Our Wedding Ceremony

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. - Aristotle

For us, perfection was a destination wedding. We were married at Culzean Castle located on the southwest coast of Scotland in South Ayrshire. The romantic, cliff top castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde was designed by Robert Adam and completed in 1790. The wedding ceremony was held on August 21^st, 2001 at 6:30 pm in the Saloon, the most amazing room in the castle, with its contrasting traits of eighteenth century elegance and wild, untamed scenery of sea, sky and mountain. Following the ceremony we took wedding photographs in several of the rooms and the courtyard of the beautiful castle. We then drove to a nearby beach with a view of the castle and were treated to a lovely sunset as we took our last pictures; a sunset especially appreciated after an entire day of rain which had only died down at 5:00pm. Soon after we returned to the castle for a superb meal in the Dining Room of the Eisenhower Apartment prepared especially for us and our guests by our own chef. Following dinner we enjoyed tea served in the Sitting Room of the Eisenhower Apartment while we chatted with our friends. Later that evening, Jeff and I retired to our room for the night, the Ailsa Suite of the Eisenhower Apartment, after bidding our guests adieu.

Click on the thumbnails below in order to see pictures of the wedding ceremony and the rest of the evening. Use your browser's back button to return to this page.


An Apache Wedding Blessing that we really like.	Picking up our marriage schedule at the Registrar's office in Ayrshire the day before the wedding.	The bridal bouquet

Denise, Grisel and Helen in the Ailsa Suite. These were the wonderful ladies who did my hair and makeup for the wedding. They work in a salon on George Street in Ayr called Changes One.	Grisel and Brian, our fabulous British Heritage wedding coordinator, in the Ailsa suite just before the ceremony.	Jeff waits patiently for his bride in the Sitting Room of the Eisenhower Apartment. The Apartment is self contained on the top floor of the castle.

Grisel in the Sitting Room just prior to the ceremony.	Sanny and Jean in the Sitting Room.	Jean in the Sitting Room.

Grisel & Jeff during the marriage ceremony held in the Saloon. I think we had the shortest minister in the entire country marrying us. J	Jeff putting the ring on Grisel's finger.	Grisel having problems putting the ring on Jeff's finger. We got it on his finger eventually.

Grisel signing the Marriage Schedule... with a quill. Isn't that quaint?	Grisel signing the Marriage Schedule.	Brian and Jean, our witnesses, signing the Marriage Schedule.

Our minister, Jim Biggen, signing the Marriage Schedule.	Brian, Grisel & Jeff in the Saloon.	Jeff, Grisel & Sanny in the Saloon.

Grisel & Jeff in the Saloon. The room has been arranged as a formal eighteenth century saloon with the chairs on the perimeter.	Jeff & Grisel in the Saloon. The oval back chairs are by Robert Adam. The carpet is a copy of the one Adam designed for the room.	Grisel & Jeff in the Saloon.

A happy, post-ceremony Jeff sitting in one of the Louis XVI style square backed chairs in the perimeter of the Saloon.	Jeff & Grisel on the balcony of the Saloon. Immediately below the balcony, 150 ft. down, are the rocks and breakers of the Fifth of Clyde.	Jeff & Grisel on the balcony of the Saloon. In the background is a partial view of the courtyard with the hills of Ayrshire beyond.

Grisel & Jeff on the balcony of the Saloon.	Grisel & Jeff on the balcony of the Saloon.	Lori, Jeff, Grisel & Roger on the balcony of the Saloon. Lori and Roger were our only friends from the US that were able to attend the quasi-elopement. We were thrilled to have them there. It meant so much to us to have some friends with us on our wedding day.

Jeff & Grisel on the balcony of the Saloon.	Jeff & Grisel on the balcony of the Saloon.	Sanny standing next to one of the Corinthian pillars of the Oval Staircase.

Lori leaning up against one of the Corinthian pillars of the Oval Staircase.	Grisel outside of the Sitting Room in the Eisenhower Apartment. The Sitting Room, like all of the rooms in the Eisenhower Apartment, is arranged around Adam's magnificent central Oval Staircase.	Jeff standing between a pair of Ionic columns in front of the Sitting Room.

Grisel & Jeff at the railing of the Oval Staircase. This picture was taken from the top floor of the castle looking down a floor.	Jeff and Grisel at the Corinthian columns of the Oval Staircase. The Oval Staircase is the centerpiece of the castle's interior and one of Adam's finest achievements.	Jeff and Grisel at the Corinthian columns and balustrade of the Oval Staircase.

Jeff and Grisel at the Oval Staircase. By inverting the usual classical order and placing slimmer Ionic columns over larger, more decorative Corinthian columns, Robert Adam enhanced the illusion of soaring height within the stairwell. Light streams in from a cupola above.	Jeff and Grisel at the ground floor of the castle in front of the Oval Staircase.	The Armory contains hundreds of weapons issued to local militia raised to meet the threat of invasion by Napoleon.

Grisel in the Old Eating Room.	Jeff and Grisel in the Old Eating Room.	Jeff and Grisel in the courtyard outside the Entrance Hall.

Grisel & Jeff in the courtyard.	Grisel & Jeff in the courtyard.	Grisel & Jeff in the courtyard with the ocean in the background.

Grisel in the courtyard with the ocean and the Ayrshire hills in the background.	Jeff & Grisel at the beach with Culzean Castle in the background.	Jeff, Grisel, Lori and Roger at the beach with Culzean Castle in the background.

Walking on the beach together, hand in hand we'll be forever...	Jeff & Grisel at the beach.	Jeff & Grisel at the beach with Culzean Castle in the background.

Jeff & Grisel at the beach.	Jeff & Grisel at the beach.	Grisel & Jeff enjoy shots of scotch at the beach as the sun sets in the background. We needed something to take the edge off the cold breeze. J

The post ceremony dinner held in the Dining Room of the Eisenhower Apartment. In attendance were Grisel, Jeff, Kay, Brian, Lori and Roger.	Lori at dinner following the ceremony.	The Wedding Rings and Bouquet.

Roger smiling... before he realized that he didn't remember how to get back to their flat for the night... where their children and mothers slept. They figured it out, though. J	Lori pouring over a book on the subject of Culzean Castle.	Kay & Brian in the Sitting Room after dinner.

Grisel and Jeff relaxing in the Sitting Room after dinner.	Grisel and Jeff... the happy newlyweds.	Grisel and Jeff's Coat of Arms. This was a wedding present from Brian. Thanks Brian. J

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