Working our way through our wedding photos, sending out Thank You cards, remembering the big day, and reliving all the happy moments. That's what we have been doing recently and it's been the push I needed to sit down and write a few more wedding-related posts. Today is all about our wedding outfits, the gifts we gave each other (how Ingimar spoilt me), and the traditions of 'something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Check out those handsome Vikings

groom

Starting off with the Viking himself, Ingimar. He wore an Icelandic tweed suit bought here in Reykjavik from Herrafataverzlun Kormáks og Skjaldar. After visiting the shop a number of times, we (yes, I went along and we sorted his suit as a couple but I kept my dress a secret) decided on the colour, and the suit was altered to fit. He bought brown brogue shoes and a light blue shirt in Edinburgh and added some personal touches with his late Fathers cufflinks and an Icelandic flag bowtie.

details

With photography in mind, I asked my sister to make the hangers we hung our outfits on and we used them as photo props on the day. She does pyrography so I ordered a set of wooden hangers on Amazon, printed out the names we needed hangers for in our calligraphy wedding font and she did a wonderful job - Thanks Steph. Then my very talented Mum, who did all our flowers, made some boutonnieres for the wedding party from Eryngium and garden foliage and left a few spares at the entrance of the venue for guests to enjoy wearing too - Thanks, Mum.

bride

Wedding Dress by Wed2B| Solstice Belt by Wed2b

My wedding dress was from Wed2b, a fabulously affordable chain of bridal shops throughout the UK. I found them after skimming bridal forums in a bid to seek a shop or boutique which was friendly and approachable after some pretty snooty Edinburgh experiences. We drove through to their Glasgow branch (they now have an Edinburgh branch too) and I bought and brought home my dress that same day. I was so excited and relieved, I genuinely couldn't wait to wear it again. After taking it to get altered by a local tailor, Amelia, I decided to add a little more bling and purchased this diamante belt which we hand stitched on.

Comfort was key for both of us and we wanted to be happy and confident in our outfits, which we both were. I think Ingimar looks just the part and very handsome (of course) and I adored my final look. I felt amazing walking down the aisle and enjoyed partying the night away.

shoes

I'm a huge fan of Kate Spade, you will probably tell, and so when I started looking at wedding shoes, I just had to treat myself. I never thought that I would go for such a girly look but - a girl's only a bride for a day so why not shine. Ingimar insisted and treated me to my shoes, he ordered them online via the States as a colleague was coming back to Iceland. They arrived a week before the wedding so I have not had time to wear them in, I was lucky on the day - but I don't think any blister could have spoilt my day.

My heels were Kate Spade, gold, glitter-covered leather pumps and I adore them. They have a 3.5" heel which was a little more challenging when you are already shaking with nerves but they were super comfortable and I just slipped into them. I wore them all day until right after our first dance at which point I changed into my party shoes. My evening party shoes were the gold, glitter-covered trainers which were a collaboration between Kate spade and KEDS a few seasons ago.

Wedding heals by Kate Spade | Evening trainers by Kate Spade + KEDs

Sadly there are a few people very dear to my heart who are no longer with us, and it was important for me to have a little piece of them with me on the day. We got a little sentimental.

Something Old

I wasn't sure about wearing a veil, it was much more something my Mum saw as important. I tried a few on but they didn't feel right, it just felt like I was playing dress-up. As this was something important to her, I asked if she still had hers and she did. We climbed into the attic and found an old leather case. Inside was her hand-stitched, white veil, still in almost perfect condition. I put my hair up into a bun and we added the veil. It felt so right. Not convinced, she wanted to add a little something. In our search for the veil, we had come across a piece of old, hand-crochet lace which was my Grans. With a little alteration and starched it, it looked perfect. This lace (which was living in the garage, unused) now formed a beautiful crown at the top of the veil and perfectly framed the look - my gran would have loved it. She then added a few sticky pearls randomly on the veil to match my dress - a very creative and talented Mum.

Something New

On the morning of our wedding, Ingimar sent his sister and nephew over to my room with a Morning Gift. This is not something we tend to do in the UK so I was not accustomed to this. Before we left for Scotland I had given him some gifts including a pair of whiskey glasses but he truly spoilt me on our wedding day. Not only did he treat me to my wedding shoes but he also gave me the 'Heart of Gold' bangle I had (subtly) shown him and a beautiful pair of pearl and diamanté earrings which I wore on the day. And, to top it all off, they came in a Kate Spade black 'Cameron Street Havana' tote bag - spoilt rotten!!

Something borrowed

In the run-up to our wedding, I called my Uncle and asked if he had any of my late Godmother's jewelry that I could borrow and wear on my wedding day. He told me it had been handed onto my cousin, so we met up and went through the collection. I chose my 'something borrowed' to be my aunt’s gold bracelet and wore it with love and pride.

Something blue

My mum and I set out all the items to be brought to the venue in the days before the wedding. Just for fun, we ran through the list "something old, new, borrowed..." and realized we didn't have something blue. She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a little jewelry pouch which contained the beautiful sapphire necklace gifted to her by my late Father. She said I could wear it. It meant a lot to her, to me, and to our family friends who knew the story behind it.

post-wedding

The dress is back in its bag, hanging in the wardrobe back home. It sure does take up a lot of space and was pretty damn heavy but I loved wearing it. To be honest, it looked beautiful and you would never have guessed it cost less than Ingmar's outfit!! So with that in mind, and the fact that I'll only ever wear it once, I wasn't concerned about it - I danced, I ceilidh'd, I trapped across a field in the rain after our photographs and I wore it with pride, love and a crazy amount of happiness. The dress now tells this story and I really should get it to the dry cleaners!!