'Stars align' as aurora lights up Inverness wedding photo

A bride and groom got a stunning backdrop for their wedding photographs when their celebrations were interrupted by the Northern Lights.

Rebecca MacDonald and Chris Oram were rushed outside to get pictures taken in front of the aurora borealis.

Wedding photographer Michael Carver had wanted to capture a picture of newly weds with the Northern Lights for the last 10 years.

"But the stars had never aligned until Monday night," he said.

Rebecca, from Inverness, and Chris, from Cambridge, said the end result was "absolutely fantastic".

The couple's celebrations took place at Bogbain Farm, on the outskirts of Inverness.

Michael had been leaving when he noticed a text from his partner telling him that the Northern Lights were visible.

The Inverness-based photographer could see the aurora faintly in the sky, but more clearly on his mobile phone.

Spotting a wedding guest outside, he asked them to rush back into the venue to find the couple so he could set up his camera equipment.

Michael said: "The groom was found quite quickly, but the bride was nowhere to be found at first and then I think she was dragged from the dance floor."

Rebecca told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that after dinner one of her friends had said there was a red alert for the Northern Lights.

The aurora is a form of space weather, and displays are linked to activity on the sun. They are not always visible, and displays can be obscured by cloud.

Its colours, which at times can be green, pink and purple, are not usually clearly visible to the naked eye, but can be picked up by cameras.

Michael, who has a background in photographing landscapes and the aurora, said Rebecca and Chris were initially a bit bewildered by the interruption to their celebrations.

Rebecca said she had heard guests screaming her name and had wondered what all the excitement was.

Joining Chris outside, they could see the faint glow of the aurora.

Rebecca said: "Michael had us up on a rock at one point.

"He took his first photo and got the green and then we moved position and he got the change to the pink. It was absolutely fantastic."

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