Issue Thirteen · Page 40Autumn and Winter 2026–27 · page 40Romantic Rituals.
Rosie Steer explores the magical allure of a Scottish elopement, past and present
WordsRosie SteerPhotographyThe Kitcheners
Photograph · The Kitcheners
When I was wee, holidays meant adventures along the Fife coast where we lived, or trips to the Lakes and southern Scotland with family. One of my fondest memories is visiting Gretna Green in Dumfries and Galloway, famous for its runaway weddings. I loved the beautiful rural setting and the romance of its stories of couples eloping to marry. Little did I know that, more than 20 years later, I would be eloping myself – to Highland Perthshire, where I would marry by a waterfall in a forest near Dunkeld.
My husband and I wed on our fifteenth anniversary as a couple, with just two witnesses – our florist, Marion Blythe Sandwith from Ochre Botanical Studios, and photographer Lina Hayes – and our celebrant, Interfaith Minister Reverend Hazel Jane. It was the perfect celebration of who we are as a couple: thoughtful, unfussy and surrounded by the beautiful nature we love (and with Aran Bakery pastries to enjoy afterwards).
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Gretna Green, Where Sparks Fly.
Before the 1754 Marriage Act drove forbidden English couples north, Gretna Green was a quiet farming village. Over 270 years on, couples still marry over the anvil, while visitors come to immerse themselves in the stories, traditions and experiences that have shaped Gretna Green for generations.
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