Introducing Mr & Mrs Nussey, one of the latest Hogans couples to say “I do”. Choosing to elope in Scotland for their special day, their wedding was nothing short of magical. Today, we are delighted to share a special Q&A with this incredible couple, from how they first met to the unforgettable moments of their wedding day and beyond.

Q: As always, we’ll start by introducing your fairytale love story, tell us a bit about how you two originally met.

A – Ashleigh & Jack: We met the way most modern-day couples meet, on all the dating apps. We were talking for several months and getting to know each other before we finally had our first date in December 2020. After a relaxed date night, the rest was history. We continued on many dates and adventures, and Ashleigh moved into Jack’s not long after. Our lives blended so easily together, and it has been full of wonderful memories and moments for the last 5 and a half years. 

Q: Your proposal is always such a special moment. Jack, can you walk us through how you planned the proposal and how it all unfolded?

A – Jack: We had been dating for nearly 4 years, and I knew that with our upcoming trip to Scotland (end of 2024), it was the perfect time to propose. I wanted a unique engagement ring so I met with Lachie to design something special that would tell a story. After my design consult, I was excited to see the finished piece. It was Ash’s first time to Scotland, so I had to make sure it was memorable. 4 weeks into the trip, after travelling around, I decided to plan a scenic hike to The Hidden Valley in the mountains of Glencoe. It was the perfect weather with sunshine and after an hour of hiking, we stopped along a flowing stream with a perfectly placed “proposal rock” beside it. At the time it appeared that all the other hikers had disappeared as it was just us. I encouraged Ash to climb up onto the rock for photos together, and after a few pictures, I pulled out the ring, knelt down on one knee and asked Ash to marry me. 

Q: Another question for you, Jack. What was the inspiration behind Ashleigh’s engagement ring, and what drew you to the beautiful Australian sapphire and diamond trilogy design?

A – Jack: I had been browsing the Hogan’s website for a while and picked up a lot of inspiration. I went to Lachie with an idea of what I wanted. I liked the style of the diamond trilogy rings but I wanted the main stone to stand out so I chose the Australian sapphire. We love the green colour that it has, and with the Scottish influences of the Celtic style twist on the band, I wanted something from home.

Q: Ashleigh, what was your reaction to your ring when Jack proposed? Did you have any idea of what to expect?

A – Ashleigh: It was more than I could have ever expected. It was all so perfect, and it was completely us. I was initially concerned as to why Jack wanted me to jump over fast flowing water onto a big slippery rock for photos, but in the end it all made sense. The ring was so beautiful, it was intricate and unique, and I felt like it matched me as a person. To find out that Jack spent so much effort and time on designing the ring made it so much more special and something that I will hold onto forever. I love that the Teal Sapphire is the hero of the piece, it changes colour in different lighting. Scotland holds a big place in our hearts, so including the gold twisted Celtic-inspired band brings it all together. The ring of my dreams. 

Q: You both also had matching wedding bands crafted, each featuring engraved surfaces. How did you go about deciding on these designs and what do they represent to you both?

A – Ashleigh & Jack: We wanted rings that were completely unique and that no one else had. Designs that told a story. We wanted to stick with the gold bands, and wanted features in Ashleigh’s engagement and wedding rings to be matched in Jack’s wedding ring. Ashleigh picked Celtic-inspired engraving to wrap around her entire band, with the band width the same as the engagement ring. It felt simple, but complimented the Australian Sapphire perfectly. Jack’s wedding ring is a piece of art. Jack researched many men’s styles and went to Lachie with 3 specific designs, and Lachie managed to incorporate all into 1 piece. The twist in Jack’s wedding band matched the twist in Ashleigh’s engagement ring, which then flowed into the Celtic-inspired engraving that was seen in Ashleigh’s wedding band, and finally a beautiful hammered pattern, also featuring a small Teal Australian Sapphire. We spoke to Lachie about our engagement in Scotland and our plans to go back to elope in the Highlands. He created a story of how the unique pieces represented Scotland, its landscapes and our love story. The Celtic twists signified our lives intertwining together, like roots of a tree, the hammering signified the rocks and mountains of Scotland, strong and solid, and the Celtic-inspired engraving represented the changing weather, winds, rain and seas of Scottish landscape.  Q: You chose to tie the knot in the breathtaking landscapes of Scotland. What drew you to this destination, and what made the day so special?

A – Ashleigh & Jack: We knew pretty quickly that we wanted to go back to Scotland to get married, it felt like home for us. Glencoe is where we got engaged in 2024, so we chose that location for our wedding with the help of our Photographers, Jodie and Matt - The Sassenachs, our Celebrant – Alyson Stewart, and our Videographer, Chris - The Brave Ones. We made the decision to elope, just us 2 and the mountains. We wanted a day that was intimate, fun and stress-free. Coming into Winter, it rained the entire day and was freezing cold, but there was no pressure on how the day was meant to flow and we could just be ourselves. We did not see each other on the day until Ashleigh met Jack under Buachaille Etive Mor (the Mountain we got married under), Jack turned around when Ashleigh tapped him on the shoulder and it was such a beautiful first-look moment.

There were a couple of very special things we included in our day. Both of our parents wrote letters to us that our celebrant read out during the ceremony, it felt like that they were with us. We also wish our dogs could have been a part of our day, so Ashleigh had their paw prints engraved into Jack’s gold cuff links. Ashleigh was asked to wear her mum’s wedding ring and Jack’s Scottish Grandmother’s ring too.

We also included some ancient Scottish wedding traditions in our ceremony, including ‘Tying the Knot’, ‘Drinking from the Quaich’, and ‘Jumping the Broom’.  

We were so lucky to be asked by our photographers, The Sassenachs, to do a second photoshoot 2 weeks after our wedding while we were on honeymoon in Edinburgh. We got to dress up again and got some very epic photos. Q: Now that you’ve celebrated your wedding, how has married life been so far? Have you had the chance to celebrate in any special way since returning home?

A – Ashleigh & Jack: Life has been extremely busy after we travelled around Scotland for 8 weeks after the wedding. We have returned to our normal day-to-day lives, but it’s been exciting to continue planning our future together, and to have goals and dreams as husband and wife. Whilst we have not yet managed to celebrate with everyone back home in Aus, it was special to show our families and friends our incredible ceremony videos. We also spent a lot of time with Jack’s Scottish family over Christmas when we were there. We will hopefully celebrate this year with all of our nearest and dearest.

Q: Finally, what’s your most important piece of marriage advice for any newlyweds or soon-to-be-married couples reading this today?

A – Ashleigh & Jack: Do what YOU want to do. Don’t stress about the small stuff. Make sure your wedding day is planned entirely to you as a couple, whether that is the big lavish wedding, or something more quiet like our elopement. We chose to invest our time and money into the things we knew are going to last a lifetime; our rings, our photographs, our film, our honeymoon.

Time passes by so quickly, soak up every moment, cherish the love you have and always be there for each other.

Vendors
Photographer: the_sassenachs
Videographer: thebraveones.co.uk
Celebrant: alyson.the.humanist
Florist: theenchantedfloristoflochaber
Dress: luvbridal