A 12-person 3-day micro-wedding in a historic Scottish castle

Scottish castle micro wedding

As a wedding planner herself, bride Sara’s vision for her wedding was to keep the guest list as intimate as possible for an overseas celebration in Scotland. Since Sara and Josh met in 2012 the running Sara and Josh had been joking that they wanted to elope to Scotland and live in a castle since they met in 2012. That dream became reality when they got engaged in late 2022. A whirlwind planning process of only three months led to this beautiful wedding taking place at Drumtochty Castle in the hills of Aberdeen, Scotland, captured on camera by Ashley Baumgartner, and planned with the help of Curated by Grace and White.

floral inserts for wedding invitation suite

black and white wedding vow booklets Scotland destination wedding

A micro-vacation for a micro-wedding

An intimate group - made up of Josh's and Sara's families - started the trip by sightseeing in Edinburgh before heading up to Drumtochty Castle for a three-night stay that included the rehearsal dinner and wedding.

white rose bridal bouquet

wedding dress with thigh-high slit cathedral-length veil

strapless classic wedding dress

How to: Simple and classic wedding style

Wanting to keep the design as simple and classic as possible, Sara opted for a strapless Mikado ballgown by Trish Peng from Ellis Blake Bridal that complemented Josh’s black tux. It was a black-tie affair with all 12 (yes, only 12!) guests adorned in floor length gowns and black tuxes.

hidden wedding ceremony

A tucked-away ceremony space

The ceremony was held outdoors in a small courtyard against a white door tucked into the mountain - there was not a dry eye in sight!

bagpiper for wedding

A traditional bagpiper led cocktail hour

A traditional bagpiper - Thistle Piping - led the wedding to cocktail hour in the gold room inside the castle, followed by dinner in the ballroom.

white rose and baby's breath tablerunner centerpiece

gold candelabras floral menu

banquet table with overflowing flowers

A single elegant banquet table

At the reception, one long table with white roses from Kim Dalglish, beautiful textured linen from BBJ La Tavola, and floral menus from Shimmer and Stain set the tone for the magical night ahead.

choreographed first dance

After the party it's the after-party

After the elegant castle reception, the bride threw her hair up and changed into a satin mini dress complete with large bow and delicate ankle-strap heels that included a touch of sparkle.

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