Here at Bog Cotton we absolutely love an Arisaig wedding. Paula actually lives in Arisaig so there’s not much she doesn’t know about the beautiful little village with its white sandy beaches and rugged coastline. Many of the weddings we have officiated and photographed here have actually been little Scottish elopements but a few, like Nils and Fiona’s, were just a tiny bit bigger which goes to prove that going larger definitely doesn’t mean that you have to throw your plans for a fun and relaxing wedding out the window. Through these photographs of Nils and Fiona’s little Arisaig Wedding at Borrodale House, featuring dogs, plenty of cake and a yurt, I hope to show how even a medium-sized wedding can be simply perfect.
We make no apologies for the fact that there are probably too many photographs of Nils and Fiona’s beautiful dog Isla. Both Trevor and I have always had a soft spot for whippets (or any dog really), and Isla was always hanging about in that very photogenic way that whippets are able to do so effortlessly, so it was hard to resist. Nils’ mother also bought her little dog along for the wedding, all the way from the Netherlands, and so relaxed was the wedding that he enjoyed the ceremony perched upon her knee. Fiona had even painted a dog onto her denim jacket.
The fact that Borrodale House is simply a large property means that you are free to run your day exactly as you want (here is another wedding there that Trevor photographed there just a couple of years ago). Fiona and Nils had hired an absolutely brilliant yurt from Dragonfly Yurts and filled it with food from local supplier Bloom and Graze and all the wonderful flowers were by Moss Carder who I would say are local-ish, but they come from the island of South Uist which meant they had quite a journey (100% worth it though, the flowers were stunning). Apparently they also had some pizzas, after we had both gone home, from the ultra-local Arisaig Bread Shed.
Although we missed the pizzas, all was not lost. Due to a Dutch custom that needs to be assimilated into ours ASAP, we did get a slice of cake. Unlike here in the UK where the cake is cut just before dinner is served, or increasingly more common, just before the first dance, they cut it right after the ceremony. As a cake-lover I must say that is the best idea ever because it means that folk actually get to eat the cake when they want it rather than having to take it home in a damp napkin because they’d already eaten five times their weight in roast beef. Let’s encourage this at more weddings!
Borrodale House is a beautiful place in its own right but Fiona and Nils were keen to visit nearby Larachmhor Gardens with Isla for a few pictures with Trevor away from their guests and in a different setting. The ancient woodlands are brilliant for photography and that, combined with Trevor’s relaxed documentary style of photography, meant that they managed to make some really nice photographs there. Trevor actually photographed an entire wedding at Larachmhor a few years ago, but they did have special permission because the groom’s father was the caretaker of the gardens.
If you choose the right suppliers and rethink what you want your wedding to be about you can make a fantastic and uniquely memorable wedding day for yourselves. Although we are first and foremost a photographer and a celebrant we are more than happy to help and can offer advice on many aspects of your day. In fact we have already helped dozens of couples create their perfect Scottish Highland elopements and Arisaig weddings as part of our Bog Cotton gang. If you are hoping to plan your own Arisaig wedding or Arisaig elopement please let us know and I will be more than happy to talk through your ideas with you and help you figure out the best way to integrate some of our wonderful scenery into your day to get the best results.
