A Glengarry Scottish Rustic Country Wedding at Home with Kristin & Steve
Gah. Where do I start with this?! I had an incredible engagement session with these two last year that really set the tone for this day in early September and, as I headed out to Green Valley, I couldn’t possibly have been more excited about the event I was about to be a part of. These two are high school sweethearts. They’re comfortable with one another, they respect one another, and they laugh with one another openly and without reservation.
Presence, that’s where we’ll start.
Kristin and Steve deserve huge credit for being present for one another on their special day. Not everything went exactly to plan: Kristin ripped a hole in her dress before she’d even made it out to see her girls; their marriage paperwork wasn’t quite correct and there was a scramble to sort it out during family portrait time. And yet, they rolled with it and found joy in one another and in their families and also took the time to express those emotions. This wedding is very much an example of one where I felt completely trusted and I don’t think we could’ve created what we did if it hadn’t been for that. When things didn’t quite go as expected, they looked at me for guidance and we carried on as if we had planned it all from the beginning. There was no time for second-guessing and these two made magic because they rolled with the unexpected and smiled through it all.
The decor for this wedding was unreal. Rather than a backyard wedding, this was actually a front yard wedding at the couple’s own home, which they’d only recently moved into. Between the MacDonald family’s classic home furnishings, Jane’s green thumbs, and Cottage Blue Home, they managed to put together the quintessential country decor that also featured plenty of personal nods to the Scottish and Dutch heritage of their families. The table settings included mismatched china plates that had been collected for about 175 people. The name cards tucked underneath each plate were made using Facebook photos that had been printed out and made to look like Polaroids – bonus points if they could find a photo of the guest with either Kristin or Steve, and they usually did. There were clan crests, family tartans, a pair of clogs, a hay bale couch, heather on the tables and thistles in the bouquet, and countless other little touches that pulled everything together to make it very clear that today was as much about family as it was about Kristin and Steve.
When we met for engagement photos, Steve seemed quiet, a bit shy and exceptionally polite. His strong baritone voice seemed so unexpected. Steve’s country charm and boyish grin immediately make you feel at ease in his presence – and also seem to be a green light for the boys to go heavy on the banter. :) Having his brothers and long-time friends alongside him for the day meant that there was plenty of laughter to go around. Add the uncertainty that comes with getting dressed in full Scottish regalia into that mix and it’s a recipe for hilarity. It turns out that tying those shoes is no easy feat. (Note to self: DON’T get too low to the ground when kilts are involved!) What I loved about the guys getting ready is that they each wore their own family tartan and the tartans actually all looked good side-by-side. A special wedding day gift from Kristin worked to really complete the Highlander look for Steve.
It was so easy to tell that Kristin is a dedicated friend just by the way her girls looked after her. When she came around the corner, the looks on the girls’ faces showed just how excited they were for her. When she showed them the rip in her lace while she laughed about how it happened, they immediately found the sewing kit and got to work on tacking it into place. When it came time to do photos, they sprung into action and seemed to treasure those minutes with Kristin.
What followed after the ceremony and portraits was legendary. Laughter and reminiscing as guests realised that their place cards weren’t just names on paper. Tears as speeches touched on special parts of the bride’s and groom’s lives – and laughter as speeches touched on some less “treasured” memories. Sharing the traditional quaich. Air guitar, highland dancing, and belt-it-from-the-bottom-of-your-lungs singing that can only come from plenty of wine and lots of happiness.
Kristin and Stephen, you epitomise class. Your grace, your gratitude, and your enthusiastic displays of love for all who surround you were a pleasure to witness and be a part of. Thank you for putting together a wedding that will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for your sincerity, your thoughtfulness and your smiles. I cannot wait to see where the future leads you both!
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments as they happen, whether during a summer wedding or a winter engagement session. My goal is to capture memories that you will cherish once your wedding dress is wrapped up and the flowers have dried. I love meeting new couples and getting in amongst the wedding day bedlam so that I can document the emotions and truly special moments. Please explore more of www.momentusstudio.com to see more examples of wedding photography from Cornwall and area.
