All you really need for any wedding is the simplest of ceremonies – everything else you add in to the day is out of choice, to reflect the people you are and to celebrate in a way that will create memories for you and your family. But there are many couples who like to keep their wedding day as pared back as possible, with a focus purely on the exchange of vows. No guests, no fuss, just two people committing a lifetime of love to one another.
Joanna, a producer and blogger, married Creative Director Andrew on 22nd June last year at Pentland Hills in Edinburgh. The couple, who live in Los Angeles, got engaged on a hike and married elopement style four months later, with the most intimate and beautiful of woodland weddings.
“I love the 1920’s – my engagement ring is from that era, so my dress, with its dropped waist and headband followed suit.”
Photography by Christopher Currie
“I pieced together my headband with the end of my dress that had been hemmed off – and by adding a crystal adornment that I’d found. Andrew’s has another piece o my dress that got hemmed, inside his sock drawer!”
“My dress is by Australian designer ‘Flannel’. They make the most gorgeous, light, ethereal pieces. I’m not into the idea of a big, traditional wedding dress, so when I put this on, it was just so right. Plus, this dress folds up into a tiny bag, which is perfect for a travelling bride.”
“I think our favourite part of the day was having a quiet moment together after the ceremony, having a little laugh and just feeling ‘whole’ together.”
The beautiful blooms were supplied by Narcissus, Edinburgh.
“I used to be a florist, so had a big opinion regarding flowers! Our florist’s did a great job. I wanted open, not too ‘complete’ and pops of colour. It turned out wonderfully.”
“We absolutely loved our photographers Chris and Gillian of Christopher Currie Photography. Coming from The States, I needed lots of advice, and they were so patient and helpful. Photographs were the one thing I was prepared to spend on, and they were so worth it!
Chris and Gillian are both creative and kind, they made us feel comfortable and and the pictures were everything we wanted. Plus, Gillian’s Mum married us! She is a wonderful Humanist Celebrant. We loved Sheila!”
“In terms of accessories, I wore my Great Grandmother’s high school ring, that was my ‘something old’, as well as my ‘something blue’ and indeed my ‘something borrowed’ (from my Mum).
My engagement ring is vintage and I found the wedding bands from a New York designer called ‘In God We Trust’.”
“During our ceremony, we had an E.E. Cummings poem read that I love.”
Andrews suit was from J. Crew and, according to Joanna, ‘travelled well!’.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Take a sleeping pill the night before! I wasn’t nervous at all, but I couldn’t sleep either. I finally got a few hours on the morning itself. I was worried about feeling groggy during the ceremony and in retrospect, I should maybe have had a glass of wine to help me relax and sleep well before the night before the wedding day.
Also, I used Pinterest a great deal to be inspired by creative ideas.”
Pure and simple makes the loveliest of weddings. Huge thanks to you both Joanna and Andrew for sharing your most beautiful of wedding days with Love My Dress – an exquisite reminder that all that really matters on your wedding day is having the two of you together in one place and ready and willing to exchange vows.
My love and thanks as always to Christopher and Gillian Currie, for being such wonderful photographers to work with and whose work I indeed take great pride sharing through this blog (little reminder for all you Scottish brides – Chris and Gillian founded The Glasgow Wedding Collective – you need to know about this!).
Are you planning your own intimate woodland elopement?
Love Annabel xx
Photographer – Christopher Currie
Venue – Pentland Hills in Edinburgh
Wedding Dress – Flannel
Headpiece – Created using the hem off-cut from the bride’s dress + a crystal adornment
Groom – J. Crew
Celebrant – Sheila Lawtie
Rings – antique
Florist – Narcissus, Edinburgh
Rings – In God We Trust (New York)
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
Elopements are SO romantic, especially when they are as beautiful as this x
Beautiful. In a way, this is what a wedding really should be about – 2 people committing to each other in the way that suits them. No need for fuss or frill. That’s not to say that I don’t love the dress and blooms because I totally do! 🙂
Just gorgeous isn’t it xx
This is lovely and the couple are gorgeous! Sometime simple is just best.