From Switzerland with Love: An Achmelvich Beach Wedding
Sometimes the first hello tells you so much. The email from Jenny arrived in German, full of warmth and a clear, beautiful dream: to get married in Scotland during a grand, six-week campervan adventure through the UK and Ireland. They were coming from Switzerland, and their plan was for something small, intimate, and surrounded by nature.
It’s a testament to their planning that they navigated all the legal requirements, including the Marriage Visa, so efficiently—proof that it absolutely can be done! For the wedding itself, they cleverly paused their campervan journey for a few days, creating a base in Inverness where their friends could join them. It was a smart approach, showing how you can enjoy the city’s amenities while still having your dream ceremony in the wild heart of the North-West Highlands.
My husband and I were looking for someone in Scotland who would conduct a ceremony with us in German. We then came across Monika. We then messaged Monika to see if she had any available dates. Monika responded quickly and also had some available dates. You can tell that Monika puts her heart and soul into her job. We are very happy that we found Monika. She immediately suggested a great location. She was always available to answer any questions. And she tailored the ceremony perfectly for us. Thank you so much, Monika.
Jenny & Remo
On the day, the weather was kind—dry and pleasant. I’ll admit, a small part of me had hoped for one of those perfect blue skies that turns the sea turquoise, but the muted, soft colours of the day had their own quiet beauty, which their photographer friend captured exquisitely. The atmosphere was one of the most relaxed and cheerful I’ve ever had the pleasure of being part of. We all meandered down to the little beach at Achmelvich, full of anticipation. And call it intuition, but in a lovely moment of serendipity, I realised my outfit was a perfect colour match for the wedding party.
The heart of their ceremony was a celebration of their motto: “It’s the little things in life.” Their love story didn’t start with a lightning bolt, but with a hammer at a party game of Nageln. It was over laughter and hammering nails that they first truly connected, ten years ago on the 4th of April, a date I told them was clearly destined for great things, as it’s also my birthday! Their relationship is one built not on grand dramas, but on the joy of shared moments: a film night, a weekend away in their VW bus, a walk with the dogs. I shared a poem that spoke of love not as a fleeting fire, but as a steady, flowing river—a perfect metaphor for their easy, enduring connection.
After a heartfelt handfasting ritual, we looped back to the start of their story, with a very personal ritual… with a hammer that had travelled all the way from home, they drove a single nail into a piece of wood, a wonderfully powerful gesture of their enduring bond. Their vows were strong, clear answers of “Ja, ich will” (“Yes, I will”) to questions about their future together, which felt so perfectly them.
We had a small reminder of the wildness of the Highlands when a friend’s planned musical contribution couldn’t happen due to a lack of signal (a good tip for future couples to always have music downloaded!) But it didn't matter. The day was so full of joy, fun, and so much love going around that nothing could have dampened the mood.
Thank you, Jenny and Remo, for making me a part of your big Scottish adventure and for coming all the way from Switzerland to my beautiful corner of the Highlands. Your day was a perfect reminder that the best weddings are the ones that feel effortlessly, wonderfully you.
