that we have admired for so long
We can 10000000 % recommend this wonderful couple as photographers (and witnesses!) for your Scotland elopement or small wedding!
Oh, and if you’re uncertain if 8 hours photography coverage is too much for your elopement day: it isn’t. We hadn’t many activities planned after the ceremony but the day was over waaaaay too quickly!
Thank you SO much, Raini and Dave!
Suppliers for this emotive Glen Etive elopement
Celebrant – Gary the Humanist
Hair & Make-Up – Bonny’s wonderland
Dress – Herve Paris, bought at Brautkarussell, a bridal store in Mühlhausen, Germany
Suit – asos
Dried Flowers – Projekt Wianki on Etsy
Handfasting Cord – Hedgecraft House on Etsy
Cake – The Wildflower Cakery in Fort William
Rings – Averie Jewelry on Etsy
Blanket – The Tartan Blanket Co.
Envisioning your emotive Glen Etive elopement?
If a remote Scottish elopement surrounded by Highland coos, gorgeous rolling hills and valleys sounds like your idea of an ideal wedding day then get in touch to start planning now. I’ll be there to help you figure out the best time of year, ceremony location, timeline for the day, local suppliers as well as lots of advice on how to elope in Scotland.
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