Chilly alternative lockdown wedding ceremony outdoors at Loch Lomond with just two witnesses

Carole Young & Stephen Macfarlane

12th March 2021

Venue | Luss Pier, Loch Lomond
Photography | Victoria Charlotte Rose Photography

groom with dreadlocks wearing tartan fly plaid kissing leather jacket wearing bride with black and blue hair

“Stephen and I got engaged at the end of October 2020 while we were out hiking in the hills, something we really love doing.

We both said we didn’t want a long engagement and started planning the wedding soon after. We’d always wanted a small wedding, so being restricted to under 20 guests wasn’t going to be a problem.

Our wedding was largely booked and paid by mid-December 2020: I had my dress chosen, venue confirmed, suppliers on board and deposits paid.  However, as it neared our wedding date, it became apparent that even the little wedding we’d planned would not go ahead.

Regardless, we decided to go ahead and get married in Luss – just the two of us and two witnesses as was legally allowed at that point – but on the pier, rather than in the venue we’d initially booked.

We were pretty set on Luss as our location. Clan Macfarlane originate from the village and I thought it fitting that that was where I’d take Stephen’s surname.

There was heavy sleet when we parked up on the day of the wedding. I was wearing a short lace dress and Stephen was in a kilt! We decided to hold off and within a few minutes, the weather miraculously cleared. It stayed off for the duration of our lovely wee humanist ceremony, led by celebrant David Kennedy.

Once I found out I couldn’t get my original wedding dress altered due to the restrictions, I had to look online. I veered away from the ‘traditional’ wedding look and found a cool lace dress on boohoo and wore it with Irregular Choice shoes and my leather biker jacket over the top.

After the ceremony, I had prepared a picnic for us to eat back at the car. Neither of us drink, so we toasted our marriage with a few glasses of ‘No-secco’. I also made six cupcakes which read ‘C heart S 12 03 21’.

We are hoping to have a small family get-together at some point to properly celebrate with our nearest and dearest. We still have our reception booking to rearrange – the hard part is trying to secure a date!”

Top tip: “Stick with your gut; don’t let your wedding plans grow arms and legs. All along, all I wanted was to get married outside and have a meal with my family.”

Celebrant David Kennedy, Independent Humanist Ceremonies
Bride’s dress boohoo
Bride’s shoes Irregular Choice
Bouquet made by bride’s mum
Cake homemade cupcakes
Catering homemade picnic in car

bride wearing short lace dress and black bolero walking with a person wearing a skirt on the pier at Luss at Loch Lomondbride and female wedding guest walking along pier at Luss Loch Lomondfour people standing on the end of the pier in Luss Loch Lomond for an outdoor lockown wedding ceremonybride and groom standing on the pier at Luss while male wedding celebrant leads their wedding ceremonymale wedding celebrant performing handfasting ceremony with bride and groom on Luss Pierbride and groom tying tartan handfasting ribbon on Luss Pierbride and groom holding hands on Luss Piergroom with dreadlocks and tartan fly plaid making funny face while trying to put wedding ring on bride during wedding ceremony on Luss Pierbride and groom laughing during wedding ceremony on Luss Pierbride and groom hugging and laughing after being married in ceremony on Luss Pierelated bride holding bouquet in air with groom wearing tartan fly plaid with Loch Lomond in backgroundfour people walking through the village of Luss at Loch Lomondhead to head image of bride and groom smiling at each otherbride wearing short lace dress kissing dreadlocked groom on the banks of Loch Lomond with trees in backgroundbride and groom posing on the banks of Loch Lomondbride and groom fastening padlock on wire at Loch Lomondbride and groom hugging looking out onto Loch Lomondbride and groom with two wedding witnesses making rock signs with hands on the shores of Loch Lomondsmiling bride and groom with two ceremony witnesses posing on the banks of Loch Lomondgroom with dreadlocks kissing bride on headgroom popping cork on a bottle of fizzy non-alcoholic wine standing with brideoverflowing bottle of non-alcoholic wine with alternative bride and groom laughing on wedding dayhand holding pink plastic wine glass while another hand pours in fizzy winechocolate and white buttercream cupcakes with chocolate lettering spelling out wedding date and initials