Lindsey and Angelo tied the knot on 9th September 2022 at Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. The couple both share an interest in travel and wanted to elope to Scotland.
These beautifully romantic images were produced by Aga of Mint and Jasmine and capture the magical atmosphere, love and joy that was present in abundance on the day.
The bride wore a divine Open Back Maxi Dress from the La Lune Collection by Shona Joy – and you will find more from Shona Joy in the brand new Love My Dress Shop!
The Location
We got married on Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland. The original spot we planned on having the ceremony was on Arthur’s seat, St Anthony’s chapel Holyrood Park, but the Queen passed away the day before before our wedding. Holyrood park was blocked off the day of our wedding, so the morning of, our photographer and celebrant worked together to come up with new plans and a new location. It was a huge relief to have two locals to trust find us a perfect spot to carry out the ceremony.
Since we started dating, we really got into watching the TV show Outlander. We spent a lot of our time in quarantine watching the show. Our favourite episodes were the ones set in Scotland. We loved the scenery, the history, and surprisingly love the weather. We knew if we planned a wedding outside in Scotland, we can almost guarantee a cloudy day. Anywhere in Scotland would have given us the moody vibes we were hoping for.
The Dress
I bought my dress online via Revolve.com – it was the Shona Joy La Lune Balloon Sleeve Open Back Maxi Dress.
The vibe that I was looking for was 1930’s.
I wanted something different from what I saw in most boutiques. I had 3 requirements for the dress. I wanted a silky fabric in an off white color, sleeves, and one sexy element like an open back or plunge neck line. My favourite parts of the dress were the high neckline, the long train, and the balloon sleeves.
The Shona Joy dress I got met all the requirements and was a great price.
Bridal Beauty & Accessories
To keep the wedding low budget and low stress, I did my own hair and makeup. I’m not the best at makeup, but I was fine with a very natural look. I also thought my hair looked great indoors but of course the humidity flattened my waves and gave me some frizz. You can see my hair change throughout the day in the photos. It doesn’t bother me though since I know I couldn’t do much about it.
I wore Marc Fisher heeled bootie in Ivory Leather. I knew my shoes wouldn’t be visible very much so the look of them didn’t matter. I just needed comfort, and these boots were comfortable and kept my feet warm all day. They were great on the beach too because they could get a little wet and sandy but it wiped right off.
I wore a floral crown from Narcissus in Edinburgh. We picked out Jo Malone fragrances before our trip. I wore Wood Sage and Sea Salt. Angelo wore Blackberry and Bay. We picked our wedding scents not realizing how perfect they were until long after the wedding. All the cologne notes symbolise nature and the elements we encountered on our wedding day.
The sweater seen in many photos was not meant to be accessory but just a sweater in case it got really cold. I bought at Kohl’s in the US. It ended up looking great with the dress and has balloon sleeves as well. It was much colder on our wedding day than we expected mainly because everywhere we went had high winds, so the sweater was worn nearly all day.
Flowers
We ordered flowers from Narcissus in Edinburgh (sadly now closed). They offered a small wedding package which was perfect for elopements. We ordered a bouquet, the flower crown, and a lapel flower/ boutonnière. I emailed back and forth about what flowers would be included, and they made all the pieces exactly how I wanted.
I asked for the Scottish thistle to be used, wild flowers, and a touch of white and dark red/burgundy coloured flowers. They delivered the flowers to where we were staying in Edinburgh a few hours before the ceremony.
The Groom
Angelo wore a Ludlow suit from J. Crew. Angelo’s tie and pocket square came from moss.co.uk. They were a beige/light tan color that matched the color of my off white dress perfectly.
The Ceremony
It’s a requirement to have two witnesses at a wedding, so we brought two people who were our helpers all day. One witness was Aude. Aude lives in Edinburgh, but about 10 years ago, we were neighbors when we both lived in France. The second witness was Max. Max is a distant cousin that was living in London at the time, so he came to Edinburgh for us. We couldn’t have done it without them.
Jim Mackintosh was the celebrant. He’s part of the Humanist Society Scotland. We chose him after speaking with him through video chat. We loved his ideas and how he kept saying “it’s your ceremony, you can do whatever you want”. We loved the idea of a humanist celebrant in case Jim couldn’t make the wedding for any reason, someone else from the humanist society would be able to replace him. We also were very excited that he would wear a kilt and provided the quaich.
We used a local jeweller in Irving, Texas, USA that Angelo found through a colleague. Angelo went to the jeweller with a design in mind and the jeweler was able to make it happen. Their attention to detail was astounding. We used them to make all three rings.
We wrote our own vows. Our processes of doing so were very different.
I couldn’t sit down and think of what to write. I had to think about it over time. Ideas of things to write about came in waves over the span of a month. If I thought of something, I made a note in my phone so I wouldn’t forget it. Then I put all my notes together and made finishing touches and it was done.
Angelo’s advice is as follows: “It helped me to be closer to the date and location of our wedding to finish writing my vows. Maybe take a stroll through the area you’re getting married at, even if it’s for a minute. It could help you put yourself in a good headspace to write down your promises. Write it with the intention of being open minded and directed towards a common goal. Grounding your feelings with humour always helps too.”
We did two Scottish traditions as symbols during the ceremony. First was tying the knot using two tartan ribbons. We chose two tartans we liked since we weren’t part of a clan. We chose Scottish National and The Flower of Scotland. The second tradition was drinking from the quiach using water and Loch Lomond whisky. We incorporated many Scottish elements into our wedding as a thank you to Scotland for allowing us to be married on Scottish land as visitors.
Photography
We chose Aga of Mint and Jasmine, because we loved her style. We found many local photographers through instagram, but after video chatting with Aga, we knew we felt confident she could capture the moody photos we were looking for. All of her photos captured raw emotion and told a story.
Her photos made us feel deeply, and we wanted ours to have the same effect. When it came to the wedding day, Aga was helpful when putting us in a good position and also let us pose how we felt comfortable. The results were breathtaking. She did an amazing job, and we are so thankful she was willing to climb over wet rocks and sand to get photos at Sea Cliff Beach.
How They Met
We met on a popular dating app. We felt so comfortable meeting in person because there was already lot of familiarity, despite never meeting before. We attended the same schools from the ages of 12 to 19. Angelo was a year ahead, but we never crossed paths that we know of.
We knew a lot of the same people and had some of the same experiences. We first met casually at a fast food restaurant and drank milkshakes and talked for hours. Everything felt right as if we had met before, and our love grew for about 2 years and we got engaged in October 2019.
We planned a short 6 month engagement with a simple wedding in April of 2020 which ended up cancelling about 2 weeks before the big day. We finally decided to have our wedding but secretly didn’t tell anyone nearly 2 and a half years after the cancelled wedding date.
The Food
The day was full of food. We started the day with a full Scottish breakfast at Scott’s Kitchen in Edinburgh. In the middle of our wedding day, we drove from Edinburgh to Seacliff Beach and ate lunch in the car. We packed drinks, snacks, sandwiches, and salads for everyone.
We bought it all from Marks & Spencer’s the day before. It wasn’t glamorous, but I knew we would be hungry and we wouldn’t have time to eat. Our dinner was really special.
We went to Taisteal in Edinburgh for a five course tasting menu with drink pairings. This was a very nice and small restaurant that treated us really well. They reserved a table for us that was distant from other tables which was very kind of them to do. We had a variety of foods including duck and steak tartar.
The dessert was fantastic and I would love to visit again in the future.
Wedding Wisdom
Do your wedding how you want. If you become inspired, don’t let others talk you out of it. Sometimes keeping your ideas a secret will end up better. Your wedding doesn’t have to be big or expensive. It doesn’t have to go along with tradition. It could be an adventure instead. Remember this day is only about two people getting married and not anyone else.
We hired a driver with Butler’s Chauffeeur. Our experience with our driver was amazing and we are very thankful they were willing to take us to so many different locations and wait while we took photos.
Planning a Wedding?
Bookmark our Directory
Welcome to the
Love My Dress Shop
Browse the latest handpicked items in the Love My Dress Shop.
Shop by Category
or
Shop by Brand
Additional Credits
The below suppliers and venues are featured in this article, but are not part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
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.
