A Lakeside Elopement at Loch Morlich, Aviemore
When people imagine Scottish elopements, a lot of the time their minds might picture a moody forest, rolling, misty hillsides – but this elopement at Loch Morlich defied all expectations and showed a completely different side of Scotland (one I wish we saw just a little more often maybe!). Usually you can rely on at least a bit of cloud up here – but warm sunshine streamed through the pine trees and lit up the Loch with the richest blues, which was such a happy surprise for K&S who knew that the weather here could be a little temperamental! K&S had travelled all the way up from Wales with their parents and 3 children, choosing to keep the day smaller and more centered on family and the life they’ve built together.
Travelling to Aviemore for an Intimate Elopement
Having chosen to travel more than 400 miles up to Aviemore for their elopement, K&S had such a beautiful vision for tying the knot. With a family picnic prepared to directly follow the ceremony, they were setting out to make a holiday of their elopement, and Scotland offers such rich opportunities to round out a celebration with family like this. The travel acted as both a separation from everyday life, but also a celebration of it – and it couldn’t have been more beautiful for them.
With the sun beating down on an unprecedentedly warm May afternoon, we set off along the shore to find the perfect spot for the ceremony. Loch Morlich worked perfectly for this – open enough and with sweeping views that still made it feel like an adventure, but plenty of quiet areas shrouded by trees along the shoreline to find a more private spot to tie the knot.
Loch Morlich as an Elopement Location from a Photographer’s Perspective
From a photographer’s point of view, Loch Morlich is really one of those golden locations that offers couples lots of variety within a relatively small area, one that is accessible for a wide range of ages and mobilities. The shoreline is only a minute or two from the carpark and the forest paths are well cared for. The beach provides a really open view of the mountains behind, and clean backdrops like K&S’s First Kiss pictured above; while the surrounding woodland lets us create some more cozy, intimate portraits under beautiful soft light courtesy of the gorgeous Caledonian pines.
As I mentioned, with these locations all being within close proximity, Loch Morlich is particularly good for family elopements as it’s easy to keep everyone together – we don’t have to separate the group and hike up a hillside to make the most of the landscape. This keeps the day flowing smoothly, and means both the important family portraits and the more creative couples portraits can be taken nearby without long walks or significant changes in terrain.
A Joyful, Authentic Lakeside Ceremony
K&S had opted for a Humanist ceremony which really made the whole celebration feel grounded, and beautifully reflective of the outdoor space we were surrounded by. After the ceremony, we moved into the woodland for couple and family portraits – the trees provided soft, consistent light for us, which worked exceptionally well for group photographs and quieter moments. Keeping portraits close to the ceremony spot meant everyone could stay involved, and allowed time for both family images and more relaxed portraits with the couple in close proximity to the spot where they tied the knot.
Eloping in Aviemore – What Couples should Know
While my couple K&S here got incredibly lucky with their weather, I recommend couples that are considering eloping in Scotland think hard about the time of year and time of day of their ceremony. It’s no secret that this area of Scotland is stunning and so you can expect it to be busy during peak tourist season and summer holidays. To avoid the crowds, I highly recommend early mornings or quieter weekdays rather than midday on a weekend. Pack lots of layers and bring umbrellas, even in summer!
Planning Your Own Elopement at Loch Morlich
As beautifully demonstrated by K&S’s celebration, Loch Morlich works particularly well for couples who want a simple, flexible elopement that involves and embraces close family of all ages. The combination of open shoreline and nearby woodland offer couples a rich variety of surroundings as well as making photography a breeze, with the ability to plan the ceremony and portraits without having to travel far or over-plan or overly structure the day – allowing couples to remain focused on what truly matters to them. You can read more about my approach to photographing intimate elopements in Scotland here.
If you’re considering a lochside elopement in the Scottish Highlands and would like guidance on locations, timings, or how you might like your day to flow, you can get in touch to talk through your plans using the button below to see if I’m the right fit for you.
Love the Highlands but maybe not such a fan of sand or water? Read about another beautiful woodland elopement I shot at the Hermitage in Dunkeld.
