Kilchurn Castle and Glencoe Lochan elopement in Scotland

Kristen contacted me back in November last year telling me all about her plans her and her fiancé Matthew had for their elopement in Scotland. I was delighted to be contacted by a fellow wedding photographer, a talented creative based in Ohio.

If you’re planning a Glencoe Lochan elopement, scroll down. I’m more than sure that both the photos and the interview I did with Kristen and Matt after they’ve received their final gallery will provide you with a lot of inspiration for your own elopement.

Woodland elopement ceremony at Glencoe Lochan

Kristen and Matthew wanted to make the most of the landscapes that Scottish highlands have to offer. Which is when Kristen told me about her love for pine forests, I suggested a woodland elopement ceremony at Glencoe Lochan. As Glencoe is not just mountains, moorlands and stunning highland views!

Apart from mountain and loch views, Glencoe Lochan offers beautiful, enchanting scenery. With its woodland made of old Scots pines, rowans, oaks, beeches and green moss covering the ground between trees it was a perfect place to exchange vows.

So why not choose Glencoe House as your accommodation? Its incredibly charming interiors and very close proximity to Glencoe Lochan make it a fantastic place to stay in the area. Perfect for elopers! It’s also in a great location to explore other stunning locations around Glencoe. Since their charming suite at Glencoe House had big, beautiful windows allowing for loads of natural light to come in, we used them for bridal and couple portraits before heading out for the ceremony. As a wedding photographer herself, Kristen has a great understanding of natural light so I knew she’d make the right choice when choosing a place to stay. In case of their suite, there was also a private outdoor space on the terrace with stunning views which we used for their first look.

If you’re looking for a great accommodation option in the area, you simply can’t go wrong with choosing one of the suites Glencoe House.

Another awesome thing that Kristen and Matt decided to do for their elopement was to have a handfasting and quaich ceremony. I also loved the fact that they played rock paper scissors when deciding who’s going to read their vows first! It’s a great way to introduce a bit of a fun moment before exchanging vows which can often be very emotional.

So if your taste matches the unique and elegant taste Kristen and Matt have, you will get a lot of inspiration from this beautiful elopement.

Kilchurn Castle at Loch Awe elopement

Kilchurn Castle viewpoint at Loch Awe is a popular spot among eloping couples for a reason – the view is magical. My favourite place is on the opposite side of the loch. It’s truly unique and gorgeous for wedding photos. And it’s less than an hour drive from Glencoe village!

If you’re considering putting Kilchurn Castle on your elopement location list, do not hesistate! It’s wonderful to include a castle into variety of landscapes you’ll have photos in. And if you’re lucky, you might find a highland cow or some sheep to wander around in the background and add even more beautiful Scottish elements to your photographs.

When I shared their elopement sneak peek with Kristen and Matt, Kristen words were Literally I don’t have words, you absolutely captured our vision for this elopement. We are so over the moon.

Elopement suppliers

Humanist celebrant Gary Smith

Flowers Flowers Vermilion

Accommodation Glencoe House

Reasons to elope and planning a Scottish elopement from abroad

Since I really loved capturing Kristen and Matt’s elopement, I decided I definitely wanted to post it on my blog. Which is why I also asked my lovely couple to answer a couple of my questions regarding their decision to elope and the planning process.

What made you decide on eloping instead of organising a traditional wedding?

We were in the early stages of planning a traditional wedding and both the cost and the overwhelming feeling of all the planning in general made us rethink a lot of things. Also being a wedding photographer myself, I see behind the curtain a little more than I care to. I’ve seen so many times how things go wrong. How brides say their day is over in a split second and they barely remember anything, how everyone has an opinion and wants to tell you how to do things. And honestly how ridiculously priced some things are. The prices we were looking at to feed 120 people were making me question EVERYTHING. Plus, I just wanted to be present with my husband all day. And not have to worry about anything else. Especially mundane things that wouldn’t matter after the wedding was over. One of my biggest takeaways from eloping that I have told people is “For the most part, I didn’t take my eyes off my husband the entire day“. It was such a gift to be with him and only him. Whereas at a regular wedding most of the day you are apart or swept up in the chaos.

Why did you choose Scotland to elope?

It’s funny – when I realised Matt was no longer feeling up to doing a traditional wedding, I said “What do you want to do? Whatever you want, let’s do that, because I want us both to be happy. Do you want to elope? I’ll go anywhere in the world with you and marry you“. He paused for a few seconds and said “What about Scotland?”. This was in November of 2021 and we decided to elope in October 2022 right then and there. The next day I scheduled an appointment at a bridal boutique for the following week to find my dress and that started the whirlwind of planning our entire trip that was going to be less than a year away.

What was special about Glencoe / Glencoe Lochan and Kilchurn Castle that you chose these spots as the elopement locations?

Of course we didn’t know right away where in Scotland we wanted to elope, but all we knew for sure was we wanted to be in the mountains, in the woods, we wanted a castle maybe. We wanted an adventure! So I started doing my research and watched elopement videos on YouTube. And wound up finding a few in Glencoe that really stuck with me. In retrospect, I am so happy with our choice because Glencoe is so remote. And it felt like we could really be by ourselves that day (with the exception of our amazing vendors of course). We also encountered a few people on hikes who gave us warm congratulations. But other than that it felt like we had the countryside to ourselves.

What was your favourite part of your elopement day and why?

How do I even choose a favorite part when the entire day was a highlight? If I had to try though, there would be a few.

The first would be when our officiant Gary was reading Matt’s words that he had given him. And essentially in Gary’s questionnaire when he asked Matt why he wanted to marry me, he said “Gary, why wouldn’t I want to marry my best friend?“. I’ll never forget the way Matt looked at me after Gary said that. That moment made all the effort I put into that day so worth it. Another favorite part is when we arrived at the car park with the Three Sisters, and the sun was peeking over the top of one of the mountains through the clouds. It looked so cinematic. And in central Ohio we never see anything that beautiful! I remember just standing there because I wanted to cement it in my brain. The weather was also a huge highlight because it was absolutely perfect! It was slightly chilly and windy, just like we like it (which is another reason we chose Scotland).

Did anything in particular inspire you when planning your elopement?

I know for me, I am very spiritual and feel very at peace in nature. I love tall pine trees and wanted our ceremony to take place in a tall pine forest. We love deep greens and earthy colors, we’re a very moody couple, and we are both huge fans of all things fantasy. We wanted to feel like we stepped into a fairytale, and we truly did! So many people who have seen our photos so far have either said “wow, these look so magical/like a fairytale” or “it’s like you got married in a scene of Outlander“. And that pretty much sums up what we wanted for the day!

What led to this choice in your wedding day wardrobe? What did you love about what you wore the most?

Matt got his suit custom made and rather than getting a typical black suit, he really wanted something either gray or brown with a nice texture, something that created visual interest. Also something that you might see in a show or movie that takes place in Scotland, as I feel like you get a lot of beautiful textures and prints in media taking place in Scotland. With my dress, I knew the logistics of having to pack it in my carry-on so I knew it needed to be something that wasn’t like a puffy ball gown. But more than anything I wanted it to be long and flowy. I wanted it to be something that would have a lot of movement both in the wind and when I walked around in it, not to mention something comfortable that I could walk in all day since we would be doing a fair amount of hiking on all kinds of terrain. It was absolutely my favorite thing I wore that day, and it made me feel like a Celtic goddess!

Why did you choose me as your photographer, what was it like working with me on the day?

Matt left this decision entirely up to me since I am a wedding photographer and have that experience.

And I chose you because 1. I absolutely love your style. Your tones are beautiful and moody, but still very classic and I feel 20 years from now the way you edit will hold up beautifully (which is so important and not everyone thinks about this!). 2. When we first FaceTimed each other to just talk about working together, I immediately vibed with you and I found that we had so much in common and again, as a photographer, I know that a strong connection between photographer and subject makes for really strong photos. We were both on the same page from day one and working together was effortless! On our actual elopement day, you were punctual, you were excited to be there, you were great at directing us, you made us feel so comfortable. And it felt like being photographed by a friend rather than just another photographer. From the initial planning stages all the way up to having our gallery delivered, you have been amazing to work with and we are so pleased with everything.