FROM MOUNTAIN TO SEA: A WILD & ROMANTIC ASSYNT ELOPEMENT
Mark + Melissa’s shared love of hiking in the Highlands inspired their wild and romantic Assynt elopement
“We were a little apprehensive about telling our close ones we wanted to elope but managed to find ways to make sure everyone was included in the preparations and post celebrations.”
~ Melissa + Mark
We Fell In Love With…
A loch side ceremony, sunset beach walk, dramatic waterfall portraits and the breathtaking backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.
An Assynt elopement was the perfect choice for Mark & Melissa who share a love for hiking and the Highlands. We can’t get enough of Raini Rowell’s stunning images that capture the intimacy and romance of the day amidst the wilds of Northern Scotland.
Read on to see some beautiful inspo and stay tuned to the end to get some really good advice from this lovely couple.
TELL US ABOUT YOU TWO + YOUR WEDDING JOURNEY
We meet online via Bumble, we chatted for months before we met, building a friendship over shared interests before we met. The biggest thing we had in common was our shared passion for hiking and the Highlands. Mark was on a solo trip in the Highlands, he messaged Melissa for recommendations and we started talking every day. Our first, second and third dates were all hiking trips over England and Wales. By the fifth date we were in Melissa’s van, ecploring Scotland!
Mark proposed on the Isle of Skye in March 2023. We knew straight away we were going to elope and we couldn’t think of anywhere better than Scotland. It’s our dream to relocate here one day. We decided on Loch Na Gainmhich. It has everything we love about the Highlands – waterfalls, dramatic landscapes, quiet beaches, ruins and even small pockets of woodland.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS
We’re both last minute Nellies! Melissa’s dress was from a local boutique – only the third one she tried on! To make it her own Melissa really put the dress alteration team through their paces. She created her own lace pattern, added sleeves, removed skirts and cut off the train to keep it practical. Her shawl was handmade by a friend as a gift. Mark took a more practical approach – after a few hours in Next he had the perfect combo of suit and accessories.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY
We always knew we wanted it to be just us and wanted to feel really feel connected to the people who would be part of our day. We were so fortunate to find the wonderful Raini, Dave and Lynn. We shared morals, interests and humour, on the day it felt like we had our friends by our sides.
After finding out all about different wedding ceremony traditions we decided to include a hand fasting. Mark’s sister gifted us some Skye tartan, a nod to where we got engaged.
On a beach walk in Devon Melissa found a beautiful rock with really unique patterns and shape. Just 5 metres or so ahead Mark found a similar rock. We were amazed to find two rocks that were so similar, and then realised it was one rock that had split in half. We knew that beautiful, unique rock would be our oathing stone.
We both love sunrise and sunset and wanted to take advantage of the light on both. Our favourite thing is to walk the dogs at the beach at sunset. It was so important for us to spend the day doing what we loved, exploring Scotland with friends and taking pictures along the way. We had a short ceremony, exchanging personal vows we had written in mini sketchbooks for each other. We spent our honeymoon on the NC500, filling those sketch books with drawings and journal entries.
TELL US ABOUT THE RECEPTION
We baked our own wedding cake the day before, letting our inner child come out as we decorated it. It was a great way to some pre-wedding time, just enjoying each other’s company.
ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
We were so fortunate, we actually had zero challenges. The only thing were we were slightly disappointed about was the calm weather. In typical Scotland fashion, we wanted rain or snow but we got sun and rainbows! We so lucky though and got a beautiful sunset.
We were a little apprehensive about telling our close ones we wanted to elope but managed to find ways to make sure everyone was included in the preparations and post celebrations.
