A wild micro wedding on Isle of Skye, Scotland – Leanne & Daniel
You may think that the idea of a “micro wedding” was birthed with the emergence of Covid-19, however, you couldn’t be more wrong!
Micro weddings have been around FOREVER! They were just rather unimaginatively called “intimate celebrations” or, quite simply, “small weddings” instead. All 2020 can lay claim to is coining the term “micro wedding”. Hopefully, the new name will stick because I can see micro weddings being a positive change for the wedding industry.
When Leanne & Daniel approached me about their wedding photography I was ecstatic to learn that their plans were completely unordinary. Not only were they escaping to the beautiful Isle of Skye with a tight-knit group of 25 friends and family, but they were also planning to say their I-do’s outdoors at a legendary fairy glen, after which they were hiring a small pub on the coast and partying (loudly) into the night. All in all, the perfect day!
I had never shot a wedding with fewer than 50 guests prior to Leanne & Daniel’s wedding and I did wonder how the evening would look, having been used to busy dancefloors in large venues. But I have no idea why I even questioned it; I have known Leanne for years and, having shot a few of her friend’s weddings, I should have realised that the night was always set to be a blinder.
The pub was also the PERFECT size for the group that attended. Once the Ceilidh band started playing and everyone was boogying along to the acoustic goodness, the mini dancefloor was always overflowing.
So if I was to give any advice to someone hoping to plan a micro wedding is to match your venue with your group size. It will ensure you fill the place with love and laughter instead of awkward silences and echoes.
Anyway, enough of me harping on, I’ll let Leanne & Daniel tell you about how their mini yet busy wedding day went…
OUR WEDDING SOUNDTRACK
Click on the image to listen to Leanne & Daniel’s wedding soundtrack while you enjoy the rest of their blog post.
Music was a massive part of our wedding. We hired a fab local band called ‘Skye Blue’ who are a 4 piece acoustic cover band. They played a great extended set and they really fitted in with our crazy Liverpool gang.
For our drinks reception, we decided to bring Liverpool to Skye so we put together a “Made in Liverpool” playlist, full of amazing hits from Liverpool bands and artists.
I also made a “4-song first-dance mega-mix” to bring the first dance & Father/Daughter dance together. My dad wasn’t big on the idea of an announcement before our dance so I told him I would just grab him. He also didn’t know what the song was going to be as I wanted to surprise him. I picked Kylie because I was obsessed with her when I was younger. Both my mum and dad had to patiently watch my Kylie videotape on repeat that had all her music videos on.
WEDDING PLANNING STUFF
We both agreed I would do the planning and Daniel would help when I needed him. The planning was relatively smooth considering most of the suppliers were in Skye, but I have to say a big thank you to Anna (from the Ferry Inn) for this. With the help of a Pinterest board, Anna understood my wedding vision and turned it into a reality.
There was one disaster that came in the form of a tooth abscess. Daniel’s face ballooned up a few days before the wedding after we already had travelled to Skye. Luckily, with a couple of trips to the dentist and some strong antibiotics, the swelling reduced in time. Phew!
TOP TIP
Keep a wedding diary and list EVERYTHING!!
It’s best to know where you are up to with your planning so you don’t have any nasty surprises later on.
(Also, when it’s getting stressful don’t bottle it up – share it with a bridesmaid, that’s part of their role.)
OUR FAVOURITE PARTS OF THE DAY
The whole day was full of so many mini special moments. It goes by so quickly, you have to grab every moment you can.
Leanne: “Our portraits with Amy was a highlight for me. Not that I love getting my pictures being taken, because I don’t, but because it was just us alone. Driving over the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye was a great moment. It’s one of my favourite drives anyway, but being with Daniel squashed in the back of Amy’s little Toyota Yaris, with the adrenaline of just getting married, was a massive buzz.”
Also, we both loved our first dance megamix. Dancing together to songs we love with our friends and family, everyone with big smiles, it was just amazing.
WHY WE CHOSE AMY
As soon as we agreed to plan a wedding I said to Daniel that I wanted Amy to be our photographer. I’ve followed Amy’s career since the beginning and was instantly drawn to her non-conventional wedding photography style. I also knew Amy personally so felt I would be more relaxed with her and I also knew that she would be on board with my wedding ideas. Amy and I are both obsessed with Scotland so I knew I could trust her to capture the spirit of the island as well as our big day.
We loved working with Amy on the day, it was just so easy. We never once felt posed or like the camera was in our face. If anything Amy was like a ninja weaving amongst the wedding.
OUR FAVOURITE PHOTOS
Can’t choose one, we love them all!!
From the moment Amy posted that AMAZING sneak peek of us on top of the Quirang I knew Amy was worth every penny and more. The picture with the cliffs is a showstopper.
We also love the evening picture with Uig bay in the background, it makes me smile so much. Not just because I love that view but also because I am holding Daniel’s hand – he was so drunk! And still to this day it’s a lovely hazy memory of our time away from the party for a little while.
AND FINALLY…
Weddings can look however you want them to look. It’s so easy to be sucked in and to start following the “wedding norm”, spending your money on a day for everyone else, so be careful of that.
Daniel & I knew we wanted a small, intimate wedding day from the start and, throughout the whole process, we stayed true to this, keeping the day how we wanted it. Our family & friends were supportive of our choices but, at times, they definitely thought we were mad.
In the end, our day included just 25 guests, all of whom loved us enough to drive over 400 miles from their homes to a small bay in the Isle of Skye. They were also happy to risk standing outside in a glen that is very much open to the elements in April! Our other 100+ friends and family understood that we couldn’t invite them all, so we had a massive party for them all later in the year!
Don’t worry about making your day to please everyone else it’s your day – do whatever you want!
ALL THE AMAZING SUPPLIERS
Ceremony venue: Fairy Glen
Reception venue: The Ferry Inn
Dress: W.Too by Watters from Flamingo Boulevard Bridal Studio
Shoes: Sophie Webster
Groom’s suit: Marc Darcy
Bridesmaids dresses: ASOS
Groomsmens suits: Marc Darcy
Flowers: Carole’s Flowers Skye
Cake: Cakes by Fiona MacKinnon
Makeup: Skye Beauty Salon & Eilidh Matheson Makeup
Hair: Skye Beauty Salon
Oh no, it looks like you’ve come to the end!!
Well don’t end your blog journey here – make sure you head over to one of my other blog posts to read more advice and see more images from my other gorgeous couples weddings by clicking on one of the images below.
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