An Idyllic Family Micro Wedding in The Scottish Highlands

After Covid made them press pause on their original wedding plans, Joanna and David tied the knot last summer in an intimate back garden micro wedding in the Scottish Highlands.

With a trip to Elgol on scenic Skye for photos and local suppliers providing delicious produce, the day was as relaxed as it was beautiful. Despite a sprained ankle, a chicken invasion and a one hour round trip on single track roads for makeup! So much to love here…

How did you two meet?

We knew each other all throughout our years at university but didn’t fall for each other until our final year – just before exam season, which was probably a bad move! We seemed to just happen to end up spending more time together and, much to our surprise, found that we were falling for one another.

What inspired your wedding plans?

Because of Covid, we had to change our plans around. Since we were not going to be able to have our big wedding, we decided to make this one as opposite and quirky as possible. Since it was in the Highlands, we wanted to make it truly Scottish with the addition of a friend saying a blessing in Gaelic with the quaich. We wanted it to feel intimate and relaxed. Having it on the decking where we said I love you for the first time two years previously allowed us to do that.

We tried to use small, local businesses where we could for this wedding in order to support the local community that my husband’s parents live in. Pizza Jo’s and The Croft Cafe provided us with delicious food, that gave us the relaxed atmosphere that we wanted. We had a piper at the wedding, who was a 15 year old who lives next door. He played two songs for us and really made the day special.

Tell us about your venue…

David’s parents back garden in Inverinate. Because of Covid, we had to change our wedding plans. We were supposed to get married in a church in Glasgow and then have the reception at Eden Leisure Village in Cumbernauld. (We have moved this to 2021 to have a big celebration).

Since we were not allowed a lot of people, we choose to have the wedding overlooking the mountains and loch at my husband’s parents house in the Highlands. We had our first holiday there and wanted to get married on the decking. The view is breathtaking and family were able to travel there easily.

We love your outfits! Tell us more…

I had tried on many dresses before but everything had too much sparkle and was too low cut. I just wanted something elegant and simple. My mother-in-law had gotten her dress designed and had a great experience so I also went to Mette {Freja Dress Design}. She really listened and made the most beautiful elegant silk dress for me. The top is lovely, with lace on the sleeves. I love that the dress is timeless and so comfortable to wear. Mette was amazing, such a lovely person and she really made my dress special. It was exactly what I wanted and could not find in any shops.

I wore Rainbow room shoes, which were very comfortable. And seaglass earrings and necklace from Rois Sea Glass – she is lovely and makes such unique pieces. My flower crown was from Luna and Wild, an absolutely lovely woman. The flower crown looked very real even though it was made of artificial flowers.

David wore a MacKenzie tartan kilt (given for 21st birthday) and jacket from Slaters.

Your photos are beautiful! 

Rosie made us feel very relaxed and we had a lot of fun with her on the photoshoot at Elgol. She was very supportive when I managed to sprain my ankle while holding my dress descending some rocks. That didn’t ruin the day though, we just carried on and got on with our amazing day.

Tell us more about the flowers and florist…

Donald did an amazing job for us. The flowers were fragrant and beautiful. I couldn’t have dreamed up anything more amazing. They look lovely in the photographs. My bouquet smelled amazing, and the flowers were so bright and fragrant. Donald really went above and beyond.

What was your first dance song?

Easter Island – Treacherous Orchestra. It’s a beautiful piece of music that we had a dance to under the stars the first time we said “I love you”, on the same deck we got married on!

Were there any challenges along the way?

Where to begin… As with many couples we had to re-organise all of our plans because of the pandemic. Because of legislation, I had to travel to the make up artist on the morning of the wedding, 30 minutes away on single track roads.

I sprained my ankle on the wedding day. I only got my wedding dress a few days before the wedding and the rings two days before.

Did you manage to stick to your budget?

Yes, it was a very reduced budget due to the number of people.

Any advice?


Getting married is the most important thing. Don’t get distracted by how many people you can have or not having the seemingly ‘fairytale perfect day’. It’s just about the love that you share and being together. All the other stuff doesn’t matter and it shouldn’t.

We thought that we had planned the perfect day but our small ceremony turned out to be even better. We still look forward to celebrating next year with family and friends but getting married was our priority and we are so blessed by the day we had and the people that made it possible.

Honeymoon or minimoon?

We went to Skye for a few days, Aviemore and the Lake District to a place that we stay in every December. It was lovely to relax after the wedding and have time climbing munros and walking around lochs.

What’s the one moment you’ll always remember? 

Signing the register whilst David’s brother performed a song he had written for us, then there being a large gust of wind and the register almost blowing away down the hill! That or the invasion of the neighbour’s chickens part way through the ceremony!

We LOVE the way Joanna and David turned lemons into lemonade! What incredible memories to have made. x