Joyful two-day elopement in Edinburgh and Isle of Skye

This joyful elopement in Edinburgh and Isle of Skye is a tale of two halves. Two extraordinary women. Two days. Two journeys. Two wheels. Two hearts. And frankly, two much joy. (Is two even a word anymore?)

Katie and Meghan lived and breathed the track life. Fast wheels, intense training, time counters, drug testing and national competitions. Their friendship was a light-hearted escape from their version of ‘everyday life’. It wasn’t till Katie ended up in a coma after a death-defying crash that Meghan realised their friendship ran deeper. She dedicated herself to helping Katie recover after she woke up – through multiple surgeries and physical therapy. 

I’m completely in awe of how Katie managed to get back on the track, going on to become an Olympic silver medalist on the Canadian Paralympic Team. Meanwhile Meghan has taken her own brave steps by changing her career to acting. These two women are absolute powerhouses and so inspiring.

A story is incomplete without a few twists. Katie had been competing in Paris just before their elopement… 

I got a message saying not to panic but Katie had caught Covid in Paris and had a crash. Despite all that she still placed in the final but most importantly, made it safely to Scotland to say ‘I do!’

Part one of their elopement near Edinburgh – a family affair

Katie and Meghan invited their closest friends and family to share their legal ceremony at the magical Dalhousie Castle in Edinburgh. 

The couple chose to stick with some traditions – like getting ready separately but in typical Katie & Meghan they didn’t want a “cookie cutter” first look. They were escorted by their Dad’s and Katie wore a dressing gown with their dogs’ faces on as a wee joke for the first look.

Their humanist ceremony was held in the Chapel room in the Castle. So much love and laughter was flying in the air. (Unlike the poor owl who fell to the ground in protest during the ring delivery – don’t worry no owl was harmed in the making of this elopement!)

Once the very hilarious ring debacle was over, the ceremony ended in a handfasting ceremony. Meghan + Katie said their vows whilst holding their very special oathing stone, which was found on a hike in the same location as Katie proposed. Family also held their own oathing stones so that all the love and well wishes could be sealed in stone. Read more about this Celtic wedding tradition and others.

After the ceremony, they celebrated with their loved ones in the dark-academia vibed library to cut their wedding cake. There was even a special appearance by a dear friend on Facetime who unfortunately couldn’t travel. 

This beautiful day ended with a foggy wander down to the tower for some quiet time together (which was all but quiet as we laughed and revelled in the joy of what had happened).

It wasn’t long before the pair were showing off their incredibly impressive choreographed first dance for their family. To end the evening they all enjoyed a candlelight dinner in the dungeon!

But this was not the end of their adventure… 

Part two of this two-day elopement on Isle of Skye

Before we all headed off to Skye for Katie & Megan’s private vows, we enjoyed a lovely dinner, where we got to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. Chatting all about the Dalhousie day and their adventures in Edinburgh so far, and convincing them that they needed to be ready before sunrise the following morning.

We met them on that quiet morning in November, in the early twilight hours on a quiet trail, and Meghan and Katie hiked up Old Man of Storr. 

With every step the light changed and the views became clearer until they were right under the iconic needle. It was an incredibly serene moment and as the trail began to bustle with the usual stream of tourists, they were thankful for the early quiet start!

We headed further up the Trotternish loop to a secluded loch where they skipped their oathing stones that had been held by their family members. Finally, they dipped their own oathing stone, held during their vows, into the water to encase their vows forever.

With their legal words set in stone, Meghan and Katie headed to the Quiraing to say their personal vows to one another. 

Their only witnesses were the two bunnies who were originally there for their mock wedding whilst they were training years before. They danced and basked in the sunlight but it wasn’t long before Scotland did her thing. 

An extraordinary few moments being pelted by hail stones is one way to make you feel alive! Gotta love Scotland for having 4 seasons in a day. It’s an incredible thing to experience.

Soaking wet they ran throughout the Quiraing, giddy and exhausted but happy, they were ready to call it a day!

This two-day elopement in Edinburgh + Skye – shows how you can “have your cake and eat it too”

Meghan and Katie showed how you don’t have to choose between having your family present and having private and intimate moments between the two of you! In fact, by splitting your elopement in two you can have the best of both.

Their story, energy and the intentional decisions they made to stay true to what they value is inspirational.

We had such a wonderful couple of days getting to know Meghan and Katie, our jaws hurt for days afterwards from smiling and laughing with these two incredible humans. 

If you are looking for more elopement inspiration where couples have decided to take things slow and spread their elopement over multiple days – take a look at Chelsea and Mark’s Wild Mystical Assynt Elopement

Suppliers that helped make Meghan & Katie’s day so special:

Celebrant – Rev. Morag Cameron (Interfaith)

Hair & make-Up – Amm Hair and Makeup Team (Day 1 only)

Florist – Days of Dahlia

Dresses – Wtoo by Watters dresses from the Bridal Gallery in Vancouver, Canada

Meghan veil – Noon on the Moon (Etsy)

Meghan tiara – Tania Maras (Etsy)

Meghan shoes – Kailee P (Etsy)

Meghan sweater – Tentree

Katie shoes – Converse

Katie garter – gift from her Mum from a small shop in Calgary

Rings – VK Design (Portland, OR)

Cake – Plant Patisserie

Envisioning your own two-day elopement?

If a fairy-tale wedding filled with castles and breathtaking landscapes 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 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.