A Lighthouse Elopement on the Isles of Scilly - previews from Emma & Rob’s island wedding
Beyond Landsend, Cornwall, lies an archipelago of beautiful islands of white sand, craggy rocks and colourful succulents. You can reach the islands via a 3 hour ferry from Penzance, a 15 minute plane journey (our favourite!) from Landsend airport or via Helicopter. There are myths, that the islands were once connected to the mainland via a mysterious place called ‘Lyonesse.’ There are so many stories surrounding this mythical land but in all variants, Lyonesse was ultimately sunken beneath the waves. Whether or not such an event happened will remain a mystery but one thing we know for certain is that people have inhabited or visited Scilly since the Bronze ages as the islands are littered with a diverse range of Neolithic and early Bronze age artefacts and sites. If you love history and myth, the islands are plentiful in tales some tall and some not so - it’s been theorised that the now archipelago was one great island named Ennor (which translates as Great Island in ancient Cornish) which was theorised to have been flooded around 400AD. In current day modern Cornish language, the name for the islands is ‘Syllan.’
Emma & Rob’s isles of Scilly elopement
The islands are a special place to Emma & Rob. Two gentle souls with a love of nature and adventuring, a big wedding was not for them. instead, they wanted a meaningful and intimate ceremony centred around hand written vows and poetry in a special place to them with a day based around doing some of their favourite things. It can be tricky to secure accommodation on the islands with long waitlists for properties but luck was on their side and they secured a little hut in the grounds of St Agnes’s iconic white lighthouse which was to act as the backdrop to their ceremony.
They shared a short and sweet legal ceremony on St Mary’s, the largest island, the day before. No outfits, nothing fancy or formal - Jon, Lyra and I acted as witnesses as they signed their documents and we all saved the best for their personal ceremony the following day.
One of the registrars from St Mary’s came out to the island to perform a personal ceremony for them. Emma & Rob had written personal vows and exchanged some beautiful poetry together in the gardens. It was extremely tender and emotional. It was just myself (Sarah) capturing these moments (As if I’d bring Lyra along for these parts :P) and the three of us headed out to the wilderness of St Agnes for a wee adventure before their scheduled boat trip around the archipelago.
| A dreamy, seasonal bouquet by Steph of Island Bride Flowers, a local grower and florist on the islands |
It was difficult to choose just a few pictures from this dream elopement. I spent the entire day with them from the getting ready preparations til dusk when the moon appeared and I took so many photos. Having the time and space and an open brief, I loved playing with the mediums of digital and film and experimenting with shutter drag, soft focus and my tilt shift lenses to create some ethereal and really dreamlike images towards dusk.
Elopements on film
Emma & Rob requested to have some analogue images of their wedding so I brought along my little 35mm SLR and shot 3 rolls of Kodak Portra. There’s something about film that just hits different and I love how the analogue format captured the light and colours of the islands. One of my favourite images was a happy accident - one of the final images that I shot that day. Just as we were getting the boat home after sunset and the moon was peeping out, I had to shoot on a slow shutter because it was so dark and the resulting blur and ethereal vibes of that photo encompasses everything I love about photography; whimsy, joy, poetry, the best photos are by accident I feel.
After exploring the island of st Agnes, we took a private boat and explored the islands and its crags to spot sea birds and seals. Emma had always wanted to see Puffins (as had I!) and we were so fortunate to find lots of Puffins out at sea and around the Eastern isles along with a plethora of guillemots, cormorants and gulls.
After a beautiful and adventurous boat ride spotting birds, seals and haunting lighthouses, we headed to St Martin’s island (my personal favourite) for a dinner at the Seven stones inn, a folksy and characterful pub tucked away off the path with incredible views over the archipelago. When we departed to get the boat back to our respective islands, we were greeted with the most incredible sunset you ever did see and I took the opportunity to create some dreamlike and hazy soft focus images with my tilt shift. I love trying to capture a mood and rather than aiming for crisp, technically perfect photos, I always favour photos with art, emotion and movement.
A perfect crescent moon concluded the day and Jon, Lyra and I walked along the cobbled inky streets of st Mary’s with our imaginations and hearts full, feeling like we might encounter smugglers and pirates around any dark corner. The islands are one of my favourite places in the world, so funny to think they’re just a few miles from home and I’m so lucky to be able to work here from time to time. This is the sort of commission that I would have dreamed about but never dared think I’d get, and I loved and cherished every moment. Emma and Rob, thank you for being so wonderful and for so much fun and especially for making Lyra’s entire year by inviting her come with us to see the Puffins :)
