Lukas & Hanna: An AustrianWedding in Assynt
When Lukas and Hanna decided to come to Scotland for their wedding, they already knew the country well enough to know what they were looking for: not a beach, but something quieter and more sheltered, with mountains behind and a loch in view. I was particularly delighted that they ended up in my own corner of the North-West Highlands, and we found exactly the right spot at Glencanisp, just outside Lochinver, with the Glen Loch in front and Suilven, Assynt's most iconic mountain, rising behind. On the day itself, Suilven was being somewhat uncooperative, disappearing behind cloud for long stretches and only emerging occasionally, but when it did show itself, the setting was everything it promised to be.
The weather that day changed its mind approximately every three minutes, which in the Highlands is not unusual and in its own way is not without charm. The rainy episodes were brief, it was a little less windy than forecast, and Lukas and Hanna took it all entirely in their stride. Some couples find the elements unsettling. These two simply got on with it, which suited the day and suited them.
The ceremony was in German, reflecting where the couple come from, and it was a warm and personal telling of a relationship that had grown slowly and steadily over ten years: from a study group in Graz, through travels together across Scotland, Scandinavia and beyond, to a proposal in the snow in Bad Aussee and eventually to this hillside in Assynt. The handfasting was at the heart of the ceremony, with a cord made by a close friend at home in Austria, so that a little piece of home travelled with them to Scotland for the day. Their personal vows were spoken before the knot was pulled closed together.
Interested in the idea to combine an elopement with a honeymoon - read this article about getting married on the move.
Photo: Karo @ Regenweibchen Photography
And then came the moment that made this ceremony particularly its own. At many Scottish weddings the first act a couple shares after the declaration is a drink of whisky from the quaich. Lukas and Hanna had other ideas. They had brought a piece of cake with them and two forks, and that was what they shared as their first act as husband and wife. It was personal, it was joyful, and it was, in the very best sense, thoroughly Austrian.
Congratulations, Lukas and Hanna. May there always be cake, and may Schottland keep drawing you back.