Scottish Halloween elopement

When Australians Ami(she/her) and John(he/him) contacted us for their Scottish Halloween elopement – we  were ecstatic.

Pagan and moody were their main theme – how could we ever say no? Those are two of the things we absolutely adore.

Surfer dude John was marrying the love of his life – his viking queen Ami. These two were an absolute hoot and we enjoyed chatting to them so much that this call lasted nearly two hours long. Being neurodivergent buddies, we all just took on many side quests along the way – but we got there in the end! These two had decided to elope in Scotland at the fantastic Roulette Retreat. There was talk of llamas making an appearance too and a ceremony by moonlight. It was the dream!

Fast forward a few months and we are making our way to the rustic Roulette Retreat making our way through the ground to get to the beautifully fashioned carriage where Ami was getting ready. Her hair done in a Viking-style braid by the lovely Lauren Gilmore Hair and Beauty.

We love Lauren and work with her all the time, as she is a recommended supplier.

Once we said started snapping and chatting away the excitement was evitable. John was helping set up the area in which we would have our moonlit ceremony later. If knowingly approving of us being there and this gorgeous Scottish elopement mother Nature sent a little mouse that found sanctuary on Ami’s lap whilst she was getting ready. This little creature slept through the whole duration of this process and finally bid us farewell when it was ready to go and greet the llamas.

The couple spent some time trekking around the grounds with their new furry friends. We had loads of laughs when Melissa decided to whilst snapping the two, find the only bit of dog poop on the grounds and stepped in it. We all got a good work out from laughing as she tried her best to get rid of this on her shoe.

When the excitement was over it was time to get Ami into her dress and for this Scottish pagan elopement to become official.

The moonlit ceremony was to be performed by the lovely @thesoulfulcelebrant Andrea Taylor. She had all the elements ready in each corner of the ceremony area. John had picked a serene clearing between the trees where the moonlight could peek through and illuminate the two.

There, surrounded by their closest loved ones from Australia, the two made their promises. They even had a gorgeous pagan hand-fasting ceremony and later jumped the broom. It was a perfectly crafted ceremony which suited these two. 

Later, we made our way to the hall, adorned with Halloween decorations for this Halloween elopement Roulette Retreat. The two ordered take-aways for everyone. This day so unique as it was an untraditional elopement. After cutting the cake, we made our way outside where the two enjoyed some celebrations with sparklers. Goodnights were bid and everyone made their way to bed.

Ami and John booked us for a two day adventure session, which meant we would be enjoying another day of photos with them the next morning.

We filled the old brass tub with hot water, and the two enjoyed a steamy intimate photo session before we headed off - cliffside. 

We absolutely adored capturing the chemistry between Ami and John. They were easy to photograph as they truly embraced being themselves. It helped that we had a great laugh with them too. All in all, these two were lovely to capture for their beautiful Scottish elopement.

Stay wild, moon child.

The Snashfolds x