How to Plan a Last Minute Wedding in Scotland
Destination weddings don’t have to take a year of planning to happen, you can organise a last minute elopement to Scotland within three months and still have it turn out just as magical as you hoped. The recent restrictions caused by Coronavirus might have left you feeling like you can no longer wait to tie the knot, so if you’re looking to get married as soon as you can but also want to live out your dream of a destination wedding in Scotland, then read on to find out how to make your Scottish elopement happen quickly and simply!
Image by The Caryls
Book an Elopement Planner
We would definitely recommend booking with an elopement planner if you want to have your destination wedding as soon as you can. The main reason for this is that it saves you a lot of research time. By all means come to us with a preferred venue/photographer/florist that you’ve found but what we can offer is the local knowledge and connections to these suppliers to create a swift booking. If you have already booked some suppliers then we would suggest employing a planner who knows at least a couple of your pre-existing vendors and has a good working relationship with them. This will instantly mean that your elopement planner has access to more open information and conversation with your vendors.
With a destination elopement wedding there are more aspects to arrange and research such as airport travel, local accommodation and activities to ensure every moment of your trip to Scotland is special! It would be our recommendation that you opt for an experienced destination wedding professional who is used to planning elopements in Scotland – whether that might be intimate weddings or very large events.
It is so important to hire an experienced professional because ultimately you are looking for someone to guide you through the process as with their expertise and knowledge they will make your wedding happen quickly and and simplify things for you at the same time.
We’d recommend seeking a full-time team, who have a lasting track record and can provide cover during times of absence due to sickness or leave, so that you aren’t left in the lurch at any point awaiting a reply!
Image by Sean Bell
Legal Requirements
First off, you need to know the logistics and legal requirements to get married in Scotland. To be legally married in Scotland, you must fulfil the following criteria:
You and your partner must both be single, divorced, widowed or have dissolved a previously legally recognised partnership.
You must be over the age of sixteen.
You must not be closely related to each other.
You must be capable of understanding the commitment of marriage.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this blog, with some planning and preparation it is possible that you can arrange a legal destination or elopement marriage in Scotland within three months.
Where and when - Firstly you need to look into where in Scotland you want to get married. If the abundance of gorgeous scenery and castles is making this decision too difficult, visit Destination Wedding Scotland to be paired with a venue that suits your needs, free of charge!
Obtain your Visa – Good news, you can skip this part if you live in the UK or EU economic area! For all other international couples, three months before your wedding day (and no earlier) you can apply for a marriage visitors visa. It is also worth reminding friends and family that may be joining you to apply for their visas to ensure everyone can make it.
Tell the local Registry - Once you have applied for your visa you should get in touch with the registry office local to your chosen venue and submit a marriage notice form, also known as an M10 form. You must ensure you submit this no later than 29 days before your wedding and you fill out 1 form each.
Collect the Schedule – This is the certificate that you sign on your Wedding day to make it completely legal. The week of your Wedding, your marriage schedule will become available for you to collect – note it must be one of you who collects it. This must be returned to your local registry office either by your Registrar (in the case of a Civil ceremony) or by you no later than 7 days after your wedding (in the case of a Religious-Belief or Humanist ceremony).
As long as you are prepared with your supplier bookings and personal documents, this process should go very smoothly and you’ll be ready to have the elopement wedding you’ve always dreamed of! For more in-depth information on the legal requirements and documents needed for your elopement wedding then head to our blog on making your Scottish wedding a reality.
Consider a More Intimate Ceremony
Depending on how soon you choose to elope, you may find that not all of your guests manage to make it with short notice. You might want to preempt this by choosing to have an intimate ceremony with just some family and close friends, or maybe even just the two of you! Due to social distancing measures as well as the restrictions of large group meetings in 2020 and the foreseeable future, you may find that an intimate ceremony will work better all round. Intimate ceremonies can be so beautiful - picture yourselves saying your vows somewhere like Dunnottar Castle with the North Sea behind you or Eilean Donan Castle surrounded by the mountains of Skye.