AN ADVENTURE FOR TWO – A CROSSBASKET CASTLE ELOPEMENT

There can be few better ways to start married life than with an adventure. Drawn by the Scottish landscape, Carla and Kelley chose a luxurious and tranquil castle retreat, away from the hustle and bustle of the city for their intimate wedding. From the fairytale turret room they stayed in to their woodland ceremony by the River Calder, it was everything they’d dreamed of, and more.

Love at first sight or gradual attraction?

A few weeks after first meeting, Kelley made an unforgettable impression on Carla when he fulfilled her request by cooking homemade beef bourguignon. When he opened the front door, a cloud of smoke escaped, but his creation was somehow still better than any 3-star Michelin restaurant.

A few weeks later, we left for a romantic trip to Paris and Prague, only to return to Paris a few months after. During the second trip to Paris in the same year, Kelley proposed on Pont Alexandre III as the Eiffel Tower lit up. The rest is history.

What inspired your wedding plans?

Starting our lives as husband and wife with an adventure. We loved the Scottish landscape and thought it would make the perfect backdrop for our ceremony.

With family in South Africa and scattered across the United States, it felt incredibly challenging and impractical to plan a wedding that everyone who is important to us would be able to attend. We instead chose to have an intimate ceremony with just the two of us in a place that neither of us had ever visited. It was the perfect choice, and our wedding day was breathtaking.

While planning our ceremony in Scotland from our home in Florida, it was crucial to find a venue that had people that could clearly answer all our questions and help us figure out the details of the day from afar. Vicki McQuillan and Carol Baird at Crossbasket Castle were both wonderful in providing photos and details so that we could feel confident in our decision without actually needing to physically see the venue. Nestled in the woods by the Calder river, the castle offered us a luxurious and tranquil retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We stayed in the fairytale turret room the night before and the day of our wedding, and held our intimate ceremony outside under big trees by the Calder river.

We love your dress! Tell us more…

I wore the Jayme gown by Catherine Deane. This was the first and only dress that I tried on, and it miraculously did not require any alterations. Accented by tiers of delicate lace contrasted with a Champagne silk lining, the gown was a perfect balance between a bohemian and timeless silhouette.

Was it tricky choosing suppliers from so far away?

We met with The Gibsons on Skype before booking them as our photographers. While speaking to them, we could tell that they were passionate about capturing our wedding day in an artful and timeless manner. Looking back on the images that they captured now, we can feel each and every moment as if we were right back there in Scotland. Our photos are heirlooms that our family will treasure for generations. We could not be happier in our choice and are so thankful that they were able to capture so many special moments in an unobtrusive way.

Our videographer, Chas captured the day discreetly and with an eye for the details needed to tell our story. I can’t say enough about his talent, and our video speaks for itself. Chas brought the moments of our day to life through a video keepsake that we’ll have forever. We had multiple discussions prior to the day of the ceremony to talk about what we were looking for in a video, and Chas exceeded our expectations.

Emma of Betty Bluebell was by far the most responsive and helpful florist that I reached out to prior to my wedding in Scotland. She was incredibly helpful with picking out flowers. I gave her an idea of flowers and colors that I would have liked for my bridal bouquet and flower crown, but I left the ultimate choices up to her (giving her artistic freedom depending on which flowers looked best that day). She also brought flowers for the wedding cake and a boutonnière for my (now) husband. These flowers were also incredible. She did an exceptional job and delivered the flowers herself to my bridal suite the morning of the wedding. I could not recommend her enough and am so grateful to have chosen a florist that is so creative and gifted at what she does.

We were incredibly fortunate that all of our suppliers were stellar.

Honeymoon or minimoon?

The day after the wedding, we took a scenic road trip through the Isle of Skye, Inverness, Lochness and St Andrews in Scotland. We then left for one week of relaxation in Paris.

We love the idea of a wedding adventure for two! Anyone else feeling inspired to elope to Scotland? x