Wintry Loch Morlich Elopement
Susan and Stuart were due to be married at the Big Husky Lodge, Aviemore, in June 2020. They, along with countless other couples had their plans quashed by CV19. Aside from being upset at their own disappointment, they recognised the impact the virus was having on businesses like mine and we so kind to me. We had a number of phone calls and WhatsApp conversations as they figured out a Plan B. After taking some time to re-group, they decided to move to May 2021.
November 2020 arrived, along with a lovely email from the couple with their news. They recognised that holding a large wedding in the early part of 2021 was probably risky and decided to elope in early December 2020 instead; they invited me to be their witness.
When Stuart and Susan booked me, they’d done so on my full day rate at £1650. That was no longer suitable for an elopement so we switched over to my hourly pricing at £245 per hour. As their wedding was an outdoor elopement, we knew it was likely to ahead. It was still a tense wait.
Their Plan C turned out to be the best!
A word on the in-between prior to Susan and Stuart’s elegant elopement. Susan contracted Covid at the beginning of the 2020. Her journey has been, and continues to be, a tough one. She developed double pneumonia and, unfortunately, has long Covid. Given her experience, a quiet celebration was fitting. It fitted these lovely souls who just wanted to get married; who just wanted to tune out to the sadness of the world; who just wanted their own private island of happiness.
I’ll never forget the moment their car got stuck in the main car park for Loch Morlich. Stuart and I dug and pushed, dug and pushed until, thanks to our relentless determination, the car glided over the snow and back onto the main road.
Another particularly memorable moment was their first dance. We created a dance floor from gin bottles and candles on the snow covered garden out the back of their Aviemore accommodation. They brought an impressive sound system to ensure they didn’t compromise on the beauty of that moment.
