An adventurous couple decided to ditch a traditional wedding in favour of bagging a Munro and getting married in the process.
Steph Ivers, 30, married Morgan Price, 31, during howling winds and minus six degree windchill at the top of Beinn Bhreac in the Scottish Highlands, after a six-hour hike to reach the top.
The couple exchanged rings and said their vows in a pared-back ceremony up the 249th highest munro – accompanied by their black Labrador, Zack.
The bride then put her hiking togs back on and the couple set up their tent and had macaroni cheese and Champagne before going to bed.
The pair had initially had a hand-fastening ceremony in Devon the previous weekend with 30 people, before driving up to Scotland from their home in Yatton, North Somerset.
The couple, who have been together nearly eight years, were joined on the hike by their registrar and wedding photographer, with help arranging the unusual ceremony from bridal company Wild Scottish Weddings.
Steph’s dress cost £150 and her mum altered it, and she carried it in her backpack before getting changed in a sheltered spot because the top of the hill was too windy.
‘It was a relief to stop and get married,’ said Steph, who works as a vet.
‘It is a really remote munro, I just got changed at the top and got changed back into my hiking gear afterwards.
‘I took the dress in my backpack, it cost £150 and my mum altered it for me, she made Morgan’s waistcoat as well.
‘For the actual getting married part I was barefoot, but afterwards I put my boots back on.’
The couple make a point of visiting Scotland annually, as Steph studied in Glasgow and Morgan – who works for Network Rail – formerly worked on the rigs in Aberdeen.
Although coronavirus restrictions held them back from their usual trip, they decided to ensure the next Highlands hike would be one to remember, and they’d get married in a way that represented their relationship.
Steph said: ‘It was about as minimalist as you can have. The camping was pretty no frills. We were in the tent and we had macaroni cheese we heated up.
‘We wanted everything to be as straightforward as possible – we have been planning this since before Covid.
‘I think Covid will have changed people’s perspectives a lot on weddings. I think back-to-basics will probably become more popular.’
The pair describe their Devon ceremony and Munro wedding as ‘intimate’ and ‘close’, and the next day the couple went for tea in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
They then enjoyed a 10-day minimoon around the Scottish coast, with the normally-dreich weather looking up to bring in their newlywed status.
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