December 28th 2015
Edinburgh, Scotland
Jenny and Kate met in August 2012, their favorite time of year in Edinburgh during the festival. Jenny had played pro soccer for teams in the US, Canada and Sweden and was now playing for a California team, The Bay Area Breeze and was in the UK for a summer tour. Kate was helping organize some of the games as well as playing for a rival team. When the teams got together for dinner one evening Kate and Jenny happened to sit opposite one another. Says Kate, “We chatted, we laughed, we clicked. So we ended up texting a little bit during the trip.” Jenny was living in Phoenix, AZ at the time, and Kate in Edinburgh, Scotland, so despite their obvious chemistry, they assumed they’d never see each other again.
Nine months later, however, the two were still texting and skyping. When Kate’s friends planned a vacation to the States Jenny told her she should come to Phoenix—alone. When Kate arrived and saw Jenny waiting at the gate, she thought, “Skype doesn’t do her justice, she looks beautiful. I fell for her right then and we have been inseparable ever since.”
Kate proposed during one of their many trips back and forth between Edinburgh and Phoenix. “It was just the two of us, quiet and it was perfect.”
Jenny now coaches for a Scottsdale Soccer Club and Kate works in Marketing for Scottsdale based BlueStar Resort & Golf.
The brides were legally married at city Hall in Phoenix on November 14th 2014 by Judge Anna Huberman, with Jenny’s dad and stepmom present. Says Kate, “It was a lovely day, but we really wanted to have a bigger celebration and more time to plan it! Given we met in Edinburgh, we chose to host the ceremony there.”
Planning wasn’t easy since the brides were living in Phoenix, but they knew their American family and friends wanted to celebrate with them in Edinburgh. The brides did a lot of the planning themselves and solicited help from friends, some of whom served as florists and another who married them. The ceremony and reception were held on December 28th 2015 at Ghillie Dhu, a traditional Scottish restaurant with dramatic architectural elements. Jenny’s mom sent her a dress that she had altered by a local dressmaker and Kate found a dress off the rack at Nordstrom. Both brides added faux fur stoles.
The brides decided to walk down the aisle together, escorted by Jenny’s dad Michael, to Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea.” Say the brides: “This song is so cute – you can’t go wrong with a bit of Ed Sheeran.”
Their Celebrant Claire Digance was a close friend who helped incorporate their loved ones into the ceremony. The brides lit a unity candle at the start of the ceremony with the three moms in their lives. Says Kate: “My bridesmaid Sabina, and Jenny’s brother, Nick joined us in drinking whiskey from the Quaich which is an ancient Scottish ceremony, symbolic of trust and love. Plus a great excuse to drink whiskey! We included the same whiskey in miniature bottles as part of our guests’ wedding favors.”
The brides had a Ceilidh band kick off the party, then later they had a DJ play late into the night. Rather than a first dance Kate and Jenny joined their guests for the ceilidh, which is traditional Scottish dancing. Say the brides, “We swapped our heels for tartan converse at this point, because the dancing can get pretty intense with people flying around the dance floor!”
Kate’s Favorite Moment: “I saw Jenny walking towards me from across the street towards the venue. She looked so stunning.”
Jenny’s Favorite Moment: “Same! Walking up to the Ghillie Dhu with my brother and seeing how gorgeous Kate looked from across the street while the bag piper played me in. And the dancing – the ceilidh band were great and kept it going through the night!”
Both brides say they loved that they could finally celebrate being together without any immigration paperwork or stress. It was also the first time their families were meeting.
Asked if there’s anything they would change both brides recall falling ill on Christmas day—three days before the wedding. Say the brides: “We never fully recovered in time but we smiled our way through the big day.” Their advice? “Take vitamins and maybe don’t travel 4500 miles right before your wedding!”
Kate & Jenny are legally married in Phoenix, AZ on November 14th, 2014.
The brides show off their marriage license.
Jenny, left, and Kate, right, are escorted down the aisle.
The brides during their ceremony, with brother Nick and bridesmaid Sabina by their sides.
Lighting their unity candle, a symbol of their families uniting.
Officially (for the second time) Mrs. & Mrs.
The brides share a kiss in the cold night air.
Say the brides of their photographer Roslyn Gaunt, “she crushed it and had a fun discount running at the time for same sex couples, which was awesome! “
The brides at the dramatic venue entrance.
Kate & Jenny hit the dance floor.
Say the brides, “The cake was created via some pinterest images and brought to life by the very talented Gill Thompson who did a beautiful job.”
The brides cut their cake.
A reading from their wedding read by Jenny’s brother Nick, written by Madeleine L’Engle, “If we commit ourselves to one person for life, this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession but participation……it takes a lifetime to learn another person.”