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What was the most important thing for you about finding the perfect dress?

Well, at first I wanted something tight fitting to show off my curves, but then we took some engagement photos with Morgan Chantelle that turned out awesome and completely changed my mind! I wore a flowy dress from Lulus with an open back, it was so much fun to spin and prance around in that dress! I knew after these photos that my dress had to have movement.

What were the best personal moments of your wedding day?

We were married in Scotland, a country that we had never been to, so everything was new and exciting! We arrived five days before our wedding so we had time to explore a bit and adjust to the time change. I had every intention of visiting our wedding ceremony location in the days leading up to it, but it just never happened. When we arrived at the Quiraing, the day of our wedding, I could not believe the beauty and dramatic views that surrounded us. I was so grateful in that moment that we didn’t visit the location before our wedding, because it made those views that much more exciting and special. The morning of our wedding was really relaxed. One of my sisters and best gal-pals helped me get ready, we just goofed off and let the excitement build!After our first look, we went to a place nearby called Fairy Glenn and had some portraits taken. This felt so special and romantic as it was just Jeff, myself and our photographers. We were so excited to have a little extra time just us before our wedding festivities began. While we were taking photos it started to rain, Jeff gave me his jacket and we hid under a tree until it passed. After the rain moved on, we laughed at how soaked my hair had gotten and then finished up our photos.

My husband is not a dancing man, but the night of our wedding we cut a rug! Jeff kept coming to find me on the dance floor which surprised me each time, we just danced and danced! I think having a live band (and a couple cocktails) was encouragement enough to get everyone grooving! We didn’t have many of the traditional formalities planned out but impromptu decided to have a father-daughter dance, a mother-son dance and a bouquet toss. It was nice to have a little spontaneity in our day!

Please share something that stood out on your wedding day?

The people! When we decided to have a destination wedding, we knew it would be small and intimate. We just wanted a fun adventure with our nearest and dearest. On our wedding day, I could not stop smiling! I kept looking around at all of our loved ones, I loved seeing everyone so happy and was just in awe of how far they traveled to be there to celebrate our wedding with us. It was amazing and we are forever grateful for their friendship, love and support!

What was your inspiration for your wedding day and dress?

Before deciding to get married in Scotland, Jeff and I were going to have a wedding here in Chico. Once we started planning it, we were inundated with questions about details that we didn’t even know existed. It was stressful and quickly turning into a wedding that we didn’t feel represented us. One night, while we were having dinner at the Banshee we were trying to envision our wedding day and get a plan together. We just wanted a wedding that was simple, in a beautiful location while being surrounded by our favorite people! The idea of a destination wedding came up, so I told Jeff that if he chose the location I’d plan it! He said, “Well, I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland!”, so I got to planning!
We knew that by having a destination wedding we wouldn’t be bringing any decorations with us. This was an exciting thought, as it made things more relaxed for us. We didn’t have to worry about a million details, intricate planning, setting up or taking anything down. Instead we were able to focus all of our energy on each other and having fun with our people!

Any advice to future brides?

No matter what type of wedding you choose, it will be your kind of magic! Be flexible, things change and it’s all good! Keep it simple, no matter what happens your day will be magic! Take engagement photos before you buy your dress and ask your photographer for input 🙂