Elope to Scotland!
Do you fancy something a little different for your Wedding or Civil Ceremony? Less frills and formality, and more intimate and personal? If so, Scotland is the place for you!
Scotland has a long history of elopment marriages. The 1754 Marriage Act in England and Wales, made it forbidden to marry without your parents’ permission if you were under the age of 21. Consequently young couples from south of the border would make the short trip over the border to Gretna Green to hold their ceremony.
Today it is still easier to get married in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, particularly if you wish to hold a Humanist ceremony. Humaist ceromonies are not recognised in England and Wales. And in Scotland we have perfect locations with majestic scenery – mountains, beaches, forests, and an abundance of accessible castles and historic sites. In Scotland you can get married anywhere, yes anywhere!
So lace your brogues and find out more…
Locations and Right to Roam
Now even though I’m totally biased, Scotland offers offer the best scenery anywhere. Within a small area we have everything from mountains, beaches, moorlands, lochs, forests and all within easy access from our cities. There are too many historic abbeys and castles to name.
And here’s the best bit… You can access nearly all of this land and there’s nothing stopping you from getting married there!
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gave everybody rights of access to land and inland waterways throughout Scotland so long as you behave responsibly. This is known in Scotland as the Right to Roam.
There are some specific exclusions as you’d expect. You can’t just get married in my back garden without asking me, for example. However, the countryside and many of the multitude of ruined castles and abbeys, which are still quite magnificent are completely accessible.
Your Ceremony
In Scotland we have three types of marriage ceremony – Civil, Belief or Religious:
The Legal bit
Scots Law allows you to marry anywhere, as long as you have a bagpiper ;-), and your wedding is officiated by a religious official, Registrar or a non-religious Humanist Society Scotland celebrant. Humanist marriages in Scotland have been legally recognised in Scotland since 2005, unlike in England and Wales where they are not legally recognised.
In Scotland you can also get married at any time of the day, whereas in the rest of the UK you can only get married between 8am and 6pm. This is why most vampires get married in Scotland.