INTIMATE + ETHEREAL: A NON-BINARY WEDDING AT DUNASPIE LOCH IN EDINBURGH
Anna + Spencer planned their Edinburgh destination wedding all the way from Alabama with the help of their talented and trusted suppliers
“Planning a destination wedding taught us the importance of finding suppliers you genuinely trust. Invest in great suppliers and then let go.”
~ Anna + Spencer
We Fell In Love With…
Seriously romantic portraits that made us gasp, the ethereal feel, the intimacy of a small celebration with those you love.
Anna and Spencer created a truly intimate celebration at their Dunaspie Loch wedding. Placing trust in WFIL family member Gemma from Lavender Blue Alternative Wedding Coordination, and their photographer Aga, to bring their vision to life.
Read on to see all the gorgeous inspo and stay tuned to the end to get some important advice from this lovely couple.
TELL US ABOUT YOU TWO + YOUR WEDDING JOURNEY
We met working together backstage at a local theatre production back in October 2016. We both felt an immediate connection and started seeing each other as soon as our theatre gig ended in November.
When it came time to plan our wedding, we knew we wanted something intimate and non-traditional. We knew the wedding would have to be in the summer due to scheduling constraints, but wanted to avoid anywhere nearly as hot as Alabama, where we live. So, it ended up being the perfect excuse for a destination wedding!
Scotland has always been a place we’ve always wanted to visit and see, so Edinburgh felt like the perfect choice. Planning a destination wedding from Alabama might sound daunting, but honestly, it was incredibly easy. The time zone difference definitely wasn’t ideal for scheduling calls, but both Gemma and Aga made the entire process so laid back and stress-free. We coordinated everything remotely over email and Zoom calls. Both of them were so responsive and made us feel completely confident in our decisions, even from thousands of miles away.
Prior to our ceremony in Scotland, we got legally married at our local library.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS
I purchased my wedding dress from Anthropologie online. I personally have never been interested in the “say yes to the dress” moment and knew I didn’t want a cheesy in-person wedding dress shopping experience. The dress fitted me almost perfectly, and we had a fantastic seamstress at Martha’s Tailoring who tailored both of our outfits here in Birmingham, Alabama. Everything fit like a glove!
Spencer ordered their wedding day outfit from Sumarakova Atelier, a Portuguese/Ukrainian Atelier. It was really difficult finding something that really straddled the gender line in the way that we wanted it to, since the vast majority of non-binary bridal wear tends to gravitate towards being a slightly more feminine tux. This outfit fit the bill, perfectly though! It was ordered online as a complete outfit (including gossamer cape!), and they were so easy to work with. The tailoring was also top notch! We barely had to get anything altered once it got delivered.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY
We had a secular ceremony with just a little over 20 of our closest friends and family. The ceremony was officiated by Spencer’s brother, Alex, reading a speech that Spencer had written. It was wonderfully personal, special and exactly what we wanted.
We all met right along the shores of Dunsapie Loch in Holyrood Park, standing together in that beautiful Scottish landscape with the loch behind us. We even had swans attend in the backdrop! Since it was an outdoor venue with no indoor alternative, we were fully prepared to embrace the unpredictability of Scottish weather. Thankfully we had no rain at all. Instead, we had the most perfect moody sky and gentle breeze.
The ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, and having everyone we love gathered in such a stunning natural setting made it absolutely unforgettable.
Our beautiful flowers were provided by Snapdragon Floral Arrangements in Edinburgh, adding the perfect touch.
TELL US ABOUT THE RECEPTION
Our reception was just as intimate as our ceremony. We didn’t do any traditional first dances or speeches, instead, we kept it simple with a lovely dinner at Angels with Bagpipes.
Right after the ceremony, while our guests made their way to the restaurant, we took advantage of the golden light and stunning Scottish landscape to capture some incredible photographs with our photographer Aga (who is an absolute rockstar!) around Holyrood Park.
After we finished our immaculately photogenic (and not at all physically exhausting) trek through the middle of Holyrood, we met up with everyone for dinner, and it was perfect: just good food, great conversation, and quality time with the people we love most.
The intimate atmosphere was exactly what we were hoping for. No pressure, just an evening of celebrating together.
WHICH SUPPLIERS ROCKED YOUR DAY?
Gemma at Lavender Blue found us the most perfect ceremony location and Aga (Mint & Jasmine) not only created absolute magic with her photography, but also provided such a lovely experience in capturing our day. Superheroes!
ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
Our biggest piece of advice? Don’t get swept up in the details, leave that to the professionals! We’re so thankful that the wedding day felt incredibly laid back for us. Because we trusted Gemma and Aga completely, we truly got to just enjoy the day and take in every moment as it came. There was no stress about timelines or logistics because we knew our team had everything handled.
Planning a destination wedding taught us the importance of finding suppliers you genuinely trust. When you can’t be there in person to oversee everything, you need people who understand your vision and can execute it flawlessly. Gemma and Aga did exactly that.
Our advice to other couples, especially those planning intimate or destination weddings, is to invest in great vendors and then let go. Trust them, enjoy your day, and soak up every single moment – it goes by so fast!
