Wedding | Jessica & Will

The Anti-Bride
17 minutes ago
5 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’re Jess, a photographer/art director, and Will, a project manager for a luxury fashion group. We met through friends in Brooklyn, then accidentally became neighbors on the same block. Our story grew through countless evenings spent climbing between balconies via the fire escape, fully aware of how hilariously cliché (and convenient) it was.

These days, we spend our time together restoring a 1830s era home in Bucks County, PA, digging through antique shops and flea markets on the weekends and meeting each other back in NYC during the work week for date nights.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We wanted a wedding that felt more like a ritual than a production, less about perfection and more about creating something meaningful and true to us. After road-tripping around Scotland on our engagement trip we knew how deeply we connected to the energy and landscape there. The Highlands have this surreal, almost impossible-to-grasp vastness, a single winding road through towering, treeless green mountains that has a way of making you feel like the only two people for miles and miles around. That feeling of openness and freedom was something we wanted to return to for our ceremony.

Bringing our families back made the experience even more meaningful. We planned to host a three-day wedding weekend, and since most of our guests had never been to Scotland, it became a rare chance to explore a place that holds so much meaning for us while creating new memories together. We rented a lovely estate inside the Cairngorms National Park where everyone could stay, with fresh bread and eggs delivered daily from the farm on-site. Mornings were slow and communal, and dinners were prepared by a local personal chef and his team. These simple moments allowed for real quality time with the people we love.

In the end, choosing Scotland felt undeniably right for us, and we’re incredibly grateful to our family and friends who travelled from around the world to share it with us.

How many guests did you have?

19 guests + the two of us (and a few mischievous sheep that crashed the wedding).

What was your budget?

25k USD mostly spent on travel, accommodation, food and activities for our guests for a 3 night stay onsite at the estate rental. This also covered basic furniture rental costs from outside vendors for tables, chairs, a self-serve bar with glassware and tableware.

We ordered flowers by the stem from a great local florist which was more affordable (500USD) and arranged them ourselves in airy vases around the property and on the dinner tables. We saved a lot of money by cutting elements of a “traditional wedding” that didn’t seem worth the cost for us. For example, we didn’t send out physical stationary invitations, instead we had a wedding website where we updated and shared all wedding and travel information. We also didn’t buy new wedding bands since we were using family heirloom rings.

Tell us about your outfits.

We had a few days of activities and dinners planned, so we leaned into outfit changes, but in a way that felt aligned with our values. Between the two of us, we’ve collected so many pieces from years working in the fashion industry, so the wedding became the perfect excuse to pull from what we already owned.

Almost everything we wore was pre-owned, vintage, or already in our closets. One of Jess’s favorite looks was a delicate dusty pink antique 1920s silk cape she found at a local antique shop back in Bucks County that she wore for the private whisky tasting and pre-wedding dinner.

For the ceremony Jess wore a dress she found on The Real Real for a steal of only $150 and later customized by adjusting the sleeves and adding a lace top. Her veil was made the day before the wedding during a girls crafting party (thanks to Autumn, Jess’s longest friend and a fashion designer seamstress extraordinaire). Will wore a custom chocolate brown double breasted suit with leather Louis Vuitton oxfords that he already owned.

After trekking through a rocky mountain path for the ceremony, we changed into coordinating soft pastel-blue outfits for dinner (our something blue). Will loves bold patterns, so he was thrilled to wear a pastel blue brocade Gucci suit, while Jess wore a one-of-a-kind blue Gucci dress with ruffled sleeves and delicate lace details that matches her love of ethereal, feminine, pieces that are especially fun to spin around in.

We also wore and painted “lover’s eye” pins made by our best friend Autumn. Jess also wore a sentimental vintage pheasant pin to represent her recently passed grandfather, which was a gift from her sister-in-law Kait.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

The most important part for us was staying true to who we are and resisting the pressure to perform or over-consume. We tried to minimize over consumption and instead chose to spend our budget on experiences, food, and creating a ceremony rooted in meaning rather than aesthetics.

There’s so much pressure around weddings, but you truly have total freedom to do (or not do) whatever feels right. If any part of a traditional wedding doesn’t resonate with you, you can rewrite it. The moment we gave ourselves permission to do only what felt meaningful and exciting to us, everything clicked into place.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Photography was a major priority for us. As a photographer herself, Jess greatly values the art and intention that goes into capturing such a big moment. Finding someone who could document the weekend with authenticity and artistry was essential. Working with Sara De Blas was wonderful. We really admired her ability to observe quietly and translate those moments into something artful.

We also wanted the weekend to feel like an experience. So since our guests were with us for several days, we filled the weekend with experiences: Private whisky tastings, clay pigeon shooting in the Highlands, and late-night hot tub hangs. We wanted everyone to feel part of something memorable, not just a single ceremony.

Any tips for couples getting married?

We pulled our wedding together in under three months, which was a little wild, but it worked because it was so small and intimate. Having that short timeline actually helped us. It kept us from overthinking every detail and forced us to make decisions quickly. If we’d had a year to plan, the wedding would have taken over our entire lives.

Our biggest advice: once your wedding week arrives, loosen your grip on the tiny details. Something will be off, it always is, and that’s okay. Let it become part of the story. Focus on being present and enjoying the day you created.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

If you’re planning a wedding in Scotland, we highly recommend Virginia’s Vintage Hire and Splendid Hire. Both offer incredibly unique, high-quality pieces and are great to work with. Their selections added so much character without feeling over-done.

Photographer: Sara De Blas @salbedarasweddings | Flora: Something Special Flowers @blairflorist | Videographer: Unloaded Film @unloadedfilm | Ceremony Location: Cairngorms National Park at The Devil’s Elbow Overlook | Reception Location: Brewlands Estate Glenisla, Scotland | Celebrant: Ean (Will’s Bestfriend) | Hire: Virginia’s Vintage Hire @virginiasfurniturehire & Splendid Hire @splendid_hire | Hair & Makeup: Jessica did her own | Cake, Catering & Beverages: Giuseppe Manzoli @privatechef.giuseppe