Why thousands of couples are choosing Scotland to say ‘I do’

Chihon, from Chile, and Anna Maria, from Moldova, came to Scotland to study, but the country quickly became the backdrop to their love story.

The couple first met in 2018 through a dance society at the University of Edinburgh, when Anna Maria was on an Erasmus exchange and Chihon was completing his postgraduate studies.

They they spent years as friends, and it was not until Anna Maria returned to Edinburgh in 2024 that their relationship became something more.

And their romance blossomed in the same place their friendship had years earlier.

“Everything happened again on the dance floor,” Anna Maria said.

Just four months after getting engaged, the pair walked down the aisle on the Isle of Arran.

The couple said they “fell in love” with the island at first sight, due to it having the “complete scenery of Scotland”.

“You feel that you’re in a magical place”, said Chihon. “It’s very unique.”

The couple said Scotland felt like the natural choice.

“We’re from two different continents,” Chihon said. “Scotland is where we met and where we built our life together.”