Now THIS, loves, is exactly how you do an elopement: with a crazy awesome city hall wedding followed by a cross-country tour of the United States. I’m talking a month-long celebration of “I do” kicked off by the sweetest of ceremonies and a romp through NYC, all captured by Cassi Claire. See every last smile-inducing moment right here.
From Cassi Claire… Weddings come in all different shapes and sizes, and for Lorna and Andrew their wedding came in the form of a one-month adventure across the US! Having been together for more than nine years, they decided to celebrate by hopping across the ocean from Scotland into the hustle and bustle of NYC. After officially tying the knot at city hall, their honeymoon consisted of a whirlwind trip across the US to New Orleans, Texas, the Grand Canyon, California, Boston, and more!
From the Bride… Andrew and I got engaged on my 30th birthday in Barcelona, while on holiday. We had been together for nine years, so although I was surprised at the time, it wasn’t entirely unexpected and most people reacted with a “finally!”
I started to look at venues and dresses, and actually bought a wedding dress, but I felt my heart was never really in it. I never really had an ideal wedding plan and although I had enjoyed my friends weddings; I never really felt the need to replicate it. However we ploughed on, even visiting venues and planning menus but without any real commitment.
As time went on, the idea of a small wedding and a big holiday (we love travel!) seemed more and more appealing. Then we discovered it is actually quite difficult to have a small wedding! It’s hard to cut people out when you have such great friends. So, inspired by someone else who eloped, we thought, why not? New York City seemed ideal – it’s the place you always see in movies – and it did not disappoint!
What a day we had – and made all the more special by our fantastic photographer. I won’t lie the day was a bit stressful… it was hot, we had to change hotels that morning, and my hairdresser didn’t speak English. Nevermind that Andrew forgot my wedding ring for our ceremony! But I would not have changed it for the world. We live in the biggest city Scotland has to offer and we love the city-scape!
After our elopement, we embarked on a whistle stop tour of what is an amazing and awesome country! From NYC we headed to New Orleans followed by Austin, TX. We road tripped from Austin to Vegas – we made a stop in Albuquerque for some Breaking Bad sight seeing and even flew over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter!
After Vegas we drove to the Yosemite National Park and stayed in a great little village called Grovesland with the oldest Saloon Bar in the country apparently! And of course, we couldn’t come to California without a wine tasting! A few great days in San Francisco ended our tour of CA, but we dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean one last time before we left for Boston. A red eye flight and an hour of sleep later we were at Fenway Park watching the Red Sox (well done on the World Series!) with friends. Our last day we had a traditional American diner breakfast. It is a trip we will never forget. Thank you USA for being a great host!
Photography: Cassi Claire | Floral Design: Flowers In The Window | Dress: Monsoon | Ceremony: NYC City Hall