Humanist wedding celebrant Ross married Efrain in a multicultural DIY castle wedding on a Scottish island. They had an emotional and joyous first look and a moving ceremony led by one of Ross's good friends
Ross Wright and Efrain Acosta
21st May 2022
Venue | Brodick Castle, Arran
Photography | Jo + Liam Photography
“Efrain and I love to travel. We met in November 2019 onboard a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Puerto Rico. We got on so well, that after returning home, we facetimed a lot – several times a day in fact!
We enjoyed another cruise together that finished in March 2020, just before the first Covid shut down. I was in Scotland; Efrain in Fort Lauderdale, so owing to travel restrictions, there were periods it was difficult to see one another, but the separation meant we had plenty of time to chat online. Both of us realised that what we had was for good so we started discussing getting married but without a formal proposal.
We initially thought about eloping with a small ceremony outdoors in the Highlands, but decided to wait until we could have all our friends and family around us. Efrain agreed and asked: “Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with this little Puerto Rican?”. When I formally replied “I do!”, we both recognised the importance of what had been said and both burst into tears!
That online proposal was September 2021 and our plan was to get married as soon as possible. With guests coming from the USA, we wanted to make it a ‘destination wedding’, somewhere really special, preferably a castle.
I called Brodick Castle on Arran on a whim. It’d been closed over the lockdowns and had just reopened its diary for weddings. We set the date for 21st May 2022 and got the invites out to our 80 guests. Seeing Efrain’s face light up when we visited the castle was one of the highlights of wedding planning for me!
Natalia and the staff at Brodick Castle couldn’t have been more kind and helpful. They were particularly good at guiding us to trusted local suppliers or those who were happy to come to Arran from the mainland.
I underestimated the amount of planning needed when everything is on an island and from scratch. We had to hire and transport everything from knives, tables, chairs, glasses and more. We nearly made a big mistake by not wanting to hire helpers…so thanks again to Natalia for her professionalism in firmly guiding us to the right decision!
I am a celebrant with Humanist Society Scotland so getting married by one of my lovely colleagues was important to me. I’d met David Smith before he trained as a celebrant way back in 2014 (when he was a wedding coordinator) and we’d become good friends.
Efrain and I walked down the aisle together holding hands to Elton John’s ‘Your Song’. David telling our story was so special. He’d interviewed us, and knowing how good he is, we just let him read his version of our story as a surprise on the day. He didn’t disappoint with laughter and happy tears abounding.
We both wanted the day to be about celebrating us, our lives and the cultures from which we had come. We ‘tied the knot’ using two large flags, one Puerto Rican and one Scottish. In the quaich to symbolise the joining of our lives, we shared water from Efrain’s hometown in Puerto Rica and from Brodick Castle. The biggest struggle for me was to not sign the paperwork where I usually do as celebrant, but up the top, as the groom!
I had my own kilt outfit (Ancient MacIntyre) and Efrain hired his kilt, appropriately ‘Arran Mist’ from MacGregor and MacDuff. The morning of the wedding, we swapped sporrans to be our ‘something borrowed’ and I sent a pair of tartan boxers to Efrain’s room as his something new. He refused to be a ‘true Scotsman’...ha!
Travel and islands were the main themes.
Our friends organised a table plan which looked like an airport departure board and the place settings were individual boarding passes printed from a 1960s template from Etsy.
My talented sister-in-law made the wedding cake in the form of a cruise ship with us as two figures on the front. As myself and two of my brothers are coeliac, both the cake and all the catering was gluten free.
Jo + Liam Photography were the perfect fit. They captured all the special and intimate moments while acting like invisible ninjas. We particularly love the photos of our emotional first look in the castle grounds.
Lee from Nine Eighteen Wedding Films captured the ceremony beautifully. His wonderful action shots and his drone footage of us on the castle ramparts are spectacular.
We had mini speeches and Efrain and I said a few words. I tried some Spanish, and to roars of laughter by the Puerto Rican contingent, I accidentally introduced Efrain as my esposa (wife) instead of esposo! I’ll never live it down…
As a celebrant, I know how happy the couple are but, what I’d not reckoned with is the complete and utter joy radiated towards us by our guests…it multiplied our happiness!
Top tip: “If you think you might be stressed being up front and/or making an entrance, meet beforehand (get pics of that moment) then chat and catch up with your best friend…and then come in together, supporting each other.”
Venue Brodick Castle, Arran, part of the National Trust for Scotland
Photography Jo + Liam Photography
Filmmaker Nine Eighteen Wedding Films (see highlights above)
Celebrant David Smith, Humanist Society Scotland
Groomswear Ross’s own kilt; Efrain’s from MacGregor and MacDuff; additional hire outfits from Slater Menswear
Cake Gillian Wright (sister in law)
Catering Robin’s Island Gourmet
Flowers and stationery DIY
Favours Campbeltown whisky and Swizzles Love Hearts
Marquee and furniture hire Finesse Marquees
Venue decor DIY with items from Primark
Wedding rings The Ringmaker
Ceilidh band Chitterybite
Piper Willie Robertson
Wedding insurance Wedinsure
Transport George Lammie, Arran Taxis
Generator hire Jim Martin Supplies Campbeltown
