 Before 1940 , marriage in Scotland was based on Celtic customs , rather than Catholic religious customs . As such , marriage only required a couple to agree to be married in front of witnesses . The simplicity of these " irregular marriages " meant that they were used by couples who wished to elope , and Gretna Green became a hotspot for elopement because it was the village in Scotland nearest to the English border . The marriages were provided by the blacksmith as he was certain to be a citizen of Scotland and was easy to find at the forge . 
