Remote Scottish wedding inspiration for the brave adventurers; “Forget about all the preconceived ideas of what a wedding should or shouldn’t be and follow your heart.”
Donna and Bjoern initially had the idea for their remote Scottish wedding when they were travelling the NC500 by camper-van. If you haven’t heard of the NC500, you should 100% check it out! Accidentally stumbling on the picturesque Clachan Church in Applecross, what was meant to be a 5 minute nosey turned into a couple of hours sitting quietly together, putting the world to rights. The most beautiful thing about this story? They both separately realised that they could see marrying the other in the gorgeous building, but neither breathed a word of it at that time. Be still, our goddam beating hearts :)
“We were stunned by its pure simplicity and wonderful warm light. A feeling of complete peace and happiness washed over me while we were there…”
Donna and Bjoern knew that their dream of a remote Scottish wedding wouldn’t be without a few challenges;
“We were set on Clachan Church for the ceremony, but the area has no hotels or reception venues within a reasonable distance. Only by finding Couldoran House we could make our wedding happen! It provided not only a reception venue but also accommodation for our guests. Furthemore its kitchen facilities allowed for catering the wedding meal. In the end Couldoran House became the centre piece of a gathering that allowed our closest family and friends to stay together and really get to know each other for a week over the wedding.”
Stuart (a former wonderful Groom of ours!) setting about cleaning our car. I was driving Donna’s lovely Mam over the pass to the ceremony and our car was pretty dirty on the outside, so Stuart, Donna’s Dad and a few guests cleaned it when I arrived. I was mortified ahaha! What can I say, we drive hard ;) Thanks guys!
“I had thought that keeping our wedding really small would mean that there wouldn’t be much planning to do. I had not anticipated how much time it would take to work out the details. Many of which were a result of us organising everything ourselves and not being able to rely on a ‘wedding venue’ for assistance. We needed to plan much more than just a wedding, as we had to care for our guests who had travelled from far away. There is a lot to organise for a number of guests to stay in a self catering accommodation: we provided food and drink, asked our guests to participate in cooking and housekeeping.”
With Couldoran House as a base Donna & Bjoern and their guests were faced with quite a tricky road to drive to get to the church, and later back to the house. The Bealach Na Ba, or Pass of the Cattle as it is also known offers stunning views at the top, but it is reached by way of a long, winding, single track road high up into the mountain. Not for the faint hearted at all!
After the ceremony the newlyweds invited their guests to Applecross beach for their reception, where they were treated to the sight of a herd of deer enjoying the sun alongside them. Just, unreal.
A few months before their wedding, Donna and Bjoern found out that the Pass would be closed to tourists due to the Bealach Mor cycle race. This would mean driving the only other road to Applecross, which would take 1 hour and 45 minutes instead of the 45 minutes Donna and Bjoern had planned for. Thankfully, Donna spoke to the organisers and they were so helpful – allowing Donna, Bjoern and their small number of guests to access the pass while it would be closed. It was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience driving the pass while it was closed to other cars, I don’t think any of us will ever forget it. On the way back to Couldoran, Liam and I took Donna and Bjoern in our car so that we could stop for their couples photographs at the top…it, was, incredible;
“My most vivid memory from the day is when we drove back over the Bealach Na Ba after the ceremony – it was stunning in the sunshine! I guess it’s a little unusual to see a wedding couple up on a mountain, and the people passing by were so excited to see us – waving, cheering, wishing us well. I especially remember a french couple that politely asked (in their very broken English) if they could take a photograph of us. Before they left they wished us a “Be Happy” in their thick french accent with a warmth and genuineness that made us both smile.”
On arrival back to Couldoran House Donna and Bjoern were piped in amidst cheering from their friends and family. After a quick confetti run they launched straight into their first dance – or well, a group ceilidh as the sun set over Loch Carron. Magical :) There is only one thing we love more than a Scottish ceilidh, and that is non-Scots taking part in a Scottish Ceilidh ;)
After the outdoor ceilidh, the guests moved inside for a relaxed take on the wedding speeches, before sharing a meal together from Kishorn Kitchen whilst chatting in the last of the sunshine…
Dreaming of your own remote Scottish wedding? Donna and Bjoern have this wonderful advice;
“You are doing the right thing! Forget about all the preconceived ideas of what a wedding should or shouldn’t be and follow your heart. Do your own thing and politely dismiss unconstructive criticism, you are planning the day for you and not for anyone else. When its all over you need to be able to look back for the rest of your life and say wholeheartedly that your wedding was just how YOU wanted it.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Donna, Bjoern, thank you for EVERYTHING. We adore you guys :)
If you are planning your own sweet remote Scottish wedding, you just have to contact us. We may cry if you don’t ;D You might also find our blog on eloping useful, or our blogs on planning your own relaxed wedding timeline :)
With thanks to D&B’s other wedding suppliers, Ameli Bridal, Donna’s cousin Emma Thomson MUA for Hair and Makeup and Loch Duich Plants for the wedding flowers.