An Ethereal Elopement in Glencoe, Scotland, Captured by The Caryls

Tucked away in the misty valleys of Glencoe, Scotland, Kelsea and Joe’s intimate elopement unfolded like a beautiful, poetic dream, with rugged, atmospheric landscapes providing an unforgettable backdrop.

Love My Dress highly recommended wedding and elopement photographers, The Caryls, captured every beautiful moment, framing the couple’s joy and celebration against the breathtaking, moody highlands and atmospheric surroundings.

Dressed in a soft, ethereal gown with a woollen jumper that she knitted herself and a pair of hiking boots, Kelsea epitomised free-spirited and care-free elegance, whilst Joe’s brown tweed suit added a classic touch to their wild surroundings.

Choosing Glencoe was a natural decision for the couple and I adore how their talented photographers have captured their wedding day love story. Enjoy!

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Venue & Location

We had plans for a road trip around Scotland in 2020, which unfortunately was canceled, so when we got engaged in 2022, we decided it would make planning an elopement in Scotland that much easier.

We chose Glencoe, Scotland because of the incredible valley and moody weather. Glencoe is breathtaking in every kind of weather, clear skies, mist, or storms, ensuring that no matter what weather we had on the day of our wedding, it would be an amazing backdrop. 

The Dress

My dress was ‘Esther’ from the Everlasting Love collection at Randy Fenoli Bridal. I had visited a couple of shops and was having no luck finding a soft, simple, ethereal dress with sleeves. Whatever dress I chose needed to be comfortable and light.

The last shop on my list was Three Diamonds Bridal Boutique, which is a bridal shop recently opened by a friend of my family. When I arrived and explained what I was looking for, Hannah immediately said she had the perfect one but asked that I save that for last and try a couple of other options so she could be sure.

It was the first dress that I actually felt comfortable in. It was so special to find my dress at Three Diamonds Bridal Boutique and support a friend’s local business. 

With the plan to spend our wedding day hiking through the Glencoe Valley, I had the train of the dress chopped off, and the dress was altered by Lori at Simply Blessed Creations to cover my hiking boots when standing, while still being relatively easy to hike in.

Bridal Beauty & Accessories

I did my own hair and makeup, which was perfect because it was all immediately blown away the minute we started our hike. 

I wanted no distractions on our wedding day, which influenced our decision to elope just the two of us, and that translated to my wedding-day wardrobe. My dress and footwear needed to be comfortable, simple, and practical for the day. The light chiffon of my dress flowing in the wind was incredible and exactly what I pictured when we decided on Scotland. 

I borrowed a simple, diamond necklace from a close friend, and I think the only item missing from my wedding attire when we arrived was earrings, so we spent our first week in Scotland searching for blue earrings to represent ‘something blue’. The day before our wedding, we found the perfect blue earrings from the Glencoe Visitor Center. 

I wore a dried floral hair pin to match my bouquet and Joe’s buttonhole from Rosehip and Wren. I also wore the scent Willow Woods by Skylar, which has been my signature perfume for the past couple of years.

The Caryls provided beautiful florist recommendations, and I knew I wanted dried flowers so I would be able to bring them home with us to the U.S.

I selected Rosehip and Wren to create my bouquet, hair pin, and Joe’s buttonhole. I love wild bouquets that contain more grasses and berries than flowers, and I completely trusted Beth’s design.

I sent her a rough color scheme of tans, reds, and oranges with soft textures, and some specific pieces like Queen Anne’s Lace, berries, and feathers, and Beth did an incredible job.

The hair pin was actually an afterthought, but it ended up being one of my favourite pieces and was the only reason we had some decent photos of my face with that wind. 

The Ceremony

Based on the advice of The Caryls, we hired Ashton Easter as our celebrant because of his love of the outdoors and willingness to hike with us to our ceremony spot (before the weather changed our plans).

He helped us expand on our ceremony by adding elements of nature and symbolism beyond our personal vows. 

We each wrote a letter to the other to read before our tailored, shared vows. I actually forgot a line from our shared vows and had to interrupt his shared vows to say the same!

With the help of Ashton, we selected ‘Wedding Day’ by Rowena Edlin-White to be read during our ceremony: 

We wanted wooden wedding bands and ordered them from Back to the Woods Shop on Etsy.

From the first Zoom call with Jim and Katy, they provided so many resources on wedding-day attire, florists, accommodations, locations, and schedule that were immensely helpful, as we were planning our wedding from another country.

The morning of our wedding day, the weather forecast was looking bleak, with heavy rain and strong winds, making a hike to our ceremony location very difficult.

The Caryls immediately found a new location for our ceremony, in a coniferous forest overlooking a beautiful lake. The woods felt secluded, and the vibrant moss and ferns in the undergrowth were incredible; it was perfect for our ceremony. We felt at ease with Katy and Jim and the provided recommendations. 

I don’t think we would have had such a successful elopement without the guidance of The Caryls, let alone the incredible photos they captured.

Our friends and family were shocked at the emotion and detail they were able to encompass in the photographs, and we would recommend The Caryls to anyone looking to elope. 

How They Met

Joe and I met when we lived two doors down the hall from each other in the dormitory our first year at university. We immediately started dating and have been inseparable since. In November 2022, we were on a trip to New Zealand with some close friends. After multiple days of hiking through sounds, glaciers, and valleys on the South Island, Joe proposed at the end of an early morning hike to the glacial lake below Mount Cook in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The engagement ring was an antique 1890s diamond ring from Eragem.

We had discussed weddings ceremonies/size in the past and knew that we were leaning toward an elopement. We decided we would elope on our 10-year anniversary together in September 2023 as a way to celebrate the decade, which left 10 months to prepare.

Joe’s suit was the Edward Jacket in Harris Tweed Herringbone from Walker Slater. Joe selected this suit for the comfort and warmth of the wool, and he wanted the suit to be wearable in daily life. Joe also wore a watch from Shinola, an artisan watchmaker based in Detroit, Michigan, near our hometowns.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

The Caryls made an excellent suggestion that we embraced:  If you are eloping or even having a traditional wedding, ask your family and friends to write you a letter with advice and well-wishes. Our families wrote such heartfelt letters that they may have not had the chance or courage to say to us in person. We now cherish those letters and have a reminder of how much support and love we have. 

We didn’t have a specific budget. We spent two weeks in Scotland, which included our elopement and honeymoon.  

Honestly we have no regrets, though maybe I would have practiced twirling in my dress because we quickly found that when I twirled with my arms over my head the button connecting the sleeve to the dress would pop off!