RELAXED & ROMANTIC: A GLASGOW BOTANIC GARDENS ELOPEMENT
FEATURING
Kieran + Andi didn’t have to go far when they eloped in their home city at the beautiful Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
“ELOPE! It’s so awesome to spend the day with your best friend celebrating all the love you have for each other.”
~ Kieran + Andi
We Fell In Love With…
A super relaxed vibe, getting ready at home and meaningful little details.
Kieran and Andi have proven that you don’t have to go far afield to create your perfect day. Staying close to home, they made their Glasgow Botanic Gardens elopement super special by keeping things laid back with little details that meant a lot to them.
Read on to see some beautiful inspiration and hang around to the end to get some extra important advice from this lovely couple.
TELL US ABOUT YOU TWO + YOUR WEDDING JOURNEY
We met on Tinder during Covid and talked online for 10 months before I travelled to Scotland to meet Kieran for the first time. I am American, originally from Tacoma, Washington (just south of Seattle) and I had placed myself in Scotland to chat to other people around the world since I wasn’t dating anyone in person at the time. Kieran matched with me and we started FaceTiming just to chat and it quickly grew from long-distance pals to both of us hoping this could actually become a relationship. We fell in love virtually and when we met in person it was the final puzzle piece.
It was my first time in Scotland and I fell in love with Kieran, Glasgow, and Scotland during my first trip. He fell in love with me, as he says, long before I made the trip. Within the first day, we knew that we had found our life partners in one another. It was pretty quickly we decided that I would be moving to Glasgow after we met in person.
We originally got married in my kitchen when Kieran visited the States with two of my friends and another pal that was ordained. We went a long time keeping that a secret as we planned to have a wedding with all our families. As time went on, that original date became so special that we decided to elope to celebrate on our third wedding anniversary. Really, this celebration was a way to celebrate all the amazing accomplishments we have achieved throughout our marriage and also commit to each other with hand written vows. We both are very close to our families so we got support and guidance from our parents & siblings, but ultimately we planned the entire day doing things we love. We stayed at home and had breakfast at the house with our dog while we got ready together. We live right on the subway line so what better way to get around Glasgow. Our photographer, David Grant Simpson, came along with us for our blissful day!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS
My dress was an ASOS Design dress on clearance, I think I paid less than £100. I was connected with an amazing seamstress based in Lanark that altered the dress by cutting off the long sleeves and making it fit like a glove. I highly recommend her to any bride as she was brilliant and brought my vision to life perfectly. I also bought a cheetah print faux fur coat for the day and my sister-in-law bought my wedding shoes for me.
Kieran wore a suit from Next and his sturdy Doc Marten brogues. We’re all about comfort and vibes!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY
I ended up making my bouquet and Kieran’s floral pocket square using blooms from Marks & Spencer. We both got little gifts from both our parents to show they were there with us. My mom and dad bought me my something blue which were thistle and royal blue hair pins. Kieran and I both received pins with pictures of our closest grandparents who have both passed. Our families were both so supportive of our decision to elope and made sure they participated in all the little ways newlyweds are celebrated.
Since we were already married, this day was just for us and we didn’t need an officiant. We wrote vows to one another and the first thing we did was walk to the Botanic Gardens from the subway station. We walked in with our photographer, David, and were able to read our vows to one another and exchange rings in the old world ferns section of the garden. It was stunning, perfectly intimate, and so us!
We also used Kieran’s family tartan to hand-fast. Kieran’s parents and brother and sister-in-law’s wedding date, along with our own were embroidered on this tartan which was such a special and intimate detail. We hope to pass down this tartan to our future children if a wedding is in the cards for them someday.
TELL US ABOUT THE RECEPTION
For our reception we just wanted to spend the day visiting classic Glaswegian spots we have loved over the years. First, we stopped at Oran Mór for a dram and a pint of Tennents. Then we hoped over to Tabac for more celebratory drinks, and ended up at Sloans. All amazing Glasgow institutions. Although our photographer had to leave us, our party didn’t stop. We went for dinner at Pizza Punks, because who doesn’t love greasy hot pizza after a dreary day and cocktails. We were totally surprised when the restaurant comped our meal to congratulate us!
Both families also paid for us to stay in the House of Gods hotel that evening. We went to the rooftop for more celebratory drinks and ended the evening eating our wedding cake in bed. Pure bliss!
ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
ELOPE! It’s so awesome to spend the day with your best friend celebrating all the love you have for each other. Also, cheaper! We didn’t have to fuss over guests or co-ordinate suppliers. It was genuinely the best day ever.
