Glenapp Castle Elopement | wedding Photography | Quira & Drew

Well…some weddings. Just. Give. You. The. Goosebumps.

I didn’t meet Quira & Drew until their wedding day, but I was immediately drawn to Quira’s enthusiasm when we chatted by email. California natives, they were eloping to the rugged shores of Scotland for a fairytale wedding - just the two of them, and their brilliantly chilled-out demeanours! ;-) We were introduced by Sara Jane, wedding planner extraordinaire, who co-ordinated and planned everything at this side of the pond extremely smoothly. And W-HAT a venue they chose! The luxury (and very well hidden!) wedding venue Glenapp Castle, right on the west coast and situated in acres of varied and beautiful gardens and woodland. This formed an absolutely perfect backdrop for our shenanigans.

The entirety of the day flowed with a very relaxed and intimate sentiment, perfect for the occasion. The usual crazy hustle and bustle of a wedding day was absent, replaced by a quiet sense of excitement and emotion. The only other quiet cameos in this game were played by the lovely ladies from The Makeup Lounge Ayrshire, who handled hair and makeup (and dress application!); Chris the humanist celebrant, who conducted the beautiful ceremony, Bryce the piper; and Gillian and John from Glenapp who served as both witnesses and on-the-day co-ordinators. The lack of the usual wedding time constraints meant we could take our time touring the exquisite grounds of Glenapp as we pleased; strolling (sometimes jumping!) through the woods, talking rubbish, having a laugh, and playing croquet :-) Not only that, but Quira and Drew very nearly decided on a wedding out at sea as they loved the vibe and the aesthetic, so we also took a detour to a few beaches to squeeze in some of that authentic, Scottish coast vibe - and why not? Jagged rocks, waves, moody skies and purple wellies. Nectar! And I still never got around to telling them the tale of the local, cave-dwelling cannibal Sawney Bean…maybe next time they’re in Scotland ;-)

Despite all the cool things about this wedding the main point for me, as an observer, was the emotion. I’m not too macho to admit that most of the time these days at some point I’ll get choked up at wedding speeches or the ceremony. I can take it. I’m not scared to admit it. I’m comfortable talking about my emotions…sniff :-) There was just something so effortlessly sentimental about the day and the ceremony. Drew in particular, just could not hold back his emotions during the ceremony and it was lovely to see. Please check out the official short film from the day. It shows a whole other dimension to the photographs below, and of course, you’ll get to see some of those emotions! ;-)

Right, that’s enough smushy stuff from me.

One more thing to note about Quira and Drew. They met through playing the computer game ‘Clash of Clans’ (a few nice, subtle nods to this can be seen in the photos). In which, I’m reliably informed, they were BIG FISH :-) They started to chat, a spark emerged, they travelled miles to meet each other, and from there, this beautiful story of romance unfolded and led them to where they are now. So, if you are an adult who has ever said to a child something along the lines of - ”stop playing video games or you’ll never achieve anything!” - don’t show them this wedding whatever you do…it will make a mockery of your argument. ;-)