Outdoor Weddings in Scotland – Planning Guide & Key Facts
An outdoor wedding in Scotland can take place in woodland, gardens, courtyards, beside rivers or in other suitable outdoor locations.
The scenery can be spectacular, but planning an outdoor Scottish wedding also means thinking about the weather, guest access, an indoor alternative and the practical arrangements for the ceremony.
This guide explains how outdoor weddings in Scotland work and what couples should consider before deciding where to hold their ceremony.
If you are specifically looking for an outdoor wedding venue, see:
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Outdoor Wedding Venue Scotland – Logie Country House →
Can You Legally Get Married Outdoors in Scotland?
Yes.
Marriage ceremonies in Scotland can take place at an indoor or outdoor location.
The location needs to be agreed with the registrar or authorised celebrant conducting the ceremony and must be accessible to them.
This is one of the reasons Scotland gives couples considerable flexibility when choosing where their ceremony takes place.
For official information, see the
National Records of Scotland marriage guidance.
What Types of Outdoor Wedding Are Possible?
Outdoor weddings can take many forms.
Common choices include:
Woodland ceremonies
Trees provide a natural setting for a ceremony and can give a woodland wedding a more private, informal atmosphere.
For couples specifically interested in this style, see:
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Forest & Woodland Weddings →
Garden and lawn ceremonies
Gardens and lawns provide more open space and can make seating larger numbers of guests relatively straightforward.
Courtyard ceremonies
A courtyard can provide an outdoor setting while remaining close to the main house, accommodation and indoor facilities.
Riverside ceremonies
Where a venue has suitable private grounds, riverside locations can provide a particularly attractive setting for the ceremony and photographs.
Planning for Scottish Weather
Weather is the obvious consideration when planning an outdoor wedding in Scotland.
That does not mean an outdoor ceremony is impractical.
The important thing is to have a realistic alternative available.
Useful considerations include:
- Having an indoor ceremony location ready if required
- Waiting until close to the ceremony before making the final decision
- Making sure chairs and ceremony equipment can be moved quickly
- Considering wind as well as rain
- Thinking about ground conditions for guests
- Providing umbrellas if the forecast is uncertain
At Logie Country House, outdoor ceremonies can be moved indoors if conditions make the original plan unsuitable.
Outdoor Weddings in Spring
Spring can provide fresh greenery, blossom and longer days.
Weather can still change quickly, so couples planning an outdoor spring ceremony should retain an indoor alternative.
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Spring Weddings at Logie →
Outdoor Weddings in Summer
Summer provides the longest daylight hours and generally gives couples the greatest opportunity to use outdoor spaces throughout the wedding day.
However, even summer weddings in Scotland benefit from having an indoor alternative available.
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Summer Weddings at Logie →
Outdoor Weddings in Autumn
Autumn can be particularly attractive for woodland weddings because of changing leaf colours and softer light.
Couples should also consider shorter daylight hours and changing ground conditions later in the season.
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Autumn Weddings at Logie →
Outdoor Weddings in Winter
An outdoor winter ceremony is possible, but temperature, daylight and weather become more significant considerations.
Some couples instead use outdoor areas briefly for photographs while holding the ceremony itself indoors.
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Winter Weddings at Logie →
Guest Access at an Outdoor Wedding
The ceremony location needs to work for the people you have invited, not just look good in photographs.
Consider:
- Distance from the main venue
- Ground conditions
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Older guests or guests with limited mobility
- Access to toilets and other facilities
- How quickly guests can move indoors if necessary
At Logie, there are outdoor ceremony choices close to the house as well as locations farther into the private grounds.
Outdoor Weddings at Logie Country House
Logie Country House is near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland.
Couples can choose from several outdoor areas around the estate, including:
- The courtyard
- The lawns in front of the house
- Riverside areas beside the River Urie
- Private woodland
- The private island
- Areas around the three Pictish stones
The house and grounds are exclusively yours throughout your wedding stay.
If the weather changes, there are indoor alternatives rather than the ceremony depending entirely on the forecast.
For full details of actually holding your wedding here, see:
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Outdoor Weddings at Logie Country House →
Outdoor Wedding Photography
One advantage of an outdoor ceremony is that the ceremony itself becomes part of the photographic setting.
At Logie, possible backgrounds include:
- The River Urie
- Bennachie
- The woodland
- The lawns and country house
- The courtyard
- The Highland cows
The ceremony does not need to be outdoors for couples to use these locations for photographs.
Should You Have an Outdoor Wedding in Scotland?
An outdoor ceremony can work extremely well if you like the idea of being surrounded by the landscape rather than inside a traditional ceremony room.
The main requirement is flexibility.
Choose a location you genuinely like, have a good indoor alternative available and avoid designing the whole wedding around the assumption that the weather must behave in a particular way.
For couples considering Logie specifically:
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Explore Outdoor Weddings at Logie →
