Zoe and Gary’s Seilebost Beach Humanist Wedding
Zoe and Gary’s Seilebost beach humanist wedding began at the Harris Hotel, where they stayed for their wedding, and the day started with the kind of weather Harris does best: changeable, dramatic and completely unpredictable.
Seilebost sits on the west coast of South Harris, looking across the wide estuary to Luskentyre with the hills of North Harris behind and the island of Taransay out to sea. When the tide goes out, the sands stretch on for what feels like miles, the water settling into shallow turquoise pools and ribbons across the beach, so no two visits ever look quite the same. It is one of the most beautiful places I know to hold a wedding ceremony, and because it is a little quieter than some of the more famous beaches nearby, a Seilebost beach humanist wedding often feels as though you have the whole place to yourselves.
As we walked over to Seilebost Beach, the wind picked up and a rain shower came through, and Zoe’s umbrella turned inside out within minutes, just as the ceremony was about to start. So Zoe and Gary sheltered for a few moments under Rona’s handy dry robe, and if anything, it all just added to the laughter.
The Seilebost beach humanist wedding ceremony
By the time Rona the humanist was ready to begin, the rain had passed and the mist had started clinging to the hills above Seilebost, that particular kind of Harris light where everything feels soft and close and a little bit magic. The sand, freshly rained on, sparkled behind them for the whole ceremony.
Rona delivered one of the most joyful ceremonies I’ve photographed, funny, heartfelt and completely full of real emotion. Zoe and Gary did the day entirely their own way, and it showed in every part of it, right down to raising their quaich at the end, filled with Irn-Bru, a proper Scottish alternative to whisky if ever there was one.
Portraits on the beach and in the dunes
Once the ceremony was over, we spent some time wandering along the beach and up into the dunes, with the tide out, the sky heavy and grey over the hills, and the wind still tugging at Zoe’s dress and the tartan around her shoulders. Seilebost is one of my favourite places on Harris to photograph a wedding, because even on the wildest days the wide open sands and the colours of the machair give you something beautiful to work with, and the moody light that day suited Zoe and Gary perfectly. They were so relaxed and easy together, walking arm in arm along the shoreline and dancing on the sand, that most of the time I just let them be and quietly photographed what happened.
Afterwards they had a picnic from On Board Hebrides, delivered by Rosemary from Lewis, the perfect way to end a day spent outdoors on the island.
Planning a humanist wedding on Harris
Humanist weddings have been legally recognised in Scotland since 2005, and one of the loveliest things about them is that they can take place almost anywhere, which makes them perfect for couples who want to say their vows on a beach, a hillside or the edge of the sea. The ceremony is written around the two of you, your story and the things that matter to you, so every one feels completely different. If you are planning a beach wedding on Harris, my best advice is to embrace whatever the weather brings, pack layers, a dry robe and a sturdy umbrella (stronger than Zoe’s!), and trust that the rain usually passes as quickly as it arrives, often leaving the most beautiful light behind it, just as it did for Zoe and Gary’s Seilebost beach humanist wedding.
This is exactly the kind of Seilebost beach humanist wedding I love photographing: a little wild, a little unpredictable and completely genuine from start to finish.
If you’re planning a wedding or elopement on the Isle of Harris, I’d love to hear from you. You can find out more about my Isle of Harris wedding photography here.