Photos // Stevie Weir

This Scottish wedding was complete with plaid, bagpipes, a fling, and a green Gucci shoe peeping out of a fab vintage Vera Wang. This wedding was such a blast the bride is already eyeing her vowel renewal... 💛

Tell us about your wedding day and surrounding events! Where did it all go down? Did you have any particular inspiration or musts when choosing the location?

We got married at Borthwick Castle in Scotland, which I scouted out on a trip to Edinburgh with my friends and mom a year earlier. We had seen maybe 7 castle venues on that trip (when you are an American getting married in Scotland, you are obligated to do so in a castle), and Borthwick was the last one we saw. It was just immediately clear that it was our venue. It’s ancient and huge and historical (there are stones taken off one side from when Oliver Cromwell fired a cannonball at it), and the staff was so incredible. There was no other choice. Had to have it. 

"We were especially honored because Lou’s grandmother Elsa, who is the fittest 80-something you’ll ever meet, made the trip. She was the MVP."

Lou and I picked Scotland in part because my mom’s side of the family has some Scottish ancestry and in part (well, mostly) because we thought a destination wedding to Scotland in March would be a good way to keep the number of guests relatively small. It was really important to us to be able to spend time with the people who came out, so we didn’t want to go too big with it (a challenge when both of us have huge families, but one I think we basically accomplished).

Fresh florals.

The day was incredible; it was probably Scotland’s only 70-degree F day all year. We even had an amazing golden hour after the ceremony. We had a bagpiper (mandatory), did a fling (poorly), and I even reluctantly got hoisted onto a chair for the Hora (much scarier than vowing to spend my life with Lou). 

We were especially honored because Lou’s grandmother Elsa, who is the fittest 80-something you’ll ever meet, made the trip. She was the MVP. And then the other MVP was my friend Rachel’s two-year-old son Charlie, the only child in attendance (they were invited, but our friends understandably wanted to party in the castle, sans kids), who wore a kilt and acted as our ring-bearer. His interpretation of bearing the rings was showing all our guests how fast he was and sprinting down the aisle toward his dad, which I think really impressed everyone. He really took a lot of the heat off of me being the center of attention. 

"My friend Liz insisted we do our go-to karaoke song together, but it’s Pulp’s 'Common People,' and I thought singing that in a castle would be gauche. So, naturally, she requested it..."

We did the ceremony (kept it jaunty), then went down for cocktails and canapés in the lounge area, where we were accompanied by a wonderful string ensemble. Then it was time for the “wedding breakfast” (which is dinner), followed by dessert and speeches in the lounge, dancing, and a little late-night buffet with castle karaoke.

My friend Liz insisted we do our go-to karaoke song together, but it’s Pulp’s “Common People,” and I thought singing that in a castle would be gauche. So, naturally, she requested it, called me up to the stage, and announced my hesitation to everyone before making me sing it anyway. 

Pops of rich green feel so right for a medieval Scottish Castle.

I think I assumed I would be nervous or stressed, but I simply had the best time. The whole day was everything I had hoped it would be while also exceeding those hopes because I could not fully picture how incredible it would be to have everyone surrounding us until they were all really there.

"I am contemplating organizing a Real Housewives-esque vow renewal for us there next year..."

I was so honored that the people we love most came all that way for us, and that we all got to dance and sing and party and enjoy each other’s company. I am contemplating organizing a Real Housewives-esque vow renewal for us there next year just so we can throw another party just like it (shout-out to my dad, who very graciously paid for the venue and who I assume does NOT endorse this message.)

Gorge.

How did you and your partner meet? What was the proposal like?

We met in college, actually, but we didn’t date until many years later. He proposed on a boat with a jazz band as it sailed around the Hudson, which was my first indication I might have been getting proposed to that day.

I initially assumed it would happen and got my nails done in anticipation, but then the night before, I realized that if it didn’t happen, I would have missed out on a beautiful boat ride by being anxious, so I then sort of convinced myself it wouldn’t happen. But it did! And my nails were done! Hallelujah! 

We're loving Lou's plaid sash.

Describe your Happy Isles dress and/or dresses! When did you know it was the one? 

Wedding dress shopping was something I was kind of dreading, just because of the pressure and the expectations. I knew I wanted to wear vintage, and my friend Yael was in town at the same time as my mom was in town.

Happy Isles had just opened their New York City boutique, so I went with them and my other friend Emma and my (now) brother-in-law Sam. Some of our greatest minds came together in Happy Isles that day. The first dress I tried on was this 1990s Vera Wang that I absolutely loved, but I couldn’t just immediately buy it, so I proceeded to try on about six more dresses, all fabulous.

Smiles and champagne.

Then the Dior slip dress came out, and I couldn’t live without it, but it felt a bit more like a party dress than a wedding gown, so I ended up getting her and Vera. To this day, I cannot figure out which I liked more; they were both so perfect on the day. And because it was Happy Isles, I now look back at my initial shopping dread as being so silly because I want to just go back there and try things out for fun. 

The Dior slip dress.

What did your partner wear down the aisle, and did you share outfit pics before the big day?

I wore Vera down the aisle, and Lou wore a custom gray-striped suit with a Scottish fly plaid over his shoulder (our kilt-wearing friends mostly donned them for the rehearsal dinner the night before and opted for suits on the day). I kept wanting to brag about Vera and Dior to Lou, but he didn’t want to risk bad luck seeing me in the wedding dress(es) before the day, which I can respect. 

A peek at the pleated train on the Vera Wang gown.

How did your guests respond to your outfit/s? Were there any standout reactions?

So although Lou did not see them, I did send photos of both dresses to almost every person on our guest list multiple times for months leading up to it, so I don’t think anyone was particularly surprised to see them, but I only got raves on both costume choices (I recognize as the bride that legally my guests have to compliment me, but these ones were genuine). 

We love the choice of a white blazer over the shoulders with your ceremony gown.

Where did you shop for accessories and how did you style your look/s?

I wore some green Gucci heels with a little brooch on them for the Vera because the nature of the dress is that it makes shoes very visible, so I wanted to do a little pop of color. I wore my mom’s diamond leaf earrings and had my hairstylist braid some flowers into my hair.

Then I changed into some comfier and even brighter green Loeffler Randall heels for the reception, along with some bigger vintage pearl earrings I borrowed from our dear friend and officiant, Stacey. I tried to keep it somewhat simple, jewelry-wise, because, frankly, I knew I would be drinking a lot of champagne and didn’t want to have to keep track of a lot of expensive accessories. I’m glad I did, it felt more natural, and I think it made me more relaxed. I didn’t feel like I was wearing a costume; I just felt like myself, but if I was better organized. 

Deep green Gucci heels with horsebit detailing.

What was the most memorable aspect of your dress shopping experience? Is there anything you would like to highlight or share with other brides considering an appointment at Happy Isles?

I cannot stress enough the joy of Happy Isles. I cannot stop raving about the staff, who were so fun, creative, and supportive and just made the entire experience wonderful. There are so many options, and there is a sense that because these are vintage pieces, they inspire so much creativity in a way that something fresh off the rack doesn’t. It was very soulful. I was genuinely sad it was over, but thrilled that I found my two (!) wedding dresses at the first place I visited. To be fully honest, I had no intention of even going anywhere else to look; that’s how great HI is. 

Look closely and you can see the unique texture of this gown. A stunner.

Okay, your HI wedding dress is a person. What is their name, and describe their perfect date!

I just kept calling them Vera and Dior, which is not particularly creative. Vera wants you to make a picnic, so take her to pick flowers in a field so she can put them in a little wicker basket. Dior wants you to order her a Fernet Branca and ask the maitre’d if she can smoke in here. Two great tastes that go great together. Lou is their dream date for both occasions.

Those quiet moments on a chaotic (but wonderful) day.

Getting serious for a second. Did you ever feel like you were breaking the mold or challenging expectations while wedding planning? What were some ways you stayed true to yourself during what can be an emotionally complex experience?

It is emotionally complex! I appreciate that phrasing a lot. I think initially we were sort of flippant, didn’t really consider ourselves “wedding people,” and simultaneously wanted to make it “worth it” to the people who came all the way to Scotland for us since most of our guests were from the States. But then, when I was actually dress shopping with my friends and mom and started looking at myself, in a wedding dress, in a mirror, it sort of clicked that we were doing a wedding, it was going to be a "Whole Thing" (complimentary), and we should lean into what we think would be fun to us.

" We kept thinking of the 'theme' as 'spending time with the people we love.' "

In part, it was recognizing that the bride and groom set the tone for the entire day and everyone there, and we wanted to make sure we were having fun so everyone else would be too. We kept thinking of the “theme” as “spending time with the people we love.” I think that by leaning into that and making it the goal, we ended up accomplishing all our other goals. 

If there's going to be wind - might we suggest streamers on the bouquet? 

They say every wedding has a “wild card” moment. Did anything unexpected happen or surprise you during planning or day-of?

OK, so…I am a natural “planner” (Virgo, Capricorn rising if you’re keen), and I made sure that, since Lou insisted we were to do the Hora, I would pick out some of our strongest boys ahead of time and deputize them as chair-holders. But the speeches went long and when we went down to dance a bunch of our friends went to explore the castle. And so when the DJ played the Hora, none of my deputies were in the room, and my brother started just pulling everyone who was unlikely to pass out from the experience into the center of the room.

Our friend Jason was holding one of the front legs of my chair, and in my terror, I kicked him right in the face! I feel so bad! He was so well-dressed! Also, I lost my voice almost immediately upon waking up the morning of the wedding, so I feared my vows sounded a bit huskier than I intended. C’est la vie. 

This Dior was made for dancing all night.

HOT TAKES: Do you have any wedding planning or dress shopping advice? Please pay it forward to our future brides!

For the love of all that is holy, if you are doing a destination wedding, get a wedding planner. Is it pricey? Yes. Is it worth it? I cannot even begin to describe it. Lisa Bauer from Tartan Weddings was my planner, and not only did she accompany us to Scotland to scout venues, but she also made everything so easy and seamless.

I cannot even fathom what she was dealing with behind the scenes, logistics-wise, but I know I would not have had a fraction of the fun I ended up having if she had not been at the helm. And she was so fun to be around too! I am nominating her for the Nobel Prize. She is my real husband. Actually, I should hit her up about that vow renewal idea. 

Of course plaid and bagpipes are a must.

If you had to choose your single best wedding day memory, what would it be?

There are so many! I loved the speeches, I loved the dancing, I loved the karaoke, I loved getting ready. But I must say, Lou’s vows really knocked it out of the park. I laughed, I cried, I said, “I do.” I go back in my mind to standing there, listening to him deliver it, often. A wonderful husband's choice. 10/10.

Beautiful Golden Hour.

Now that the wedding chapter has come to a close, what are some dreams you have for your future, both personally and as a couple?

I actually finished law school and took the bar right after coming back from the wedding—things which I could not have done without Lou by my side—and now I’m starting my legal career. Lou just won an Emmy and has started doing more creative projects. With so many big events happening in one year, I am genuinely looking forward to us finding a new routine together, building our lives slowly, and getting on that good workplace health insurance. 

💚

And finally - shout out your vendors!

I would truly love nothing more! My social media presence is basically non-existent, and I want to brag about how wonderful everyone was. 

First, as aforementioned, Lisa Bauer, crisis management expert, and wedding planner, from Tartan Weddings. Obsessed with her. 

Our flowers were breathtaking, and it's all thanks to Julie Reid at A Curious Arrangement. She is such a sweet and creative soul, and she built these sculptural pieces that just transformed the space into an enchanted castle (it already was one, but it became more of one). The idea I pitched to her was to make it “look like nature is creeping in through the walls,” and she nailed it, installing everything alongside her wonderful husband by hand. Breathtaking work.

Annabel Bain did our makeup, and she is a wizard. She knew exactly how to interpret what I was asking for, and if I was an artist, I would try to replicate it every day because I have never felt more beautiful. She was also such a calming and kind presence in the bridal suite, I was thrilled she was there.

"I’m actually getting a little emotional looking at this list. We had the best folks helping us. I’m so grateful. "

Pam Docherty did our hair, and I love this woman. She’s efficient, and she’s fun to gossip with, and then you turn around. She has made your hair not only look exactly how you described it but also made it so that it stays in place all day. She’s based in Glasgow, and I am so excited she was there with us in Borthwick.

Our photographer, Stevie Weir, was recommended to us, and I am so, so glad he was available. He has this fantastic presence as a person and an incredible eye for the right shot. He knew we wanted to maximize time with our guests, so he kept all the shoots quick and painless but then delivered these absolutely breathtaking photos. He’s an artist. 

And, of course, the folks at Borthwick were all fabulous, gracious hosts to us—especially Amy Cullen, Borthwick’s business development manager. Amy was there from the first time I visited Borthwick through the entire planning process and through the wedding day. One of my favorite photos Stevie took is actually of her holding my dress as I make my way to the ceremony, with the bagpiper ahead of us. Her warmth and enthusiasm were what sealed the deal in picking Borthwick for our wedding.

I’m actually getting a little emotional looking at this list. We had the best folks helping us. I’m so grateful.