Real Scottish Farmyard Wedding: Louise & Gavin

There are lots of yummy details and wedding ideas in this gorgeous farm wedding fresh from the Scottish countryside. It's a shabby-chic wedding from start to finish, with it's cute milk jugs, flower buckets, Love sign and Just Married paper chains. I'm loving the little origami boats filled with sweets at each table place - such a simple idea, and you could get all your bridesmaids making them on your hen do. Other wedding ideas to steal include the men's kilts {any excuse!}, Louise's sparkly hair accessory, and the sparkly lighting in the venue, perfectly romantic! Stuning pictures published with thanks to Elemental Weddings. **Don't miss the addition of Louise's lovely answers to the Before the Big Day Brides Questionnaire - she's got lots of advice for up-and-coming brides.**

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Louise was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
We got married on the 9th October 2010 at Kinkell Byre, St Andrews.

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We were looking for a venue with a difference. We knew we didn’t want a traditional hotel wedding. We got engaged in Australia and when we came home we watched a DVD of a wedding at the byre, and we fell in love with it! We went to view the byre on a typically windswept, cold Scottish day in November. Although it was a dark, empty space we knew that it could look amazing. We didn’t want an overly fussy wedding just simple and beautiful. The byre is stunning on it’s on so we had it decorated with fairy lights {thanks to Stephen from i-light}, candles, vintage signs, lanterns and flowers. We hired sofas and tables and chairs to create different areas for people to relax, chat and enjoy themselves. It looked beautiful!

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
We had my favourite colour purple, and a rustic, vintage feel to the day.

Who made your wedding outfit, and how did you come to that decision?
I bought my dress from a shop in Carnoustie. It was the first dress I tried on and again I loved it for being simple but beautiful. I wore a vintage band in my hair and diamond earrings that my husband bought me many years before, plus pearl bracelets that I already had {a few old things!}. My shoes again were simple and most importantly comfortable!

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Gavin bought a kilt outfit for the big day. It was a family tartan and he looked great. We had so many men in kilts at our wedding, which I loved.

And what about your bridesmaids dresses? Where did they come from and how did you choose them?
My sister Jill was our bridesmaid. We bought her dress from Alison Kirk Bridal in Perth. It was a Dessy dress in African violet and she looked stunning. We were planning to buy a short dress but when she put it on we knew it was the one too! We chose another contrasting colour for the band and bow.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision? Who made it?
A friend made our cake. It was white with purple ribbon and hand made purple sugar flowers. It was beautiful and we had a layer each of sponge, carrot and chocolate. It went down very well with everyone. I don’t think Gavin even got a piece!

What florist and flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Our florist was Ashley from Stems in Monifieth. We chose Ashley as my mum knows her and she was highly recommended. Jill and I had beautiful bouquets of lilys, hydrangeas, roses and orchids. For the centre pieces we had beautiful purple hydrangeas in pewter pots. I loved the flowers and Ashley was fantastic.

Did you have any entertainment at your wedding (DJ / Band / Magician)?
We had a jazz trio called The Sellars Brothers in the afternoon after the civil ceremony and during the drinks reception. At night we had a fantastic 6 piece band from Edinburgh called Hip Operation. They were both fantastic and the dance floor was full all night. We asked guests for 3 song choices so we had a mixture of music all day.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We had Jay and Christina from Elemental Weddings (Edinburgh). After choosing Kinkell we were searching for pictures online of the byre. We found pictures of a wedding they had shot there and loved them. We simply didn’t come across any other photographers who had such beautiful pictures and it was an easy decision. We are delighted with the results!

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
I loved planning the wedding! We got married 11 months after getting engaged and I really enjoyed putting the day together.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Everyone is different but I was quite laid back about it and just enjoyed planning our big day. I didn’t worry too much about all the small details. I knew we had a great venue, caterer, photographer, bands etc. We have fantastic family and friends and I knew that it would all fall into place on the day. I think you can be a bit overwhelmed by it all but just take it one step at a time.

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Real Wedding: Catriona & Chris

The wedding venue is often the first thing you'll want to consider when you get engaged, and you're going to want to make sure it suits you as a couple. I spent months researching my venue in the South of France, but for you, it might be as simple as picking your back-garden. In the case of Catriona and Chris, they chose their home away from home, a venue called Lunga House in Scotland. The views are breathtaking, and I can't get over the beauty of Scotland in the winter. Now on to the details! I'm blown away by Chris' amazing uniforms, both look so striking, and I love the tradition of walking through the arch of swords. The red of Chris' dress jacket set the colour theme for the wedding, with berries and candles to add to the cosy feeling. Catriona's something blue was thistles for Scotland and her bridesmaids' dresses, and she found the best cake-topper in the world via Feats of Clay. Gorgeous photographs published with thanks to Elemental Weddings, this is their first wedding on Before the Big Day, and I hope for many more! Don't miss Catriona's answers to the Before the Big Day Bridal Questionnaire for all her suppliers.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Catriona was kind enough to fill in our questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
27th November 2010 at Kilbrandon Parish Church on the Isle of Seil, Argyll, and had our reception at Lunga House in Craobh Haven, Argyll.

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
The venue has been a special place for our family and friends to enjoy over the past few decades, as a private house which can be hired for exclusive use. It is like a home away from home.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind? (e.g. green ivy leaves)
Wintery/autumnal with lots of candles, hurricane lamps and flaming torches to create a warm atmosphere.

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
The dress is a Suzanne Neville design called 'Antoine'. The veil was from Eleganza Sposa in Glasgow, as were the shoes. The necklace was a present from my mum.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Chris was wearing his Royal Marines No.1 dress uniform for the ceremony and then changed into his Mess Kit for the reception.

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
They were bought from Anne Priscilla in Glasgow, and they were Dessy Bridesmaids dresses in midnight blue.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We chose fruit cake, because Chris’s mum makes the most delicious fruit cake in the world. We chose ivory icing and simple flowers to decorate, and had a cake topper made from Feats of Clay.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Our favours were a little box of matches from Cox & Cox which have a little piece written on the side about marriage, ending in the statement 'the perfect match'. I then tied 2 little gold heart sparklers to the boxes with 'to have and to hold, from this day forward' ribbon.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Our florist was Angela from The Flower House in Oban, Argyll. I chose ivory flowers with a splash of blue in the form of thistles.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We chose Elemental Weddings from Edinburgh. Jay and Christina, a husband and wife team, had photographed our friends wedding the year previously and we were so taken with the way the approached the day and the guests that they were a MUST! Their photographs capture such special moments which we love, rather than stiff portraits.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
We loved it. It was stressful at times, trying to feature everyones hopes and dreams into one final day, but in the end, the day was about Chris and I standing before the people we loved and making a promise to one another. The rest was a bonus.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Have an idea of what you would like for your day before everyone else tries to tell you what you want. Enjoy the preparations and if you are the artistic type, enjoy the creativity.

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