Getting Married on Islay
Wednesday, April 09 2008
When it comes to fairy tale weddings, Scotland is probably the ultimate destination with its unique combination of history, tradition and romance. Where else in the world can you find such a spectacular natural background, ancient castles and historic places. It wasn't until 1940 that the Scottish law was changed so anyone getting married had to have the ceremony conducted by a minister of religion or a civil marriage celebrant. There is also no requirement for residency in Scotland, although it is compulsory to give a minimum of 15 days' notice of the wedding to allow for any objections. This makes Scotland ideal for couples from all over the world to visit the country for their ceremony. A small point though, if you do marry abroad, depending on where you live, there is often a requirement to register the wedding afterwards in your country of residence otherwise it isn't regarded as legal.
Recent changes to the law in Scotland mean you can tie the knot virtually anywhere you like as long as it doesn't compromise the solemnity and dignity of the occasion. Civil weddings are no longer restricted to registry offices which leaves plenty of other possibilities, specially on a beautiful island like Islay. What about a marriage at one of Islay's beautiful beaches, at the ancient seat of the Lords of the Isles at Finlaggan or in one of Islay's distilleries? Continue reading.....
Until yesterday there wasn't much information available on-line about marriages on Islay. Triggered by an email from a couple, and with excellent help from Christine Logan, I found out that the Service Point in Jamieson Street has a lovely brochure about marriages on Islay. Christine had a talk with Sharon McHarrie, the current registrar on Islay, and soon after that I received the first email from Sharon. She was kind enough to gave me permission for a new page and sent me the brochure. From there on I used the brochure as a basis to create a new webpage about Weddings on Islay. I am now proud to say that the new page is ready and you're welcome to have a look at the Marriages on Islay Webpage. Mark Unsworth from Islay Studios provided the pictures and I would like to thank him as well as Christine Logan, the couples that gave their permission for the pictures and Sharon for their cooperation.
The new page contains all the information from the brochure including extra information about church weddings, this should provide future brides and grooms with enough facts. More information can be obtained from Sharon McHarrie, Islay Servicepoint, Jamieson Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay, PA43 7HP. Tel: 01496 301301 or by e-mail
Manuela and myself were married in Scotland, in a private chapel at the Belladrum Estate, and we visited Islay during our honeymoon. Perhaps if we had known at the time about the possibilities on Islay we would have chosen the latter. Back then, however, we found our location by browsing the internet and therefore I hope that my new webpage will help to attract couples looking for their wedding location on Islay.
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