Happy Relaxed & Colourful Autumn Wedding

A rainy Wednesday in June 2019. In our house in the Midlands. Matt got down on one knee on the living room carpet. I know Matt said a lot of lovely things, but I just wanted him to finish so that I could finally say yes. We popped a bottle of champagne – we collect corks from important dates and at our wedding, our guests brought corks of bottles they’ve popped for us.

A big Scottish party, in equal parts sentimental and raucous. A relaxed day with both of our friends and families. We wanted our guests to feel comfortable and important. We knew we wanted to take our favourite traditions and mix these with our own comfortable, laid back vibe. We planned a rustic day which still felt luxe, with a view of the sea and lots of music.

Colours inspired by the setting: washed wood, the seaside, natural fabrics, crisp white with bright yellow and sunflowers for accent.

We were beyond lucky that our parents were able to contribute to our big day, because weddings are expensive. The good thing about a venue like the Cowshed, is that you feel more in control of your suppliers and what you pay for. Definitely prioritise your budget to the suppliers that are important to you, for us our photographer and venue with accommodation for all the family.

We bought bits on Facebook marketplace and on wedding resale websites, with Matt’s office becoming more and more full of items by the day.

The Cowshed, Crail was the perfect venue from the first day we viewed it. A bare venue, with lots of space to make the day your own. It never felt too big, or overwhelming and the staff were so helpful and flexible. A view of the sea, and a gorgeous courtyard lit by festoon lights sealed the deal. The communication was second to none, and they were so great at letting us pop in numerous times to view the venue (great for us as we had a reschedule and new date to contend with).

Planning a wedding in a naked venue can definitely feel a little overwhelming at times. Especially when you’re liaising with your cutlery supplier and trying to work out how many freezers you’ll need for ice. Hire great suppliers (The Cowshed have a great list of recommended suppliers) and trust them that they won’t let you do something silly.

I really wanted to buy my dress in Scotland, with my mum so I had to move quickly as Matt and I were moving to Australia two months after we got engaged. We bought my dress in Avorio Bridal. The shop is in Fochabers, Moray, which is the village I went to school in. I initially thought I wanted a sleek, Hollywood, form-fitting gown but what I picked couldn’t have been further away from that.

The Elara, by Pronovias was so comfortable and the blush tulle skirt just felt so ethereal. It felt easy and I really felt like it suited our setting. Originally, I was a bit creeped out by the idea of a veil, but on the day I collected the dress, I fell in love with an Italian cathedral length veil, and to be honest, if it’s your day, why not wear all the things!

I had my heart set on a leather jacket to wear with my dress and my bridesmaids well and truly delivered with a hand-painted Topshop vintage jacket. I loved wearing it on my hen do, and to dance outside with our Husband after our sparkler celebration. Shoes weren’t too big a deal for me as I’m not the best in heels. My crystal-embellished white sandals were perfect and comfy all day (JJ’s house) and I had white Birkenstocks for when the dancing got going at night.

Matthew bought his kilt outfit from Macgregor & Mcduff in Glasgow. A muted Cameron of Erracht kilt and navy tweed jacket were the perfect combination. We designed our wedding rings with Carla Price, at Blair and Sheridan in Glasgow. She is our friend and my cousin’s partner and she made the whole experience so special. I look at my unique ring every day and remember our amazing day.

This was a really important part of the day for us. Claire Digance, our humanist, wrote us the most amazing, funny and personal ceremony. We decided not to do any traditional symbolic gestures (quaich, handfasting etc.) but instead focussed on readings by our family and friends. A humanist ceremony was absolutely perfect for us and our guests were all so blown away by how special it was.

Claire gives you some homework to do before the day, so it’s definitely worth taking some time together with a glass of wine to have a think about your story. You really will get as much out of it as you put in. Matthew played the Lord of the Rings soundtrack over the sound system as the guests arrived, which was perfect for us and we can both be pretty nerdy for fantasy.

Ginny and the Tonic were fantastic and were happy to learn songs for the aisle walk and for the signing of the registry. They also played during our drinks reception. Our guests were blown away by the music, especially the rendition of ‘Far Side of the World’ by Tidelines which felt so perfect for us (‘Cause I wanna dance with a Highland girl, Where the skies reach out for miles’).

We made simple promises which we wrote together, and our mums held our wedding rings before the exchange which felt really special.

Emma Lawson is an absolute legend and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone getting married. Not only are her pictures amazing, but she is a complete girl boss who makes you feel so secure in your day. She runs the show from the minute she arrives and you just know that her couples are her absolute priority from the get go. She created so many special moments, not just for us but also for our families and that was so important.

She even lent me her data hotspot so that I could facetime my MOH in Australia before I walked down the aisle! Covid struck our original videographers down the night before our wedding. Matt and I sprung into a whirlwind of calls, and helped by Emma and the power of facebook managed to get in touch with Craig at Paper Street Productions. He was an absolute angel and really saved the day.

He pulled out all the stops, even bringing his drone along and we couldn’t be happier with the footage.

Decor – I was under no illusion, that styling was never going to be my bag. I knew that however much I was obsessed with the perfect Pinterest wedding, I was never going to be able to pull it off solo. Hiring Gloam for a full styling package, was definitely the best decision. They were amazing. From planning all the spaces of the cowshed, supplying beautiful pieces of furniture to sourcing beautiful yellow linens to finish our table decor to a tee.

They also designed our table plans, signage and order of services. On the day before the wedding, the team was amazing. They even set up our own neon sign above the top table and hung all our polaroids on a macrame wall hanging (both things I was stressing about getting done in time).

Flowers – Gloam were our florists too and were so easy to work with, especially for someone who has zero ideas about flowers. They were able to incorporate my favourite sunflowers into all the bouquets and they make me smile every time I see them in our photographs. The floral hoops behind us at our ceremony were beautiful, and Kate was clever in their design as I was really concerned they were going to look like Christmas wreaths, but no hint of Christmas at all ha!

Cake – Matthew announced he would love a traditional fruit cake, about 6 weeks before the wedding, so I put an emergency call out to my mum and dad, who really delivered. A colleague of my dad’s pulled out all the stops to design our seaside inspired cake, with layers of both fruit and lemon buttercream. It was perfect and so well received. Side note: I really didn’t want to do a ‘cutting the cake photo’ haha. If there is something about the day that really gives you the ick, definitely stand by it.

Our bits – I was a little anti-favours initially, but my mum was keen on the tradition so thought she makes them herself. Her and my Dad collected sand from our local beach and filled tiny labelled bottles for the tables. They’re beautiful and made me smile seeing it on our Christmas tree this year. My mum also collected lots of stones from the beach, which she wrote our initials on and left in baskets around the cowshed.

We spent a week in Mexico, all-inclusive and I would 100% recommend getting away somewhere relaxing straight after the wedding. The admin fatigue is real and it’s so lovely to just relax together after the big day.

So many. – Getting into my wedding dress with my girls and my mum doing the back, made my heart so full. – The reveal of my dress to my Dad and his face. His face all day really. – Standing with Matt in the ceremony, looking out at all our family and friends, with Ginny and the Tonic playing Tide Lines made all the planning seem worthwhile. – Walking around the cowshed, in the evening sun, having a debrief after the ceremony.

I really didn’t want to be away from our guests for too long, but the moments you spend with just the two of you are so important to have a moment of calm in the day. – Staring out at our friends and family from the top table, and feeling so lucky to have them all here. – Our sparkler celebration under the festoon lights was everything we ever wanted.

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the idea of a naked venue – Just focus on little bits at a time and trust your suppliers. If you can have your wedding party/families stay on site, I would definitely recommend it. It feels so lovely to merge your families over the festivities. We had a day after party at our cottages, which was perfect to be able to see your guests again and breathe after the big day.

If you can see something in your head when you picture your day, make sure and not forget it amongst the wedding planning madness. For me, it was sunflowers, live music and dancing to ‘Life with you’ by the Proclaimers with my Husband. Buy lots of confetti. Tonnes. And if you have some left, get your bridesmaids and groomsmen to throw it at the first dance. You won’t regret it.

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Happy Relaxed & Colourful Autumn Wedding

The Proposal

The Vision

Colours inspired by the setting: washed wood, the seaside, natural fabrics, crisp white with bright yellow and sunflowers for accent.

The Vision

Budget

We bought bits on Facebook marketplace and on wedding resale websites, with Matt’s office becoming more and more full of items by the day.

Budget

The Venue

The Venue

Your Outfits

Your Outfits

Your Outfits

Your Outfits

The Ceremony & Music

The Ceremony & Music

The Ceremony & Music

We made simple promises which we wrote together, and our mums held our wedding rings before the exchange which felt really special.

The Ceremony & Music

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

He pulled out all the stops, even bringing his drone along and we couldn’t be happier with the footage.

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

The Styling & Decor

They also designed our table plans, signage and order of services. On the day before the wedding, the team was amazing. They even set up our own neon sign above the top table and hung all our polaroids on a macrame wall hanging (both things I was stressing about getting done in time).

The Styling & Decor

The Styling & Decor

The Styling & Decor

The Styling & Decor

We spent a week in Mexico, all-inclusive and I would 100% recommend getting away somewhere relaxing straight after the wedding. The admin fatigue is real and it’s so lovely to just relax together after the big day.

The Honeymoon

Memorable Moments

Memorable Moments

Advice For Other Couples

Advice For Other Couples

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