Alan and Amy chose a historic castle in Scotland for their destination wedding venue, the Dundas Castle outside of Edinburgh. The couple chose Scotland because Alan was from the area and all his family was local. Amy also has Scottish ancestral roots so the locale made for the perfect match for the two.
From the bride, “The biggest challenge was getting my family to come across. They were actually very excited to go – just the logistics of getting them all there, and staying in the same place was a bit of a task. Family friends of Alan’s volunteered their beautiful loft apartment in downtown Edinburgh for my whole family to stay, which helped out immensely. They were able to stay and enjoy the city as well as take day trips to the Highlands & other sites, so it worked out perfectly.” 
Local guests and even those from the states embraced the fashion tradition of a Scottish wedding. “I wanted a more formal look for the bridesmaids so floor-length and romantic had to be the style. Because it was a spring wedding, the color had to be a light, “non-color” that wouldn’t compete with the various kilt tartans that would be worn. I went with BCBG evening gowns which were champagne silk chiffon with a beaded band around the bodice being the only embellishment. My two brothers, who walked me down the aisle, happily wore kilts. They wore the Buchanan tartan, the rest of the wedding party wore the Lindsay tartan. The other wedding attendees wore their own kilts (most Scottish men have their own & proudly wear them to formal events).”
The bride wore a beautiful and traditional lace wedding gown by Pronovias with a detailed lace veil that billowed in the wind.
For the decor, like many destination wedding couples, they opted to embrace their surroundings and keep the floral simple, allowing the natural beauty of the castle to be the focal point. “I did not want to compete with the beautiful backdrop that is Dundas Castle so the décor had to be simple but formal. The flowers were chosen to look as if they had been picked from the garden. I wanted the flowers to be loosely arranged and the colors to be ivory, creams – just fresh and elegant, nothing over the top. I wanted my bouquet to be the same type of feel, cascading & a bit formal – again in various ivories, creams, whites. I used tulle for the ancient “auld keep” where the ceremony was held & champagne silk ribbon was the only color. I also brought in mercury glass candle holders and lots of ivory candles, which were the only decoration.”
For dinner, the bride and groom went with a traditional Scottish wedding menu. “The main course was Haggis. But before dinner we had the ‘Address to the Haggis‘ where the piper ‘pipes in the haggis.’ We also had Scottish country dancing and we even had a late evening buffet of ‘bacon rolls’ – a very Scottish wedding standard. And then we ended the evening with cake which was very simple, but the cake topper was used in my parents wedding so it has a very sixties vibe to it and it’s of course sentimental.”
For wedding favors the bride paid tribute to her hometown. “I made the favor boxes & each contained a piece of divinity and a piece of praline (both a very southern candy – I’m from Georgia). In addition to the Divinity & Praline, I gave each person a little plain cut-glass frame which held the place card – when we got back from honeymoon, I sent everyone a picture from the wedding that would fit in that frame.”
Congratulations Amy and Alan! Looks like a festive and fun event and a great start to husband and wife! We hope you get back to Scotland soon!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Paul Johnson Photography (Paul & Mecheal Johnson)
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Dundas Castle, Wedding Dress: Pronovias, purchased at Bridal Couture in Atlanta, Band: Reel Time Events, Piper: (Bagpipes) Roderick Deans w/Reel Time Events, Caterer: Prestige Scotland, Cake: Marks & Spencer, Wedding Flowers: Lillias Brotherston.
