Avant Garde

Welcome Dinner and Drinks

Mount Stuart House, Rothesay, United Kingdom

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

The Victoria Hotel,

Farewell 4th of July Brunch

Our Wedding

Irina and Jon met in Austin, TX in 2010 less than 2 weeks after Irina arrived in the U.S. for her Masters at UT. The best man Donal was already acquainted with Irina from her work at his Uncle's law firm in Glasgow when he ran into her in Austin. They agreed to meet up the following night, and each was to bring a friend.Donal explained the situation to Jon as a double date in the making. Jon was to be paired up with Irina and Donal would be paired up with Irina's as-yet-unidentified friend. Jon expressed some skepticism about Donal's preference for this arrangement but ultimately agreed to go with the flow.When Irina and her friend arrived the following night, Jon found the arrangement quite satisfactory. Donal was somewhat less happy with the arrangement when he realized that Irina's friend was a guy called Victor.For her part, Irina was quite smitten with Jon right from the start due to his good looks and obvious charm. And obviously Jon wrote this part of the story ....

How We Met

Irina and Jon stayed in touch infrequently from 2010 to 2013, but the "spark" was clearly there. For a while they played a cross-country game of musical chairs, where Jon lived in New York and Irina in Austin, then Jon in Houston and Irina in Austin, then Irina in Houston and Jon in Austin and finally Irina in Houston and Jon in San Francisco. The sparks turned into fireworks in 2013 when on his 'last desperate effort' to woo Irina, Jon invited her to join him for some skiing in Tahoe. He neglected to tell her that they would be sharing a cabin with eight other guys. Awkward as it was, Irina got a chance to see Jon in his prime, trying to impress her in front of other boys. Not long after Tahoe, Jon and Irina decided that is was time to start dating while on an 11 hour drive to Big Bend Park in Texas. There was no escape from that point onward.

Long Courtship, Long Distance

As a true gentleman, Jon provided advance notice to Irina on her birthday in 2014 that he would propose within the following year so she had time to consider her exit strategy. About a week before the 'deadline' Jon and Irina planned to go away to Vermont for Irina's birthday and Irina's friends were convinced that this was "the weekend". Irina's friend Jenny said it was imperative to get pampered beforehand, so they headed to the spa for NYC's famous 'bird poop' facial. In her true style, Irina was late in getting back to the apartment to get packing and head out to Vermont. When she walked in, she saw Jon suited up and their apartment full of red roses. Jon popped the question and opened a bottle of champagne. "No Vermont?" Irina said to Jon. "No" Jon responded. It was not fair to complain, Irina thought, since at least they got engaged. Jon's next statement, however, made an already spectacular evening even better, "we are going to Paris instead".

THE ENGAGEMENT

Itinerary

Wedding Related Events

Saturday July 1: Welcome Dinner at Avant Garde at 7:30 pm in Glasgow.Sunday July 2: Rehearsal at 5 pm (wedding party only) at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. All guests are recommended to spend the evening on the Isle of Bute. Monday July 3: Wedding and reception at Mount Stuart at 2 pm on the Isle of Bute.Tuesday July 4: Farewell Breakfast at The Victoria Hotel between 10:30 am and 12pm, Isle of Bute.

Our Story

What to wear

Appropriate Clothing for Scotland

Scotland has average highs of 66°F (19°C) and lows of 52°F (11°C) in July. It rains often. You'll want to bring a light jacket and some rain gear.The wedding and reception are black-tie preferred. Note that the Marble Chapel can be chilly, so ladies may feel more comfortable if they have a shawl. The wedding party will be wearing kilts, and if you have one, wear it! You can rent a kilt in the UK at <a href="https://www.slaters.co.uk/">https://www.slaters.co.uk/</a> or closer to home.If you desire to rent a kilt from Slaters, ensure that you get professional measurements and send those in to Slaters at <a href="mailto:dresshire@slaters.co.uk">dresshire@slaters.co.uk</a>. Unless you are in Glasgow on Friday morning before the wedding, you will not be able to make any adjustments to the kilt you rented, thus it is crucial to get your measurements right. If you contact us we can email you a copy of the measurement instructions. Note that the measurements are different than those for a suit or tux, and therefore ensure that your tailor reads the instructions before measuring you. The welcome dinner will be dressy casual, and the farewell breakfast will be casual.

Communication

Phone, Text, and Data

It is very useful to have wireless phone and data access. If you are traveling from outside the UK, contact your wireless provider to set up a UK roaming package. The normal voice and data roaming rates are considerably higher.

Details

Photos

Donal McElwee

Daniela Tijerina 

Sarah Dunbar 

Matt Grimsrud

Michael Tully

Tasha Monaghan Leung

Adam Yim

Ru Schaefferkoetter

Majed Awad

Jenny Warshafsky

Shruti Khare 

Dubraska Jaramillo

Kevin Litton 

Rocio Mendoza

Marco Montesinos

Jimmy McInerney 

Ginny Coddou 

Lisa Gray 

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

<ul><li>There are three major airports within one hour of Glasgow. Glasgow Airport (GLA) is the most convenient, but Edinburgh Airport (EDI) and Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) are also options. There are public transportation options from all airports to central Glasgow, and car rental is always an option. </li><li>If you're traveling from the U.S., there are a few direct flight options departing from Newark and many connecting options. Connections through Dublin or London tend to be the fastest options.</li><li>U.S. and EU citizens do not require a visa to visit the UK as a tourist. If would would like to check UK visit requirements, you can visit <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa">https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa</a>.</li></ul>

Flights to Scotland

If you are joining us for the Welcome Dinner on July 1st, we recommend that you stay in central Glasgow, close to transportation and the Welcome Dinner venue. Book ASAP! July is the best time of year to visit Scotland and lodgings will fill up fast. We don't have a block of rooms reserved so you can book online using the provided links or through your favorite travel site.

Central Glasgow: Welcome Dinner (July 1)

We recommend this as a conveniently located, upscale option if you are in Glasgow for the Welcome Dinner on July 1st or if you plan to stay in Glasgow after the wedding.

Grand Central Hotel

<ul><li>The wedding venue, Mount Stuart, is located on the Isle of Bute. Bute is accessible by ferry that runs between the Wemyss Bay Ferry Terminal and Rothesay Terminal on the Isle of Bute. The ferry is £3 per person and an additional £11 per vehicle.</li><li>Wemyss Bay is 50 miles west of central Glasgow. </li><li>The Wemyss Bay Ferry Terminal is easy to reach by rail--trains run direct from Glasgow Central Station, and the ferry is extremely close to the station (i.e. the station and the ferry terminal are the same building).</li><li>The Wemyss Bay Ferry can also be reached by car. If you are driving, we recommend that you take your car with you on the ferry to make it easier to get around Bute. </li><li>The crossing takes 35 minutes and runs every 45 minutes to an hour. The ferry's hours of operation are limited, so please keep that fact in mind when planning your travel! </li><li>The current ferry schedule (ensure you are looking at the summer schedule) can be found at <a href="https://www.calmac.co.uk/wemyssbay-rothesay-bute-ferry-summer-timetable">https://www.calmac.co.uk/wemyssbay-rothesay-bute-ferry-summer-timetable</a>.</li><li>Additional info about getting to Bute can be found at <a href="http://www.visitbute.com/local-info/get-to-bute-2/">http://www.visitbute.com/local-info/get-to-bute-2/</a>.</li></ul>

Getting to the Isle of Bute

We recommend this hotel as a more affordable option for Glasgow. It is centrally located and has all the essential ameneties.

Premier Inn Glasgow City Centre George Square

We recommend that all wedding guests stay on the Isle of Bute the night before and the night of the wedding (check-in on July 2nd and depart July 4th). This will give you plenty of time to do some sightseeing around Bute and get to the wedding venue without worrying about the ferry schedule. If you do decide to travel to Bute on the day of the wedding, be sure to take an early ferry to leave yourself plenty of time to check in and get to the venue. The last ferry from Bute departs at 7 p.m. so you should plan on spending the night of the wedding on the island. The ferry schedule can be found at <a href="https://www.calmac.co.uk/wemyssbay-rothesay-bute-ferry-summer-timetable">https://www.calmac.co.uk/wemyssbay-rothesay-bute-ferry-summer-timetable</a>. Bute has a number of small hotels and B&amp;Bs that are reasonably close to Rothesay and Mount Stuart. Book ASAP! Most lodging options have few rooms and will fill up fast.

Isle of Bute: Wedding Location (July 2 and 3)

<ul><ul><li>A car can be a mixed blessing in Scotland. It can be a flexible and economical means of getting around, especially in some of the less densely populated areas like Bute and the Scottish highlands. On the other hand, driving and parking in dense urban areas like Glasgow may be a little challenging (no different than in any big city). </li><li>Public transportation options are available for all of the items on the main itinerary, but a car may open up additional sightseeing options. With a car you are of course not dependent on train times and train routes. </li><li>If you are interested in booking a car, we recommend that you use Kayak or a similar travel site to find and book.</li></ul></ul>

WHETHER TO RENT A CAR

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. It is centrally located in a little town called Rothesay and is a neat and cosy hotel.

The Victoria Hotel

We have organized buses to take our guests from various parts of the Isle of Bute to Mount Stuart and from Mount Stuart back to the pick up locations. We will update this website with information for pick up locations and times nearer to the wedding date once we know where all of the guests are staying. If you will be traveling to or from the venue outside of the pick up and drop off hours then you can call a taxi at 01700 504499 and 01700 503000. Note that once at the venue, staff at Mount Stuart can order a taxi for you at a desired time.

Getting to Mount Stuart on the Wedding Day (3rd of July)

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. It is a cute B&amp;B.

The Ardyne Guest House

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. This is a very cute B&amp;B. Note that this B&amp;B will only be available for the night of our wedding (3rd of July) and is already fully booked on the 2nd of July.

Chandlers

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. This is a cute B&amp;B which has really good reviews on Tripadvisor.

The Boat House B&B

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. This is a cute B&amp;B.

Glendale Guest House

We recommend these apartments when you are on the Isle of Bute for our wedding if you are looking to have your own little kitchen and if you would like to stay in the same place as your friends. This building has 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom apartments that can be rented for 1 night or 2 nights. The owner's name is Elaine and if you contact her through her website she will be happy to assist.

Ardencraig House Apartments

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. This is a cute B&amp;B.

Cannon House Hotel

We recommend this option as somewhere to stay when you are attending our wedding on the Isle of Bute. This is a cute B&amp;B.

Bayview Hotel

The Commodore Guest House

Travel

For inspiration of what to do when you are in Scotland please visit visitscotland.com website which provides detailed information on the many attractions Scotland has to offer.

Explore Scotland 

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It is a charming town and the must see places of course include the Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Today, St Andrews is recognized across the globe as the 'Home of Golf'. Golf has been associated with St Andrews for hundreds of years. The first written record of golf in St Andrews dates from 1552. If you are not a golfer, not to worry, there are plenty other things to see and do, including St. Andrews Castle.

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Oban today has a resident population of 8,500 and is the unofficial capital of the West Highlands - the "Gateway to the Isles" - however it has recently become better known as "The Seafood Capital of Scotland". The panoramic views of the mountains, lochs and islands which have captivated artists, authors, composers, and poets for centuries are as striking now as they were when <a href="http://www.oban.org.uk/listing/museum">Dunollie Castle</a>, a ruined keep which has stood sentinel over the narrow entrance to the sheltered bay for around six hundred years, was the northern outpost of the Dalriadic Scots.

Oban, United Kingdom

This is a beautiful Scottish island where Talisker, single malt Scotch whisky distillery, is based.

Skye

Inverness is home to the infamous Loch Ness Monster, which you may be lucky to observe after a couple of whiskies.

Irina & Jonathan

Irina & Jonathan

Photos