{"id":169654,"date":"2016-06-07T14:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=169654"},"modified":"2024-10-04T15:27:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T14:27:37","slug":"woodland-hand-fasting-wedding-in-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/woodland-hand-fasting-wedding-in-scotland\/","title":{"rendered":"Woodland Hand Fasting Wedding in Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scotland<\/p>\n

Small and intimate can be just as special as a large gathering for a wedding and today’s nuptials prove just that.<\/p>\n

Kelly and Andrew came over from the US to hold a simple and meaningful hand fasting ceremony at the Dell of Abernethy<\/a>, Loch an Eilen in Scotland. They had a small group of loved ones with them as they said their vows in the magical woodland.<\/p>\n

Kelly wore a stunning vintage gown she had altered to create a bespoke look, while Andrew donned a traditional kilt. This wedding was so<\/em> very romantic.<\/p>\n

Thanks so much to Wilson McSheffrey Photography<\/a> for sharing these sublime images.<\/p>\n

\"Thistle \"Scotland \"Ring\"Scotland\"Scotland\"Scotland\"Scotland \"Scotland\"Bride \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland\"Vintage \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland \"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland \"Scotland\"Scotland\"Kilt \"Scotland\"Scotland \"White\"Scotland \"Scotland<\/p>\n

THE PROPOSAL | Andrew and I were on holiday in Scotland with his family (his family is originally from Glasgow) and it was our last night before we flew back to the states. To be honest, Andrew had asked my dad for his blessing several months before, so I figured he was going to ask me while we in Scotland. After several days in Skye, hiking around the most amazing scenery, we were back in Glasgow. It was our last night in Scotland and he hadn’t proposed yet! I was beginning to wonder if was going to on the trip, or if he would miss the chance.<\/p>\n

But, that last night, we had dinner alone, away from his family. On the walk back to the flat where we were staying, as we were crossing over the bridge near Kelvinbridge Parish, he popped the question. Even though I knew it was coming, I started crying. And, of course, I said yes.<\/p>\n

THE VISION | I fell in love with Scotland on the trip with Andrew and his family (Andrew had already fallen in love with it). It’s a place that means a lot to Andrew, and it really is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, so choosing Scotland was easy, but narrowing it down to exactly where was the harder choice! We wanted a small, intimate wedding with just our families, and we knew we wanted to be able to stay together, but also to have some sense of privacy.<\/p>\n

THE VENUE | We actually chose the venue for our ceremony, based around where we decided to stay, which was the Dell of Abernethy in the Cairngorms. The Dell was perfect for our family. We all loved the big kitchen where we could come in for a lazy breakfast, and spending the evenings by the fire with a dram. It was such a beautiful building and Polly and Ross have done an amazing job decorating and keeping up with it – we all still talk about how it’s our dream house! On top of the physical space, Polly and Ross are also incredibly gracious. Polly cooked the delicious meal for our family after the ceremony, and Ross chauffeured us to the ceremony, thinking of so many special touches, like champagne in the vintage flutes he and Polly had used at their wedding, and the orange blanket that kept me warm after the ceremony (and looked stunning in the photographs).<\/p>\n

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | I tried on lots of dresses in shops, but there was nothing that I loved. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress I would only wear once, especially if I didn’t really love it. I started looking at vintage dresses online, and I was especially drawn to Edwardian dresses, but most of the fits seemed so unflattering. I decided to take a risk and I bought a vintage dress that I found for $75 on eBay. The dress was in great condition and was the right size in the waist, but it was seriously poofy everywhere else. I took the dress to a fantastic tailor in Houston and she removed the sleeves (saving some of the lace to add back on so it wasn’t sleeveless) and she took out some of the extra volume in the blouse and skirt. We were left with a little bit of leftover fabric and lace, some of which my mom used to make the ring pillow for our ceremony.<\/p>\n

GROOM\u2019S ATTIRE | His Own.<\/p>\n

THE READINGS & MUSIC | We gave a lot of freedom to our Celebrant, Scot, who performed the whole ceremony. Since we were doing the legal paperwork in the States (it saved us a lot of money), we didn’t need go through the trouble of doing it legally in the UK, which also meant we had more freedom about who could perform the ceremony. We decided that we wanted a hand fasting ceremony, and Scot was the first celebrant we found online. We felt so lucky afterwards that he really understood what we wanted and took what we’d told him into consideration – we were completely amazed with how magical it felt – especially since we really didn’t know what to expect!<\/p>\n

The music was performed by Spud the Piper. Again, we found him online and then Polly (from the Dell of Abernethy, where we stayed) vouched for him (and actually told us that he’d piped at Madonna’s wedding, although I never fact-checked that). Again, we could not have chosen better if we’d interviewed 20 pipers, Spud was amazing on the bagpipes and also has such a great sense of humour!<\/p>\n

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | We didn’t have bridesmaids, although our mums and Andrew’s sister are beautiful, indeed! One thing that our celebrant took into consideration was incorporating out family members into the ceremony. So, even though they weren’t technically bridesmaids, they were each involved in a personal way.<\/p>\n

THE FLOWERS | Again, we were planning from afar and wanted to make things as simple as possible. We’d been considering using another florist when Polly told us she’d had a bad experience, and then steered us toward Angela Hunter Flowers. We were completely happy and would recommend them, as well!<\/p>\n

THE CAKE | We were so lucky to find Inshriach Nursery online and so lucky that they were so close to us. After the ceremony, our families rode together to collect the cake on the way back to the Dell (I’m pretty sure Inshriach Nursery even opened early that day so we could come by and collect it).<\/p>\n

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | We were both so glad that we’d found Wilson McSheffrey online! I remember a specific post I’d read which was the main reason we chose them (aside from their beautiful photography, of course). One of their previous clients had written about how they had decided to get married abroad in Scotland, planning everything a bit blindly (as Andrew and I did). They ended up hating their ceremony, but said that Andrew and Emmet had saved the night. After the ceremony, they went outside and took photos in the headlights of the car in the rain (and the couple said their vows to themselves then). I thought it was really special to have a photographer care so much to make that special moment. And, it was evident when we met them and right away were were comfortable with them, which was good because Andrew and I had never had professional photos taken together before, so we didn’t want something that felt posed or unnatural.<\/p>\n

THE DETAILS & D\u00c9COR | Since we were travelling from abroad, decorations and styling were not an option. Luckily, the loch where we were married and the Dell of Abernethy are naturally gorgeous, so we didn’t need to style anything.<\/p>\n

To be honest, many of the beautiful details of the day we owe to Polly and Ross. They had arranged to drive us to the ceremony in their vintage blue car, but since it was having engine trouble, they borrowed the white Daemler from their friend, and Polly filled the back window with wild flowers she’d picked that morning. Our celebrant brought the colourful flags that encircled the area of the ceremony. It was unexpected, but so beautiful and it felt so peaceful with them flapping gently in the wind.<\/p>\n

All the details of the Dell, from the dressing table where I got ready, to the vintage hangers and keys, that was all Polly and Ross, so, thank you again!<\/p>\n

THE HONEYMOON | We had both taken 30 days off work, the first week which was spent in Scotland with our families before the wedding. We loved having time with our families before and after the ceremony. Then we spent a couple weeks in London (we were plotting a move, which we did make a few months later) and then a few days in Belgium.<\/p>\n

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Taking photos together the day before. Since we hadn’t arrived in Scotland long before the wedding, we didn’t have an engagement shoot, but taking time to be together and walk in the woods the day before our ceremony was calming and beautiful. Andrew and Emmett made us feel completely comfortable, which was really important, especially as Andrew doesn’t usually like being photographed!<\/p>\n

Also, our celebrant, Scot, was amazing. We felt so lucky, especially as we had chosen our suppliers from miles away. But Scot had us complete a long questionnaire in advance, and he really took the time to understand us and our relationship, and our relationships with our families, and he took it all into consideration when crafting our ceremony. We very much felt that we were surrounded by our families during the ceremony, and loved that they could be part of the ceremony, as well.<\/p>\n

Other favourite moments: Walking down to the ceremony, it was a few minutes walk from the car, and hearing Spud piping while my dad was crying. The meal prepared by Polly, it was so delicious and comfy and I never wanted it to end! Ross giving us a whisky tasting by the fire, Spud making jokes pretending that I was farting (he was making a fart noise on his pipe and then saying, “ohh kelly!” – it was perfect because I’d been crying (happy tears) but it made me laugh!)<\/p>\n

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Everyone is different but I’m so glad we had such a small wedding, and I think having it quite far from home made that easier to do without offending anyone. A couple months after we got back to States we planned a big party for all of our friends and family who couldn’t come to the wedding. To be honest, I tried to do way too much and wasn’t able to enjoy the night as much as I should have. I’m not sorry or unhappy about it, but it made me even more glad that our actual wedding day was so simple and uncomplicated.<\/p>\n

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |<\/p>\n

Photography | Wilson McSheffrey <\/a><\/p>\n

Venue | Dell of Abernethy<\/a>, Loch an Eilen<\/p>\n

Celebrant | Scor AnSgeulaiche <\/a><\/p>\n

Piper | Spud the Piper <\/a><\/p>\n

Food | Polly, owner of Dell of Abernathy<\/p>\n

Flowers | Angela Hunter Flowers <\/a><\/p>\n

Cake | Inshriach Cake Shop<\/p>\n

Wow, what a setting and some truly remarkable moments too.<\/p>\n

Thanks so much to Kelly and Andrew for sharing their wedding story with us xo Lou<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small and intimate can be just as special as a large gathering for a wedding and today’s nuptials prove just that. Kelly and Andrew came over from the US to hold a simple and meaningful hand fasting ceremony at the Dell of Abernethy, Loch an Eilen in Scotland. They had a small group of loved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":169687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,4],"tags":[3963,1937,1148,214,527,12],"class_list":["post-169654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoor-weddings","category-real-weddings","tag-dell-of-abernethy-wedding","tag-handfasting-wedding","tag-intimate-wedding","tag-scotland-wedding","tag-vintage-wedding-dress","tag-white-wedding-ideas"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":169687,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/whimsical-cdn.wedissimo.com\/2016\/05\/aviemore_scotland_handfast_ceremony_outdoor_wedding_kelly_andrew-47-300x200.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}