Islay – the perfect destination for your Scottish elopement.

Scotland is a country blessed with rich and rugged landscapes.

So what makes Islay the number one destination?

It’s really simple! It’s just the varied landscape, the sunsets, the hills, the whisky, the people, the venues, the laid-back atmosphere, the beaches, the food, the villages… I could go on!

The Light…

As a photographer, the thing I love about Islay is the quality of the light, though we’re a small island, you have over 37 beaches and bays to make your own, so if you want to be captured at sunrise or sunset, there’s a spot to find it rise or set over the ocean, and what could be more amazing than that!

Saligo Bay - a perfect location for your elopement.

An elopement for every season!

Islay is quite different in each season: days that never get dark in the height of summer, to dramatic clouds in the autumn. All you need to do pick what’s most YOU!

Summer Elopement

Picture your summer elopement, being married on the gentle, lapping waves of the sheltered Claggain Bay, before donning your hiking boots and heading up Beinn Bheigier (Islay’s tallest peak) for the elopement pictures social media dreams of.

Autumn

Picture your autumn elopement at Saligo, a fresh breeze mixes with the crashing roar of the waves as you take your vows, then we head off down the sands for the pictures you’ve always dreamed of, backlit by the setting sun.

Winter

Picture your winter elopement. Married in the shelter of Kilchiaran Bay, then take your images as the waterfalls cascade down to the shore, head off into the streams and valleys above, to capture the last of the light in the winter sun, then head back to your hotel for drams, an open fire and music playing as you return the Islay life to your limbs.

Spring

A time of bluebells, spring clouds, lambs and life. Treat yourself to a wedding in the woods, followed by a shoot at Machir Bay, or on the sands of Loch Gruinart.

Never been to Islay before?

Let me paint you a picture – getting onto the ferry doesn’t just transport you to another part of Scotland, it takes you to it’s own world where the whisky, the weather, the wildlife and the working landscape all blend together into it’s own magical place.

Land in picturesque Port Ellen and you find yourself in a small fishing village, immediately besieged by thoughts to head straight to Laphroaig, Lagavulin or Ardbeg, all distilleries in one 3 mile stretch across the south of Islay. Land at Port Askaig and you rise out of the Port into the rolling hills of North East Islay; again, three distilleries within a few miles. Enjoy and return the Islay Wave as you make your way to your accommodation. Then, immediately, get yourself a hip flask and dram, and head to Machir or Saligo Bays. There are no better places to immediately feel like you are immersed in the Islay spirit. Any travel weariness you felt will be washed away by the Atlantic breeze/wind/gale.

 If I haven’t captured your imagination now, then you’ve no choice, you’ll just have to come and find out for yourself!

Wee COVID19 note: My Islay Wedding and Ben Shakespeare Photography are certified 'Good to Go' and I'm more than happy to answer any questions to help you make your visit a safe one for you and the Island.