American witch Shaun married long-term love Zach at Elgin Cathedral in an atmospheric folklore-inspired wedding complete with magic potions, spells and a run through a graveyard
Shaun and Zach
11th May 2024
Ceremony venue | Elgin Cathedral, Moray
Dinner venue | Orrin Restaurant, Elgin
Photography and film | Aly Robinson Photography and Videography
“Zach and I met in Philadelphia. We were both in college when we went on our first date to a jazz club in downtown Philly, and it was absolute magic. We've been together ever since, that was 12 years ago.
We're American but have had a great love affair with Scotland for many years. It was the only place we wanted to marry.
Yes, you guessed it – Outlander was our gateway drug. But of course, Scotland is so much more than that to us: it’s a beautiful green heaven and an historic place of magic and mysticism.
Folklore was a huge influence on how our wedding looked. I wanted it to look like a green witch's dream – think earthy, natural, lost-in-the-woods.... or the graveyard. I wanted everyone to imagine that at any moment, we'd break into spell work, a raven would start talking, or the good folk might pay us a visit.
We invited only our closest friends and family – 30 people – to travel with us to share our day. It was a choice we held strong to despite the backlash we received, which was very eye-opening!
It was our day, and I'm very proud of how wonderfully it went. It hurt when certain people took issue with my approach and acted out, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what they think: it was about Zach and I. We were the ones spending money, time and effort to make it happen.
We held our ceremony at Elgin Cathedral, for its historical significance and incomparable beauty. Our best friend Martin officiated our symbolic ceremony. (To save any other coordination, we’d legally tied the knot in a very small private event in the States beforehand.)
Find out what you need to do to get married in Scotland
Zach and I are huge, proud nerds, so I walked myself down the aisle to The Shire theme from Lord of the Rings played on violin by the amazingly talented Joseph Hibbs.
If it isn't obvious by now, I'm a witch, so Martin worked several quotes from my favourite film and book Practical Magic into his speech. My bridesmaids and closest friends Alicia, Courtney, Charlene, Victoria and Maggie (also witches) read oracle cards. It all felt like one big spell.
For our reading, we used another quote from the book and film:-
“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain:
Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder.
Keep rosemary by your garden gate.
Add pepper to your mashed potatoes.
Plant roses and lavender, for luck.
Fall in love whenever you can.” ― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic.
We replaced "Sally Owens" with Shaun and Zach!
We worked a handfasting ritual into our ceremony too. My beloved friend and bridesmaid Courtney blessed with it a hand-spelled ritual oil that I made myself for our small business, Lunar Leos.
We had a photoshoot in the graveyard at Elgin Cathedral. I wanted to work with a photographer who showcased a fine-art style and worked within colour balances that aligned with my vision.
When I spoke to Aly Robinson over Zoom, it became pretty clear early on that we shared the witch vibe between us. Another box ticked. She loved cemetery and crow photos too!
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The girls and I spent a lot of our time in the graveyard with the crows – I couldn't have asked for a better coven.
Afterwards, we headed to Orrin, a restaurant in Elgin, to feast on a Scottish menu of haggis, neeps and tatties, salmon, cod and Aberdeenshire beef. It was probably the best meal we've ever had. We pub-hopped around the town after that.
I worked with a Texan designer to create a green satin and chiffon dress – ivory is so passé! I had designed it for chilly weather, but to my surprise, Scotland was in the full swing of summer weather on the 11th of May – just my luck!"
Top tip: “If you are planning a wedding overseas, hire a local coordinator that knows the area and can correspond with your vendors in the local time zone,” says Shaun. “We booked Tracy of Without a Hitch Aberdeen as our wedding planner at the tail-end of things. Believe me when I say I would have hired her the day we decided on Scotland if I had known how much of a headache overseas planning would be – her services were so worth the expense.”
Photography and film Aly Robinson Photography and Videography (see highlights above)
Ceremony venue Elgin Cathedral, Moray
Dinner venue Orrin Restaurant, Elgin
Wedding planner Without a Hitch Aberdeen
Hair and makeup AMMazing Hair and Makeup
Flowers Hidden Botanics
Favours Glen Moray Distillery
