wedding pictures at last

photos by dmitri brown photography

i'm all laid up on the couch today as i seem to have picked up some cold germs as a souvenir from our michigan trip. i really don't recommend flying with an earache as my ears are still popping two days later! but my husband is spoiling me with superfluous pillows, tea, books, and movies so i suppose i can't complain too much. i thought it'd be a perfect time to post photos of our wedding so you can enjoy all the goodness while i recuperate...just click if you want to enlarge and enjoy!

Trumpan Church Ruins
Isle of Skye, Scotland
July 3, 2010

we did so much homework beforehand trying to use as many vintage/local/handmade/small businesses for our wedding as possible. i'm listing as many as i can remember to give a little shout-out in case you are looking for something similar!

dress: kirby of button + boo
dress fitting by: virginia's custom bridal gowns, danvers, ma
clock tie tack: nouveau motley
boutiners: eventcetera (inactive etsy shop)
suit: j.crew (thank you charles!)
map cufflinks: anne holman
ballet flats: the dessy group
shoe clips: b.poetic
birdcage veil: JMG jewel design
jewelry: northview jewels
tie: cyberoptix tie lab
gloves: modcloth
facinator: giant dwarf
clutch: jennifer ladd
flowers: carole's of portree, isle of skye, scotland
photography: dmitri brown photography
rings: justine mehlman antiques, washington, dc
designs by vickie
bowman originals

a journey into the highlands

our journey across the pond began with a car, then a plane, then a bus, another plane,

another bus, and finally a long but very beautiful train ride through the highlands of scotland before we picked up our rental car on the isle of skye (phew!). incidentally, this same track was used for the filming of the hogwart's express scenes and was even more beautiful in person!

we traveled for over 24 hours that first day to reach the area in which our wedding would be!
the further north we got, the more beautiful it was, and the further my jaw dropped
at the scenery that surrounded us.

the next day we explored our surroundings on skye and
hunted for treasure along the rocky beaches in portree.

pretty painted buildings all in a row in the harbor of portree on the isle of skye.

busy fishermen dotted the water...

...and we discovered an abandoned lookout perched above the town.

wild foxgloves grew all over the island...

...and traffic was more often stopped by the wild black-faced sheep
that roam the entire island rather than signs and lights.

i was extremely proud of myself that i was able to drive our right-sided stick shift
rental car on the "backwards" roads. we had not realized it would be a stick
going in so i'm glad one of us knew how (thanks dad)!

the day after the wedding the rain came down in sheets from what seemed like all directions. it caused the sligachan to overflow and we pulled to the side of the road to take pictures with the overflowing river and this beautiful old bridge. note john in his conquering hero pose, ahem.

and this is where the road took us that day: eileen donan castle...breathtaking!

as was the view from the castle itself as the fog rolled in over the loch.

and we said goodbye to eileen donan just as the sun made an appearance
which does, occasionally, happen in those parts.

as we made our way back on the winding road north, we saw this thatched roof cottage
...i'm sure i may have annoyed locals if they saw me...but i had to get a photo
of my future retirement home!

but i think my favorite thing about scotland has to be the way swaths
of light and dark scuttle over the hills and mountains.

one of our last views of the highlands as we left for england.
i might just give up this small-business thing and go live as a highlander ;)

extra extra! read all about it!

wedding fashion for the fellas

i'm thrilled to announce that i've been featured in an article on besthudsonvalleyweddingever.com! my first real press! the article is all about men's wedding fashions and shows off my embroidered converse shoes as one way to amp up the guy's look for the big day.

it was also nice to see that all of my fiance's outfit choices are mentioned in it from the smart suit and quirky tie to the customized boutineer....good to know we are on the right track! we're just 15 days away from leaving for Scotland (eeks!!!!!) now and we're scrambling to tie up loose ends here and there..fun details though, not too stressful. i'm finally getting really excited though after seeing our marriage visa all shiny and official looking in our passports! i also have my final dress fitting this week, we'll go to target to pick up some travel essentials, and then i can get busy packing our bags. i can't wait to be on that train traveling north through the highlands to our little ceremony site overlooking the sea:


and this my friends, is the bed and breakfast where we'll be staying! will have to watch out in case agatha christie's poirot stops by to solve a murder mystery...


i also can't wait to get back and share boatloads of photos with you! a photographer friend of mine who is very talented will be at our ceremony and then of course there's the rest of the trip to the lake district, yorkshire, and london....it's my first trip abroad so you better believe i'm going to be one slap-happy shutterbug!

wedding boutineers to last

(boutineers and photos from fritts rosenow)

the thing about planning a budget-friendly elopment style wedding overseas (and wanting to do it with the least amount of on-site planning as possible) is that tracking down vendors and decor items can be more than the usual obstacle course. our major solution has been to just do away with all that. there are no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just a couple witnesses will be in attendance and they can wear whatever they like! there's no church or big reception venue to decorate, no favors to give, no meal to be served, no leatherbound photo albums to fill!

one small thing we are doing are boutineers for my fiance and our witnesses but not the usual floral ones that wilt since we'll be arriving in Scotland probably just the day before the wedding due to time and budget constraints and won't have the time and patience it takes to meet with florists to design and pay for gorgeous blooms. i think we may hit up a local grocer or market to find some little flowers for me to carry but that's all since they can't really be enjoyed afterwards anyway as we're spending a few days after the wedding on the road to do a bit of site-seeing before heading back to this side of the pond.

instead, we are trying to get into contact with fritts rosenow floral designs over the internet prior to leaving as they make wonderful little boutineers that have great personality and they will serve as a permanent memory of our day! little beauties that will pack up nice and add a bit of zest to our small celebrations. the photo above shows just a few of their many designs and they'll also work with you to make ones specific for you...like my fiance who desperately wants a Batman one! fingers crossed they will get back to us soon!

Here are some other similar options from etsy shops i found after just a little research:

(boutineers and photo from Eventcetera)

(boutineer and photo from twigs & honey by myra callan)