Travel Stories

A WorldStrides Wedding

Love is in the air – and every once in a while, it is even part of a WorldStrides program!

In 2000, Susan and Larry Garretson got married while in Scotland for our American High School Theater Festival program. We sat down with them to find out more about how they ended up eloping as the second act of their Scottish adventure.

Q: What brought you to Scotland in the first place?

A: [Larry] – I was working with a crew from Live Arts in 2000 provide technical support for the American High School Theater Festival, which occurs during the Edinburgh International Arts and Fringe Festivals. Our Live Arts crew helped with theater management for the American schools coming over to perform with WorldStrides. I was working there for three weeks.

Q: How did the idea of a wedding become part of your trip plans?

A: Before the trip, Susan and I had talked about getting married, but we weren’t sure if we wanted to have a big wedding and all that went with it. So, I thought, why not elope in Scotland? Susan came over after the Festival was over.

Q: What about your friends and family? Did you have a wedding party?

A: We each had a dear old friend living in Europe at the time, so we invited them, and their partners and we were a wedding party of six!

We got married in the west of Scotland and then had a week-long honeymoon. Our wedding dinner was in a Victorian hunting lodge we found while traveling. Finding this lodge ended up being our favorite part of the wedding trip! We threw a big party for our friends and family to celebrate when we got back.

Q: Has WorldStrides stayed a part of your family since the wedding?

A: Our daughter went on a WorldStrides trip in 2017 with her high school’s string ensemble. It was a 3-week concert tour through Ireland. She says her favorite part was performing in a big, beautiful cathedral in Killarney and the bus stopping in all the little villages around the Ring of Kerry.

Q: You’re clearly a family that likes to explore! Any future travel on the horizon?

A: We are contemplating what to do for our trip this summer – the last before our eldest goes away to college. We’re open to suggestions!

We’re so happy to for Susan and Larry and wish them many more years of happiness and adventures together! But this isn’t the only time we’ve helped kindle a connection. We kind of have a habit of helping set people up. Hear from some of our colleagues about how they met and fell in love while working for WorldStrides!