In hiking boots and a flowing wedding dress, Bronwyn Jones scaled Arthur's Seat on a blustery day in January.

The weather was typically Scottish, grey skies and splashes of rain the day before, yet Bron did not care.

At the top of the iconic Edinburgh landmark she would become married to her fiance Christian Southward - some 10,000 miles away from their hometown in Australia with just four guests and a celebrant.

Deciding to forgo the traditional wedding, the couple elected to travel across the world to elope.

"We had visited Scotland a few years before and we just fell in love," Bronwyn, now 27 explains.

"It's like a home away from home for us. The people are so lovely, it's rich in history, and absolutely stunning.

"It feels very much like our home town of Newcastle in Australia, but opposite climate, and we love the cold!"

For eight months the couple planned their nuptials in secret, Bron ordering a dress online, making the button holes for the men and wiring flowers herself as part of her hair do.

A wedding breakfast at The Scotsman hotel and a chance to sneak away to the spa for a few hours meant the newlyweds were able to celebrate their nuptials their way, without the pressures of a traditional wedding.

"We really wanted the day just to be authentically about us and the commitment we were making to each other without the fanfare of a big traditional wedding," Bron says.

The average cost of holding a traditional wedding in the UK is currently at an all time high, with couples spending £27,161 on their big day according to wedding planning website Hitched.

Choosing to elope in secret alone or with a few select friends and family has been on the rise in the last few years, with couples electing to save money, splash out on a lavish honeymoon or save for a house instead.

"We are definitely seeing an increase in elopements here in Scotland - particularly in remote areas such as Isle of Skye, Harris and the Highlands, as well as the ever popular Gretna Green and Edinburgh," explains Christina Golian, editor of the We Fell in Love wedding blog.

"Many of our readers tell us that they decided to elope to Scotland after being inspired by weddings they have seen on We Fell In Love.

"They are drawn by the romance of Scotland and are looking to marry in an intimate, personal ceremony that is meaningful to the two of them. The incredible scenery we have here also helps!"

Scotland's reputation as a place for couples to elope to stretches back hundreds of years and is most famously known for Gretna Green.

The tiny village just over the border has been home to weddings sinch 1754, as the legal age to get married in Scotland is 16 and can be performed without parental consent, which is required south of the border.

While the venue is still popular with couples, more and more romantics are choosing windswept locations hidden away in some of Scotland's beauty spots for a memorable backdrop for their nuptials.

A number of wedding photographers now specialise in elopements, travelling to scenic areas in the Highlands, Skye and the Western Isles to capture precious moments for couples who have decided to escape tradition in favour of a more private ceremony.

Christina, who also runs a wedding photography business with her husband, explains that for some couples, eloping is a more comfortable prospect when faced with endless guest lists, venue viewing and keeping family members happy.

"Some couples tell us that they don't feel comfortable being the centre of attention, or that they'd rather skip the fuss and cost and put the money towards something else, like a deposit for a house, but for most I'd say that it's the chance to celebrate their love, without compromise, that brings them to Scotland," Christina says.

Bron adds that while Christian and her chose to elope for personal reasons, cost was a factor when planning their wedding.

"We were pretty stoked when we got our wedding and a trip around Europe for half what a wedding would have cost back home," she says.

While eloping can bring some challenges when it comes to paperwork and obtaining visas from certain countries, Scotland is unique in that it offers legal outdoor wedding ceremonies as well as welcoming those from different faiths and sexual orientation to marry.

"The fact that same sex marriage is legal here in Scotland, as are Humanist ceremonies, and you can get married pretty much anywhere - our country is viewed as a tolerant, welcoming nation - all add to the appeal," Christina says.

Bronwyn agrees: "The fact that it is a Commonwealth country made all the paperwork really straight forward, being from Australia.

"We also really loved that we were able to have a Humanist ceremony and get married anywhere."

Two years on and parents to baby daughter Avery, Bron and Christian have no regrets about eloping to the other side of the world.

While their family came round to the idea having looked at the photographs and video from their big day, Bron urges other couples considering elopement to seriously think about the impact of a surprise wedding.

"I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. You really have to think about your reasons and who you might impact by doing it," she suggests.

"But if you have the right reasons and you know everyone will understand, go for it!

"I definitely think we made the right decision for us. I think it's a pretty easy to know if it's right for you if you really think about it."