Scotland, Part 8: A Fairytale at Fairy Glen

Three miles hiking up to a giant rock in the bitterly cold wind and mist, careful scaling down (and then back up) a steep mountain leading to a breathtaking waterfall...my legs were begging me to just take a breath and call it a day. I definitely should have done more cardio before this trip, I thought to myself. Hindsight.

Hot chocolate in hand, I settled into the warmth of the rental car as Brent suggested just one last hike to complete our time in Skye. With no energy left in my body and blisters already formed on my heels, I sucked in my breath before letting out a sigh, "ah, okay".

The descent down to Lealt Falls (a little over half way)

Compared to our earlier walks, the stroll to the center of Fairy Glen was a breeze. As we walked toward the circular rock formation of small intentionally placed stones, my eyes lit up. It truly was a magical little place, surrounded by enchanting hills and the soft baas of sheep in pastures below filling the air.

We had been taking selfies throughout the day, so when Brent suggested we grab another at the stones, I didn't think much of the request. I watched him run over to two women resting on the ground out of earshot. He came running back over and we got positioned for the shot. Oblivious to me, Brent carefully rummaged around in his heavy coat pocket to grasp a small box. The next several moments became a blur. I have to give the man credit for actually being able to surprise me, which is not generally any easy feat considering my nature to push and pry. 

Let’s be honest, I’m not the greatest person when it comes to surprises. If I’m the intended one to be surprised, I will relentlessly ask question upon question until it becomes so unbearable that you give up the information - defeat. Chaotic waving of a white flag in desperation for peace. If I am the one doing the surprising…well, just know that my excitement to blurt out all details weeks too soon comes from good intention. 

As he got to one knee while I smiled (goofily) for the photo - which I would later discover was actually a video he had asked the women to take - Brent asked me to marry him. In pure shock, my voice - and hand - trembled with a soft "of course". And in true Megan fashion, I initially had held out the wrong hand before quickly realizing this and offering up the correct (and gloved) hand. I fumbled with my mitten, finally allowing Brent to place the ring he had purchased at a shop in Edinburgh on my finger. 

I had known that Brent had ordered my 'official' engagement ring back in the US in February before the trip, a ring that we had both gone and picked out together the year prior. Unfortunately the customized ring hadn't been finished in time for our trip, so with some quick-thinking Brent was able to secure a very meaningful gem while we were out shopping in the city before heading to Skye.

More about Fairy Glen: Bail Nan CnocWedding planning practically started the moment we returned back to the United States. Not long after we had gotten home and unpacked our suitcases, I had jokingly said to Brent - "hey, what if we went back and got married in a castle in Scotland". I had a very specific castle in mind, one that we had stayed at during our trip (but more on that in an upcoming post). When Brent responded with "sure, reach out to them and ask how much it would be", I stood frozen, unsure if he was serious. Less than a week later we had booked our venue in the countryside of Scotland. A wedding abroad? I certainly never in my life expected that to happen.

After well over a decade of learning to accomodate my deficits in executive functioning, my highly organized and love-of-planning self was more than ready for the challenges of planning a wedding abroad in under a year. As I sit here and type "and it wasn't even the least bit difficult", I still feel there are a million little things I have forgotten to plan for.

And today, one year from our engagement, we are now less than one month away from our intimate ceremony in a restored private castle south of the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. I very much feel like I am in a dream-state as I research how to carefully pack not one - but two- wedding dresses, put together a whimsical indie playlist on Spotify, and check all of our travel documentation front to back. And then check it again another thousand times.