A Jewish Blessing for an Intimate Winter Elopement Wedding in a Scottish Castle

This is the first lovely elopement wedding I’ve had the pleasure of writing about here, and what a wonderful one to begin with.

We’re heading to Scotland for a cosy winter celebration at a spectacular castle steeped in history, for a glasshouse ceremony and a bracing (but fun) seaside stroll. Meet Chelsea, who owns an executive search firm in the insurance and legal industry, and Brendan, who is Product Manager for a trucking manufacturing company. They were married on the 12 December 2018 at Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire.

Film by Vanessa & Ivo

Wearing a fur cape to keep off the winter chill (sadly no details provided about this), Chelsea was driven to the ceremony in a wonderful 1935 MG Roadster, and was serenaded on her walk through Glenapp Castle’s gardens to the glasshouse by a traditional piper.

“Brendan’s family lives in the UK (London) and unfortunately his mum was sick, so in order for her not to have to travel, we picked Scotland in the winter.  I never thought I would have a winter wedding, but once we picked it, I styled my ideal winter wedding with fur and mood colours.”

Images by Epic Love Story Photography

Someone shared this insightful and reather fascinating infograph the other day which illustrates the phenomenal rise in the number of couples who met online. This gorgeous couple did just the same.

“Brendan and I met the way many millennials do – online! Brendan moved to the US from South Africa for work, so he took to the internet to meet people. I am those people! We fell for each other very fast.”

“We moved in together after 6 months of dating because Brendan was relocated from Florida to California for work, and he asked if I would go with him. Two years later, while vacationing in Aspen, CO., Brendan asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We were engaged for only 4 months before our wedding day.”

Myrtle & Bracken weaved a magical floral spell with their creations for Chelsea and Brendan’s day, including Chelsea’s magnificent bouquet of roses, pink waxflowers, protea blooms and gorgeous foliage.

Chelsea and Brendan planned their gorgeous day from their home in California, and Chelsea headed to boutique The White Dress in Corona Del Mar, California to choose her dreamy confection of a dress (unfortunately, Chelsea is unsure of the designer).

I love the contrast between the structured, fitted, translucent lace corset and all of those frothy layers of tulle on the skirt.

“It was the first dress I tried on. I felt like a princess. I knew even if the dress was in another colour, it could only be worn on a wedding day.”

Chelsea’s shoes were sparkly perfection – the block heeled ‘Lindsay’ sandal by Jeffrey Campbell.

With wintery, glamorous make-up and hair by Pamper & Polish, Chelsea added a stunning flower crown of pink roses, waxflower blooms and greenery by Myrtle & Bracken, and a long, single-tier tulle veil chosen at The White Dress.

Brendan wore a super-smart three-piece suit in blue by La Spalla at Suit Supply, with a contrasting grey waistcoat from Next, beautifully crafted shoes from Paul Evans, and a watch by Daniel Wellington.

“We chose Glenapp Castle for logistical reasons at first. Since we are not UK residents, Scotland was the easiest country for us to elope to (visas, permits, etc.).”

“Whilst researching castles in Scotland, we fell in love with the look and luxurious feel of Glenapp.”

Chelsea was accompanied down the aisle by her dad, and the glasshouse looked simply fantastic adorned with pretty pink floral arrangements, with petals scattered across the ground.

“Brendan’s favourite part of the day was watching me walk down the aisle. Mine was seeing him standing under the Chuppah.”

“Nick Szkiler was the greatest officiant of all time! Nick is the General Manager of Glenapp Castle. Being an officiant is not something he usually does, but he really should because he was extraordinary and spoke so beautifully.”

Beneath the Chuppah, the couple exchanged rings from Cartier, and specially tailored their vows – the most important aspect of the wedding for them both, and they have kindly shared extracts with us here.

“Chelsea- ‘You walked into my life and loved every bit of me. You never asked me to change myself or tried to fix me. You accepted all of me and showed me what it means to love someone without needing anything in return. You have taught me what real, deep, unapologetic love is, and for the rest of my life, I vow to show you that same kind of love.'”

“Brendan- ‘After we said our goodbyes the first time we meet, I said to myself, ‘Brendan, she is beautiful, smart and caring. Don’t f*ck this up!’ ‘”

“Since my family  is Jewish, we did a take on the seven blessings;

1. As you drink from this cup, so may you draw contentment, comfort and happiness from your own cup of life. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all things hallowed by true respect, companionship and love.'”

2. May you be generous and giving with each other.

3. May your sense of humour and playful spirit always continue to enliven your relationship

4. May you always respect the diversity of humankind.

5. May you act with compassion to those less fortunate, and with responsibility to the communities of which you are a part.

6. May you appreciate and complement each other’s differences.

7. May you always share yourselves openly with your friends and family. May your home be a haven of blessing and peace.”

All that remained was to smash the glass and head back through the glasshouse hand in hand, whilst family waited outside, ready with colourful confetti.

The newlyweds were piped back to that incredible vintage MG for a spin, before a trip to the coast and an intimate stroll to take it all in.

There to capture all of those memorable moments and lovely details was photographer Emma, of Epic Love Story Photography, and whose work we’re featuring for the first time here on our pages.

“Emma is the best photographer ever! She is also lovely and kind, and a total rock star. Our pictures are incredible and they mean everything to us.”

Chelsea and Brendan gave necklaces as favours from Gorjana, and together with their family, enjoyed a celebratory dinner together from the team at Glenapp Castle.

“Glenapp advertise themselves as ‘The best food in Scotland’, and food is a big deal for Brendan and I!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Overseas weddings/destination weddings are hard work, and you plan a lot of it blind, but don’t take things so seriously. It will all work out in the end.”

Chelsea and Brendan, many congratulations and special thanks for sharing your enchanting elopement with us – it’s been brilliant. Many thanks also go to Emma at Epic Love Story Photography for capturing everything so beautifully.

If you’re looking for more elopement inspiration, and wondering what might be possible, then do take a look at our other small and perfectly formed elopement weddings right here.

Until next time!

Love,

Laura