Atmospheric Scottish Tea Party Wedding - The Reception

A wedding is all about family, so I love it when I read a bride's answers to the Before the Big Day Questionnaire, and hear how wedding DIY bought everyone together. Danielle and Allan involved both their mothers and sisters, and even a dad in Project Wedding, and created everything from their wedding stationery, to flowers and favours, and even those delicate-looking cupcakes. Danielle's a strong believer in spotting what you like and making it yourself for less - great advice! I love Danielle's tea-cup table flowers, and the little jam-jar favours filled with jelly-beans - such a pretty detail that wouldn't get left on the table {everyone loves jelly-beans!}. Feast your eyes on these fab pics by Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography - I'm so impressed by her use of fun props like the postbox!

We got married on 21st March, which was a Thursday, in The Popinjay Hotel in the stunning Clyde Valley, between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland. We wanted somewhere small and intimate, with a kinda old worldy feel. We wanted a small wedding, but also wanted all our loved ones to be part of our day, so we had fifty-five people at our wedding on Thursday, and then had a big ceilghd on the Saturday in Sloans Bar & Restaurant which is a magnificent old building. 

Our wedding photographer was Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography. We met her at our first Wedding Fayre. We felt really strongly about picking the right photographer for us - so many of our friends had said their wedding day had went by in a blur, and we wanted someone to catch those magical moments for life. Chantal has a keen eye for capturing emotion, laughter and beauty. Both her and Scott are a great team. We wanted relaxed photographs that didn't look too staged and the pictures are amazing

I loved planning my wedding from start to finish, because i wanted to make it so personal lots of our wedding details were made by family and friends and myself,which created many a lovely spring evening sat drinking wine and getting excited about the wedding. It was a wonderful opportunity to bond with family and friends

My advice to brides is relax, smile and enjoy every minute. On the wedding day take a few moments with your husband to soak in the atmosphere, and look around at all of your guests, and absorb the love in the room. Be prepared, my mother bought me a Filofax type thing, it was a good send - do spread sheets! If you see an idea you like, try make it yourself, it will be cheaper and there is a great sense of pride creating these little personal touches.

I collect vintage teacups and wanted to have them at our wedding - it was almost like a tea party! Our colour theme was light green and pink. We had lots of bunting decorations, a sweetie buffet, teacups filled with flowers, and lots of light pink candle light.

We had LOTS of DIY projects!!! Myself, my mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law arranged all the flowers to go into the teacups, decorated tea light holders, made childrens' activity/ fun boxes, created little jam jars filled with jelly beans for favours, made the table plan, and of course the wedding cupcakes. Plus my mother-in-law makes cards for a living, so she designed all our wedding stationery.

For favours, the ladies had a little jam-jar filled with jelly beans, and the boys a little whisky bottle. I had seen the female favours on Pinterest and loved them, they were a labour of love but they loved so cute.

My top tier wedding cake was from The Little Cake Parlour in Glasgow. I went in, and chatted to the girls about my theme and colour design, and they created a master piece with carrot cake, i didn’t want to cut it up...it was so pretty. Then we had a tower of pink swirly cupcakes made and decorated by me, my husband, my father, sister-in-law, mother and mother-in-law. It made for a great night with way too much prosecco!

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Atmospheric Scottish Tea Party Wedding with DIY Details

This gorgeous wedding looks like something out of a painting! I've fallen for the stunning portraits of the bridal party - taken by the very talented Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography, and the atmospheric old worldy feel to The Popinjay Hotel wedding venue. Add in the kilts and thistles, and you've got a truly Scottish big day. Danielle drew on the talents of the women in her, and Allan's families to create plenty of DIY details. Everything from the flowers to the wedding cake was homemade, plus the children's activity boxes {such a good idea}, and the jelly-bean jam-jar favours. It must be difficult to match bridesmaids dresses to the bold tartan of kilts, but Danielle managed a potential colour clash with skill, by choosing a lovely warm neutral colour for her girls. Isn't the flower girl's little fur shrug the cutest! Enjoy Danielle's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire - she bought plenty of high-street and internet bargains and then customised them, so they look a million dollars. A great idea for a budget-conscious bride. Check back later for the Reception Pictures from this fab wedding.

We got married on 21st March, which was a Thursday, in The Popinjay Hotel in the stunning Clyde Valley, between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland.

We wanted somewhere small and intimate, with a kinda old worldy feel. We also wanted to feel like we were out in the country, but close enough for our friends and family to reach. The main room of The Popinjay had a wall of windows onto lovely gardens. 

We wanted a small wedding, but also wanted all our loved ones to be part of our day, so we had fifty-five people at our wedding on Thursday, and then had a big ceilghd on the Saturday in Sloans Bar & Restaurant which is a magnificent old building. 

I bought my wedding dress and veil from Sarah Louise Bridal in Glasgow, after trying on many dresses both in Scotland, and Oz where my family live. The dress I chose was completely the opposite from anything I had tried on before, and I instantly fell in love with it. 

My shoes were from Schuh but my mother-in-law's friend customised them with Swarovski diamonds. My hair comb came from LG Designs Jewelry, who customised it with cream pearls to match my dress. 

My bridesmaids' dresses were bought online. We took them to Fabricated Alterations, the bridal alteration shop in the west-end of Glasgow, and they added tulle to make them feel more 50's, and extra boning in the bodice.

My mother-in-law made my bouquet and the bridesmaids flowers plus buttonholes. We had roses, baby's breath, and little daisies. Allan's buttonhole included a traditional Scottish thistle.

Allans whole outfit was from Houston Kiltmakers in Paisley. His ushers and my father also wore the  same outfit. Houston were amazing from start to finish.

We hired a harpist to entertain our guests ahead of our ceremony, and as I walked down the aisle. She played modern-day classics and also learnt a Bob Marley tune especially for my walk down the aisle!

Allan and I met through mutual friends in Milngavie. I was living in Perth at the time, and had come to Glasgow to celebrate finishing exams, and Allan was in the same pub. We were inseparable from that day on - we commuted for approximately a year whilst I finished university. Then I got a nursing job in Glasgow, and moved in with Allan. 

We had been together for seven years, and had spoken about marriage, but never been concrete with plans etc. Then, on an impromptu trip to Paris in December, Allan proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I know it sounds silly - the most romantic city in the world, but I really didn't see it coming.

Our wedding photographer was Chantal Lachance-Gibson Photography. We met her at our first Wedding Fayre. We felt really strongly about picking the right photographer for us - so many of our friends had said their wedding day had went by in a blur, and we wanted someone to catch those magical moments for life. 

Chantal has a keen eye for capturing emotion, laughter and beauty. Both her and Scott are a great team. We wanted relaxed photographs that didn't look too staged and the pictures are amazing.

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Real Scottish Romantic Wedding: Kirsty & James

If you loved the snowy gorgeousness of yesterday's wedding shoot, but you weren't sure about hot pink colour palette, you're sure to love this more traditional, Scottish wedding. With warm red as a key colour, and a bride with a clear sense of style, it's absolutely stunning, with tonnes of wedding inspiration. Wedding details I'm loving are the bridesmaids' rich red sashes, Kirsty's exuberant, feminine, tulle wedding dress and her vintage-style veil, and the Scottish piper who led the bridal procession. Kirsty and James picked Eilean Donan Castle as their wedding venue, and I think it's among the most romantic I've ever seen. Huge thanks to the team at Contemporary Wedding Photography for their fantastic, atmospheric wedding pictures of the day.

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Real Hot Pink Scottish Wedding: Ann & Jamie

One way to make sure your wedding stands out from the crowd is to choose a seriously bright colour as your theme. Elegant bride, Ann, loves pink, and chose a super-hot shade for her wedding in the north of Scotland. With her bridesmaids in stunning full length gowns, and her husband-to-be in tartan, this was always going to be a striking wedding. I'm loving the little pageboys and the pretty table decorations, plus the simple tiered wedding cake, with pictures of their parents on their wedding days in silver frames. And check out the train on Ann's dress - devine! I'm also particularly keen on their venue - Dunrobin Castle looks pretty special, particularly in the dramatic final shot. Stunning pictures published with thanks to one of our favourite photographers, Ken Buist.

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Real Elegant Scottish Wedding: Claire & Simon

I'm showing unashamed favouritism to this gorgeous Edinburgh wedding for two reasons. One is that it was photographed by a hugely talented friend of mine, Patrick from Butler-Madden Weddings, and the other is because the stunning bride Claire, is wearing the same dress that I chose for my wedding!  It's the Anatole dress by Delphine Manivet, and Claire teamed it with Delphine's unique lace stole, and her dreamy cathedral-length veil. Both the stole and veil are made using Calais lace, which is famous around the world for its traditional style and quality. But despite my favouritism, there are so many stealworthy ideas from this elegant wedding. I'm loving Claire's bouquet, with it's combination of large and small roses, plus a smattering of eryngium blooms {they look like thistles}, which also make an appearance in Simon's buttonhole. Also loving the presence of the Scottish guard at the end, complete with bagpipes, plus the polaroid camera guest book and scrolled stationery. Don't miss Claire's answers to the Before the Big Day Brides Questionnaire below, and in a first for Before the Big Day, take a look at their amazing wedding video by Angus Pigott! Be warned....it made me cry, and wish I'd booked a videographer for my own wedding.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Claire was kind enough to fill in our bridal 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?
In Edinburgh in October last year.

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
The venue was Prestonfield House. I have known it from childhood as magical place, full of atmosphere and fantastic for a party. The drinks reception took place in the hotel which is beautifully decorated, so all that was added were some candles. The marquee where the dinner took place was a blank canvas and the only thing I knew I wanted was lots and lots of candlelight.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
I based everything around a thistle-like flower called Eryngium which has a wonderful blue/green colour hue.

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My dress and veil came from Delphine Manivet, I loved interesting and modern feel of her designs. My shoes came from Gina and I think they were my favourite bit of my outfit. They were very very high and covered in Swarovski crystals, more like jewellery than shoes and I love them.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Simon’s suit was made by a retired tailor who is a family friend.

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
These came from a company called D’Zage. They had a fabric that perfectly matched the blue/purple colour I was looking for. D’Zage was also good because it was the only company I found that could provide suitably cut dresses for my two bridesmaids who were 11 and 15. We bought the dresses through a bridal shop in Edinburgh called La Novia, the service we had there was absolutely appalling and I would not recommend them.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
My mother-in-law made our cake, it was simple and pretty. We decorated it with flowers and a friend made peg people to sit on top. They were so sweet and she managed to match them to our outfits. They are a lovely memento of the day.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
We didn’t really do favours, but all the women had a small box of Laduree macaroons at their place setting. This was my mothers’ idea as a tribute to the time when we lived in Paris. She was very keen for us to have an entire macaroon wedding cake, so this was a compromise.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Our florist was Tony from By Appointment Only Design. I had seen images from their website and when we met, I felt that he had really listened to what I was asking for and was going to develop it into something wonderful. What Tony came up with was absolutely stunning - from the lavender and candlelit walkway into the marquee, to the variety of arrangements on the tables round the room and on the peripheral console tables. His attention to detail was outstanding.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Patrick Butler-Madden, who was fantastic. He was recommended to us through friends and we are so pleased with our photographs. The reception was difficult to photograph as much of it took place in dark interiors, but he coped brilliantly and we have a wonderful album to look back over. Patrick was relaxed, incredibly friendly and he captured the day perfectly. Patrick also arranged for a colleague to make a short, informal film of the day. For us this 5 minute, beautiful and happy video has captured the day far better than any big production could possibly achieve and we feel incredibly lucky to have it.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Mostly! Working full time and organising the wedding at a 400 mile distance was sometimes challenging and required good communication. I did enjoy spending lots of time at home in Edinburgh with my family.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Enjoy being engaged, this is a very romantic time and it whizzes by with all the preparation, so make the most of it. From a practical point of view, make sure you leave enough time to get ready and that someone is responsible for making sure the order of services have all been delivered...

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