Ryan and I always said that when we decide to get married, it will be when we are off travelling together and find that one special spot. Well, we found that spot and 4 weeks later we were married! On a sunny November day, Ryan and I went hiking up Arthur's Seat: the highest point in Edinburgh, Scotland. When we were on the top, it felt like we were in a different world. The scenery was breathtaking as you stood 250m above the city of Edinburgh. I think on that day, we both knew that this would be the spot that we finally get married. Four days later, we returned to Arthur's Seat for our second climb. Taking a slightly different route, we first went up Lover's Leap and stopped for a picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and fruit. It was here that Ryan proposed and the planning for our Scotland wedding began (yes, he got down on one knee). The next 36 hours were a whirl wind as we had to have our papers submitted to the registrar's office for our intent to marry and our witnesses set and ready to go. There were only 3 people in Canada whom we wanted to tell of our plans to marry: Tyler, Greg, and Danielle.

Tyler, my brother, had told us when we were in Germany that when we decided to elope, we HAD to tell him because he would get on a plane that second and fly to wherever we were. A month or so later, Tyler got that Skype call from us and the flight arrangements were being made. Greg Campbell has been like a brother to both Ryan and I and his reaction followed right in suit with Tyler. As soon as we told him we were getting married, the only question he asked was what day he needs to fly to Scotland to be with us. Danielle Durand is a close friend from Guelph who can only be described as an awesome person. Danielle was actually planning to meet me in Spain in January on the farm I was planning to WWOOF on. Since Spain was no longer in the picture, Danielle didn't even think twice when we asked if she would like to come to Scotland instead. As you all will see, Danielle is responsible for bringing our wedding back to Canada. As a talented artist, Danielle was in charge of all of the photography, wedding music, and my make-up for our special day. Without Danielle's pictures, the memory of our wedding would not be the same.

By November 15th, everything was set. The papers were in, flights were booked, and the date was set...Ryan and I would be married on December 16th, 2011 in Edinburgh Scotland!

Now the tricky part came...during December, Ryan and I were supposed to be in Italy but we wanted to keep the wedding a surprise. I apologize to everyone who has been following my blog because Ryan and I were never actually in Italy. As a way to conceal the fact that we were returning to Scotland after visiting Belgium, I made those of you in Canada believe that we were actually in Italy. I "lost" my camera because I couldn't post any pictures of a place I have never been. On Skype, I always had to turn off my webcam due to "internet connectivity problems" so that mom and dad couldn't see I was actually sitting in a living room in Scotland freezing my toes off instead of resting on the sandy beaches of Brindisi. So, my apologies for that but I must say we did a pretty good job keeping everyone in the dark about it.

The next instalment of our wedding adventures will cover the final days leading up to the big day. Tyler, Greg and Danielle all arrived in Scotland and the party began....STAY TUNED!