I have a longstanding dream of eloping with G and so i am super jealous of Claire and Morgan’s utterly romantic wedding day.

Claire and Morgan enjoy travelling and didn’t want a flashy wedding, so opted to elope to Scotland for their nuptials. And boy oh boy did they do it in style. With the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish coast, with Claire wearing a super stylish 60s inspired dress and the cutest veil, whist Morgan wore a beautiful suit.

Claire clutched a simple bouquet, they booked the most amazing photographers and they stayed in a stone cottage…. oh my.

Thanks so much to the wonderfully talented Christopher Currie Photography for sharing their stunning photographs with us today.

Names…. Claire and Morgan

Wedding Date…. 25th February 2012

The Proposal…. We, um, just decided in bed late at night one day?  Not the most romantic, but it was very lovely and special to decide and realise we wanted to do this together

The Vision for the day…. Going to Scotland allowed us to go somewhere rugged and isolated to be together.  We didn’t want a large wedding, or a ‘flashy’ wedding – we liked that travelling across the world, and then out to Crear let us focus on the things that really mattered to us.  It felt very romantic, and we honestly didn’t want to leave our stone cottage and leave Scotland!

The Planning process…. We had followed two other plans for weddings – one in Morocco, one in Mexico – but they both fell apart when we decided that they weren’t really focussing on what was important for us.  So we searched locations in Europe – we were planning a move to the Czech Republic for Morgan’s job – and found Caisealrag Cottage, which we decided would be perfect.  Having beautiful photos was really important to us, so we also focussed on finding someone that we felt could capture our day the way we pictured it.  It was tricky planning from the other side of the world – we were still in New Zealand.  I think we did great – a lot of that’s down to how amazing the staff at Crear, the registrar at Lochgilphead, and Chris and Gillian are.

The rings were also really important to us.  Morgan’s is a vintage Claddagh ring that we found on Etsy, and we had Claire’s wedding ring made in New Zealand, based on a vintage ring that we had loved. We did not want the traditional wedding bands!

The Venue… Caisealrag Cottage, in Crear.  I couldn’t think of anywhere more amazing to be than on the rugged prehistoric coast of Scotland.  It was great that it was so simple.  I loved being able to go out on the morning of the wedding and find a wonderful spot by the beach to hold the ceremony.

The Dress + Accessories….. I wore a simple silk ‘60s inspired dress from Etsy, from reddoll by Tatyana Merenyuk which arrived just in time for us to travel. The craftsmanship was incredible and it fitted like a dream!

Veil – this was the hardest part!  I saw a veil that I loved on Eastside Bride from two years ago, but when I looked on Etsy, the seller told me it was a once-off, that couldn’t be made again.  But luck struck, and I found the exact veil on Ebay!  It was a bit touch-and-go after we took it out of the suitcase – were worried it had been squashed – but we put it in a bathroom full of steam and it sprung back into life.

My something old was a vintage beaded cardigan. My something blue was a garter that my mum had made out of our family tartan as well as my huge ASOS blanket coat. And of course one can’t get married in Scotland without hunter gummies and three pairs of wool tights!

As for jewelry we left it to the last minute and were racing around Glasgow the day before the wedding when we happened upon bow studs from House of Fraser which matched my wedding ring exactly.

Without a doubt my best accessory was my hair and make up done by the incredible Jen Peffer. Jen is lovely and such a calming influence as well as being incredible at her job.

Finding the dress…. My indecisiveness, compounded by the baggage allowance when moving halfway across the world two weeks before the wedding date, made it very difficult to choose the right dress or get one made in New Zealand so in the end Morgan was forced to choose for me!

Groom’s attire… It took me a long time to decide between so many different various combinations of blazers, coats, hunting jackets and suits!  In the end I brought a Richard James suit, a lovely light blue shirt from Crane Brothers in New Zealand, a tie from Working Style, and picked up a scarf and boots in Glasgow, the day before we came out to Crear.

The Readings…. I picked “A Baby Elephant” by Nikolay Gumilyov for the reading.  It was my mission to avoid being cloying and sickly, but to still have a sweet, romantic reading.

The Flowers… Done by the fantastic florist at Crear – Gill Stewart. It included ivory roses, blue thistle, some eucalyptus with white veronica.

The Cake… I don’t think it’s in the photos, but we made a cake at the cottage – a three-tiered Guinness chocolate cake – which we covered in sparklers the day after and ate for lunch.

Your Photographer…. Our photographers were Chris Currie and Gillian Lawtie, who were absolutely amazing.  We were very camera-shy – which I think they tolerated quite well – but they picked out some incredible spots for photos and really put us at ease.  I really can’t say enough about how easy and fun they made the day.

The Details + Decor…. We picked up a whole bunch of things (ribbon, balloons, etcetera) to decorate, but the Scottish weather put paid to that idea!  In the end, I don’t think we needed them – I think the photos speak for how beautiful the landscape was – it didn’t need anything else.

The Honeymoon…. Hasn’t quite happened yet – given the big across-the-planet move – but it’s in the works.

Memorable moments… Seeing Claire after Jennifer had finished and she’d put her dress on – she was very beautiful. Wandering through the Crear countryside – in our wedding outfits, dodging the mud – with our photographers to take photos before the ceremony. Walking down to the beach through the farm with the marriage registrar in bright orange gumboots. Reading our vows to each other as the wind and rain came up during the ceremony.  It felt like we were the only people in the world.

Advice for other couples… Elope! People have an antiquated notion of elopement. You can go anywhere. It can be planned as much as you want – you have the photographer, the décor et al. Plus you can spend up large on the dress or shoes of your dreams. The biggest perk is you can do it without worrying about your budget! Make the focus on what matters to you as a couple.  Make a list together. Don’t hesitate! Also for those who are planning from abroad and won’t meet your vendors until the day – skype is a wonderful tool. Ask for as many photos of things like the venues as possible. Ask for references and do your homework online. If you find a vendor you trust ask for their recommendations.

Credit where credit is due…

Venue: http://weeweddings.co.uk/caisealrag.html and www.lovecrear.wordpress.com
Flowers:  www.crearflowers.co.uk
Photography: http://www.christophercurrieweddingphotography.blogspot.com/
Makeup: http://www.jenniferpeffer.com/
Dress:  http://reddollbytm.com/ via http://www.etsy.com/shop/reddoll?ref=seller_info
Veil: http://loboheme.com/ via ebay
Groom: http://www.richardjames.co.uk/, http://crane-brothers.com/, http://workingstyle.co.nz/
General help for getting married in and around Glasgow: http://theglasgowweddingcollective.co.uk/

Thanks so so much to Claire and Morgan for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today… i am in awe!!

XOXO Lou

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