Europe Weddings

A Scottish soiree that is easy on the eyes (to say the least), I have a feeling this fabulous fête by Craig & Eva Sanders will be making a beeline to your favorites folder. If you must know, it’s already in mine. Feminine, flirty, and just enough fancy to make your heart flutter, believe me when I say you’ll want to twirl around the full gallery of images a time or two!

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From the Bride… Our wedding day was even better than we could ever have dreamed. Everything came together beautifully, and the sun was even shining all day, which can be rare in Scotland! We wanted our wedding to be simple, relaxed, glamorous and elegant with a hint of a vintage feel — a great party with our family and closest friends, good food, wine and music to dance the night away! We also wanted the day to be a true reflection of us with a personal feel. We booked all our vendors, and then I began work on all our DIY touches. We were super lucky in that having done our research, all our vendors shared the same vision as us, and I knew Craig and Eva would capture the day perfectly with the whimsical quality to their photography.

Our DIY touches included save-the-dates, which I made from luggage tags attached to champagne corks and the tag line “He popped the question!” We continued this idea with our champagne cork place settings and the mini luggage tags on our favours. The invitations were hand-written on brown card with a touch of lace and pearl detailing to reflect the styling on the day and tie in with our DIY table number frames, table plan and guest book table. We worked with a muted colour palette of whites, pale pinks and greens. Kim at Little Botanica did a fantastic job with the colours in her floral design and presented everything so beautifully. I continued the muted colours in our sweet table. I made the mini cupcakes, meringues, tablet and truffles and some DIY paper bunting completed the look.

We both love jazz music and the Ritz Trio, who tied in with our wedding party in their white tuxedos, created the perfect ambience. Walking back up the aisle as husband and wife to Louis Armstrong’s “A Wonderful World” played by our jazz trio was a very special moment. And I have to mention the dress! As soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one — it was just beautiful with layers of tulle and pearl detailing at the waist. It was the dress I had been searching for — perfect!

Wedding Photography: Craig & Eva Sanders / Wedding Venue: Glenskirlie House & Castle in Banknock, Stirlingshire, Scotland / Floral Design: Little Botanica / Wedding Stationery, Styling + Sweets Table: DIY by the Bride / Celebrant: Leslie Mitchell / Wedding Cake: Marks & Spencer / Jazz Band: Ritz Trio / Wedding Band: A-Side Soul / Wedding Dress: Ellis Bridals via Cuco Bridal Wear / Jewelry: Tom Coll Jewellery / Makeup: Debbie Slater / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Biba / Tuxedos: Slaters Menswear

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the happiest, prettiest Bride in all of Scotland. When looking through the images captured by Archibald Photography of her classic nuptials, you can almost feel her joy as she marries her kilted hubby. Her big day turned out just as lovely, just as timeless as she is herself and you can see every smile in the full gallery of gorgeous!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… My husband and I had a traditional Scottish style wedding at our favourite place, Cameron House, which sits right on the banks of Loch Lomond. We had  a fantastic humanist ceremony, which was laid-back and full of laughter followed by a full Scottish wedding: 12 p.m. until 2 a.m.! We wanted all closest friends and family to be involved, and as you will see below, they helped make it the best day of our lives. We chose our venue easily, as my family have been going there since I was a child, and Fin and I walk the dogs by the loch at the weekend. It is in the most stunning setting with views over the loch to Ben Lomond. The interior of the hotel is a modern, sophisticated Scottish theme which we love — tartan carpets, open fires, The Great Scotts bar, and it is surrounded by the banks of Loch Lomond. The bridal party were all dressed in subtle tones and lace, while the groomsmen were all in their own tartan kilts or trews — all true Scotsmen, of course!

Our wedding was planned to be outside, but this is Scotland, so it ended up taking place inside, and it was just as beautiful. We managed to get all of our photos and a cocktail hour outside before a mad dash for cover to start the wedding breakfast. After the meal, we had a full celidh with traditional country dancing before our band took over for the rest of the evening. You could say quite a lot of the wedding was DIY, including the save-the-dates, orders of service, menus, homemade Scottish shortbread favours, flowers and cake. I loved choosing all the extra details (even if we didn’t get a chance to use all the outdoor decorations), and my mum and bridesmaids were invaluable when it came to baking, flower arranging, tying string, etc!

Wedding Photography: Archibald Photography / Wedding Venue: Cameron House in Loch Lomond, Scotland / Flowers: DIY by the Mother of the Bride / Wedding Cinematography: AM Wedding Films / Wedding Invitations: Strawberry Sorbet / Wedding Cake: DIY by the Groom’s Sister / Officiant: Leslie Mitchell / Ceremony Music: Scott Manson (A School Friend) / Band: The Vinyls / Cars: Ivory Choice Bridal Cars Ltd. / Save-the-Dates, Programs, Menus, Shortbread Favors: DIY / Wedding Dress: Dakota by Enzoani / Custom Lace Overlay: Opus Couture / Bride’s Shoes: Debut / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Zara + Custom Waistbands / Groom’s Kilt: Hunter Tartan

I love so many things about weddings. Details make me weak in the knees. But the detail that gets me every time is the love exchanged from all involved parties. So this wedding by David Bryce Photography just made me melt. Planned in 21 days (yes you read that correctly) to ensure a very special family member was involved, this couple is the perfect example of what weddings are all about. Love. You’ll most definitely want to read the bride’s description, and be sure to get lost in the full gallery of images today – it’s good for the soul.

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…My husband John and I were originally planning a large wedding in a fairly grand private library in Edinburgh. We had intended to have over 100 guests, the big white dress, the traditional Scottish ceilidh band – the works. But in April 2010 we learned that the cancer my step-dad, George, had been fighting was terminal. We were devastated, and suddenly our big fancy plans didn’t seem quite so important.

We decided that, to us, two things were key: One, that we wanted to be married, to become husband and wife, to make vows to each other promising to be together forever. And two, that we wanted to make those vows in front of all the people, our families and our closest friends, who we love the most. So we decided just to do it, there was no reason to wait and it just felt right. In 21 days we cancelled all our plans and arranged a whole new wedding for just 26 people. It was amazing, an absolutely fabulous day and we loved every second of it.

Anyway, after 3 short weeks everything just seemed to come together and we had the most amazing wedding day. George was able to walk me down the aisle and we didn’t feel like we missed out on anything despite our tight time line. It can be fun to plan a wedding over a year or two but it can also be fabulous to just go for it – when you don’t have time to stress about the small stuff you just have to go with your gut instinct: it works. George died four weeks to the day after our wedding. We’re so grateful he was able to be part of, and enjoy, our special day.

Wedding Photography: David Bryce Photography / Flowers: Flowers by Maxwell / Ceremony + Reception Location: The Balmoral Hotel / Wedding Dress + Shoes: Monsoon / Wedding Cake: Craig Webster / Cupcakes: Catherine Henderson / Paper Goods, Seating Plan + Guest Book: DIY

There is just something so stylish about Scottish weddings and this next navy blue number is no exception! And can I just say that I absolutely love that the bride wore blue! Even her maids were rocking some pretty fabulous frocks and the guys in kilts? Adorable! Daffodil Waves Photography was there to capture all the DIY details including a clay cake topper of the bride and groom. See that and so much more here in the full gallery!

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From Daffodil Waves Photography…When I received an email off Kari asking if I was free to shoot her wedding in Scotland, she tried saying to me that it was a humanist wedding in Rob’s parents back garden. Back garden doesn’t even come close. So much planning went into this gorgeous day on the ‘grounds’ of Rob’s parents home.

Bridges were built, home made signs constructed and champagne tents erected. It was an outdoor humanist ceremony followed by the cake cutting in the summer house with a Pimms punch toast. This then followed with an amazing reception held in a huge Tipi, the funniest speeches and then traditional Cèilidh dancing.

Wedding Photography: Daffodil Waves Photography / Wedding Dress: Louise Simmonds / Make-up + Hair: Kari Rodnes / Tipi: Highland Tipis / Rings: Ann Marie Shillito

If this just isn’t the sweetest Scottish wedding I ever did see!  This cute-as-can-be couple brought loads of charm and personality to their wonderfully whimsical wedding tucked away in the center of Edinburgh at an idyllic, historic venue.  CandySnaps snapped every delectable DIY detail for us to devour today.  Check out the full gallery to see the rest!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… I met Blairt at a local bakery in San Diego 5 1/2 years ago, a handsome charming bloke who had just moved here from Scotland. He soon swept me off my feet and had me swooning. Fast forward a few months to the first time he took me home to Scotland to meet Mum and Dad, I fell in love again with his family, friends and the oh-so-beautiful Scotland!! So I knew as soon as Blair put that gorgeous ring on my finger we had to bring our San Diego and American friends and family to the beautiful city of Edinburgh to watch us get married!! And thats exactly what we did.

We had a year and a half of planning to do and we used our time and resources wisely. Of course we needed a little help along the way and we didn’t want to spare the expense for a coordinator so we had to rely on our family and friends in Scotland. And lucky for us they were willing to help all they could. My lovely mother-in-law and sister-in-law hit the pavement and found our venue and being the little princess I am, well of course I wanted a castle, in the city center of Edinburgh and completely charming. Alas, it wasn’t in the stars (or the budget) so we settled on The Craighouse a venue that is a part of a long standing Edinburgh University. It wasn’t a castle, but it checked our boxes. It was a historic beautiful building with gorgeous grounds and the best view of the city including Edinburgh Castle. And even more importantly, we could have our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception/disco there. That is ideal for a bride planning a wedding from over 6000 miles away.

All of our guests minds were whirling with all of our personal touches and details. It meant so much to us that they felt the love, care and details that went into this very special day!! They were surprised over and over by all of the touches that represented Blair and I. My most favorite was our “cheesecake” that we served during cocktail hour. When Blair and I got together we didn’t just have a love affair with each other but also with cheese. We always serve a cheese plate and we definitely always order one if it’s available where we are. So of course we had to have cheese at our wedding and what better way to serve it than to make it look like a wedding cake, with a cake topper of two mice dressed in their wedding day finest of course!

Wedding Photography: CandySnaps / Floral Design: Planet Flowers / Event Design: Knotty Stationery (candy table) / Location: Craighouse at Napier University / Wedding Invitations: Beyond Inviting / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Wedding Dress: Rivini

Okay, first off I want to give a shout out (do people still do that?) to the adorable Scottish kitty in this darling wedding: Me-ow, little fur ball! I’d also love to share the fact that I love, love, love the super old stone buildings, the DIY table marker plants, and the amazing kilts, but who wouldn’t? And lastly, I’d like to say that the photography by Marianne Taylor is to die for and has me staring at the blank pages on my passport wishing there was a big, fat Scotland stamp on it. If this little charmer has you smitten with the idea of crossing the pond or any body of water for your big day, check out our favorite swoon-worthy destination weddings here. And if you want more Scottish wedding bliss, head over to the full gallery!

See entire image gallery here!

From Marianne Taylor: When Isla & Ewan’s wedding moved from the originally planned location in London up to Aberdeenshire in their native Scotland, I was so very excited. I’d never been to Scotland before and I don’t think there can be a better way for a first visit than attending an absolute fairytale of a wedding!

I find it impossible to think of anything that wouldn’t have been either sublimely beautiful – flowers, handmade pom poms, Isla’s wedding gown (Pronovias from Teokath of London), or amazingly impressive – the poetic Scottish countryside, the incredible venue (Aswanley), men in kilts, or heart-warmingly touching – the cute VW van, Isla & Ewan’s most adorable cat, all the people in attendance. There was just nothing not to love about the day.

I will forever remember how welcomed I felt by everyone, and how Isla’s attention to details created an absolutely magical day.

Photography: Marianne Taylor / Flowers: Val Morrison / Ceremony and Reception Location: Aswanley / Shoes: Christian Dior / Dress: Pronovias / Ceilidh Band: Illusion / Cake: Bride’s mum / Stationery: Rifle Paper Company

I don’t know what better way to introduce this wedding then to just come right out and say it. FAIRYTALE through and through. And as cliche as this may sound, one glimpse of Blairquhan Castle walls and I think you might agree. Scotland has the inner princess in me squealing with delight and the gorgeous images from Craig & Eva Sanders Photography? Beyond, beyond, beyond. Stopping by the gallery is an absolute must on this one folks.

see the FULL fairytale here!

Clare and Tony hail from Liverpool – the home of the fab four themselves, The Beatles. However having got engaged on holiday in Bonnie Scotland, they decided to complete the circle by having their wedding here as well. They got married at the stunning Blairquhan Castle, built in the 17th Century in the heart of the Ayrshire Countryside.

Tony and Clare’s relaxed and informal day was filled with so many beautiful touches. Highlights were an amazing cake made by her father and to top it off Tony sang a surprise song after their first dance. He might not sell as many records as the fab four but we think they make a fab twosome.

Photography: Craig & Eva Sanders Photography / Flowers: June Dunlop / Dress: Phillipa Lepley Couture / Shoes: Butler & Wilson / Tony’s Suit: Mr. Start / Make Up: Sparkle (the lovely Catherine) / Band : T O’Connor Band / Cake: handmade by Clare’s Dad … a very unique James Kane design :) / Venue: Blairquhan Castle

This next wedding is about as pretty as they come. A gorgeous couple, a knock you out of your chair beautiful setting (in Scotland!) and the coolest modern touches all captured by Craig & Eva Sanders Photography. We totally DIE for this wedding and going to the gallery is an absolute must. We wouldn’t lie to you.

see the rest of this Scottish beauty here!

From Craig and Eva Sanders…

Lisa and Anthony Alvarez got married at the fantastic Glenskirlie Castle in the heart of central Scotland. But this was not your traditional Scottish affair as Glenskirlie offers a unique blend of traditional Scottishness with the added twist of bespoke, modern interiors. As Anthony’s surname may suggest there was also a South American element to the days proceedings and one that Lisa and Anthony wanted to celebrate. With a lot of guests having made the journey over the Atlantic from Chile Lisa & Tony had their ceremony in both English and Spanish. A day filled with lovely unique touches, from heart shaped flower decorations, suits of armour, cupcake wedding cake, stained glassed windows, Spanish guitars and fields of glorious wild flowers. Also Lisa hand-made all the necklace’s for the ladies wedding favours. We couldn’t have asked for a lovelier or more interesting wedding.

Flowers: Little Botanica / Cake: The little cake parlour, Shawlands / Dress: Caroline Castigliano, Edinburgh /  Shoes: Kurt Geiger / Photographer: Craig & Eva Sanders Photography / Celebrant: Gerrie Douglas-Scott

A little rain definitely didn’t dampen the spirits of this adorable couple and their guests, in fact, it just added to the memories. The bride and bridesmaids donned wellies while the groom and his groomsmen sported traditional Scottish kilts. Guests hid under tents while the couple posed with umbrellas in the oh so dreamy Scottish landscape. Traditional plaids and vintage touches created a stunning backdrop for the reception in a cozy farmhouse on this rainy day. And if this wedding doesn’t have you longing for rainy fall days and endless fields of green we aren’t sure what will! Check out more destination goodness from Archibald Photography in the gallery. XO, Tori & Myka

hurry on over to the gallery to see more of this gorgeous wedding.

From the photographer:

Susie and Paul originally met through Susie’s brother Matt, who was Paul’s boss at the time. They had met a few times at the pub and always got on really well, talking mostly about snowboarding! They got together over seven years ago after Susie had gone with Matt to a paintballing day organised by his work. Paul came to the pub after to meet his colleagues and when Susie headed off to a club Paul quickly followed. They spent the rest of the night in this club laughing. Paul proposed to Susie in New York in December two and a half years ago.

The couple chose Scotland for their wedding because Paul was born and spent his childhood in Selkirk and Susie was born in Dumfries and, although her family moved south when she was still very young she spent all her holidays in Powfoot, where her grandparents lived, until she was in her twenties. Scotland is very close to both of their hearts. They wanted a venue which felt relaxed and informal and could offer a real Scottish feel. They only looked at one venue and totally fell in love with it. Mavis Hall Park is a family run farm that has been converted for events. The couple first saw the barns and loved their character (especially the hens that greet you as you arrive) and inside they thought they were such a perfect blank canvas. Then Fiona, the owner, took them down to the loch to show them where we could get married and they were totally blown away. It was so beautiful and Susie and Paul just remember standing there in awe and all they could hear were birds.

The wedding party (family and close friends) stayed at Dalhousie Castle the day before and the night of the wedding. Dalhousie gave them the Orangery restaurant for exclusive use for the night before the wedding, which is in a lovely conservatory overlooking the grounds. Nearly 30 of their family and friends took over the restaurant and had a lovely meal to kick start the celebrations, and according to Susie, “it felt amazing having all our family and closest friends with us.”

Susie told us that “the wedding day was just amazing. Calling it the ‘best day of your life’ sounds cliche but it was just brilliant, we had so much fun. Both Dalhousie Castle and Mavis Hall Park were perfect and were a perfect combination for us: we got to stay in a beautiful castle but we had the wedding in a character filled farm whose relaxed and intimate feel was more ‘us’ than a the formal setting of the castle. The ceremony was so lovely, really relaxed. We loved that everyone stood, gathered around us, some with a beer in their hand, watching us make special promises to one another. Mavis Hall Park was the perfect venue, so many of our guests told us they thought it was an incredible place. They were blown away by how beautiful it was down by the loch, how cool the barns were and just how well run everything was. Fiona and her team are so professional and so lovely, they couldn’t do enough for us and they organised the day to perfection. And there were no complaints from Fiona when she received last minute emails about giant balloons and surprise guests on the day! We couldn’t recommend Mavis Hall highly enough.”

The couple had Scottish slang as the table names, like “Merrit”, “Haud yer weesht”, and “blootered” and bird cages hanging from the old beams in the barns. Susie and her new mother in law decorated the bird cages with ivy (from the florist), paper flower garlands and small sequined birds. Ivy and fairy lights were wrapped around the pillars in the barn.

When we asked Susie and Paul about the best part of their day, they told us “Everything! The relaxed ceremony, amazing Mavis Hall venue, the friendly staff, the lochside wedding, the highland games, the spit hog roast, the live band. Weirdly the rain made the day, we loved that our guests were happy to take their shoes/stilettos off and put on wellies to walk down to the loch side under their umbrellas, which they have since told us felt cosy. It also meant that the ceremony felt intimate because everyone was huddled round, although we were pleased to see the sunshine coming out just after we were married. Oh and one other thing, the last dance! The band surprised us with ‘you take the high road’ and Paul and I danced and jumped around in the middle of a circle of all our family and friends holding hands. It felt so amazing, a very happy moment.”

Thanks for sharing this lovely Scottish wedding with us.

XO, Tori & Myka of sittinginatree

Venues: Dalhousie Castle & Mavis Hall Park / Photography: Archibald Photography / Dress: Forget Me Knot Designs / Shoes: Rachel Simpson & Hunter Boots / Rings: Carr Diamonds / Band: Wildcard / Car: Premiere Velocity / Bridesmaid Dresses: Coast

If you are all about classic style and old word charm then you are going to flip your lid over this lovely wedding. Set in the Scottish countryside this is so unbelievably picturesque. We are talking peonies and bagpipes and views for days. How incredible is that combo? Photographed by Craig and Eva Sanders, this is surely the perfect ending to a gorgeous day of weddings. Enjoy even more of this Scottish soiree in the gallery.

{click here for the FULL wedding gallery}

Holly and Scott were married at the The Lodge on the banks of Loch Goil in Scotland. A wonderful and spectacular location built in 1863 at the time of the Arts and Craft movement in Scotland. It boasts not only stunning vistas over the Loch, but beautiful details where ever you look. From stained glass windows, hand painted wallpaper, tree and summer house’s, it’s the perfect location for anyone looking for a unique, intimate and truly romantic wedding experience. Add a beautiful bride and handsome groom, some great characters and the odd glass of champagne ( or two! ) and you have as close to the perfect wedding experience as you could hope.

Photography: Craig and Eva Sanders / Flowers: Ruby Flowers / Dress: Stuart Parvin from Anne Priscilla / Jewelry: Paul Costello from Frasers / Head band: Polly Edwards from Anne Priscilla / Cake: Liggy Cakes / Bridesmaid dresses: Anna Whyte / Hair: Alison Capaldi

Our next reader, Cara, approached her inspiration board really creatively…she broke it down into three distinct boards. The first one captures her overall style and vision, the second is the indoor portion of her venue and the third is the outside portion. In doing this, she keeps her style ideascohesive and streamlined.

Cara and her fiance are getting married in August and they are having a sweet, summer wedding in a
Scottish country garden. Here is her style board…

Her indoor reception venue space…

And finally, the stunning outdoor scenery at Cara’s reception venue…

Here are some details from Cara…

We tried so hard to find somewhere outdoors where we could have a relaxed ceremony and meal and eventually we found what we were looking for in Fingask Castle – a small 13th century castle set in 300 acres of gardens and woodlands, with Alice in Wonderland topiary and hidden secret gardens where the plants grow wild and the oak trees are hundreds of years old.

The castle is a family home and small children and friendly dogs have the run of the house and the gardens. The ceremony will be held on the lawns, overlooking the Scottish countryside and will be followed with drinks and strawberries among the topiary.

We will eat in the castle courtyard (second row on the left) where we will lay three banqueting tables for our 50 guests and a third will be laden with food made by our families. The groom’s father will man a barbeque of local fish and vegetables and we will serve wine made a mile from the castle with Scottish fruits and leaves and beer from a local brewery. We are trying to stay as eco-friendly as possible by using local produce and recycled paper for all of our (diy) stationery.

We’re on a fairly small budget (about £3500) but I hope it will look handmade, rather than homemade! The venue is so beautiful that I hope it won’t need too much decorating. We’re focusing on small details rather than big arrangements – enamel jugs and jams jars of wild looking flowers, beautiful cupcakes on vintage glass cake stands, handmade soy candles in recycled glass jars.

The interior of the castle is quirky and beautiful and we will be using the drawing room and library as the evening draws in. We won’t be decorating the inside beyond a few jugs of flowers as we love the character that it has all by itself.

The images in our inspiration board are as follows –

1. Pink shoes (by Carvela), blue jug from The Knot, outdoor ceremony from Snippet and Ink, programs from Snippet and Ink.
2. Our venue, images from Sadie Olive, glass cake stands from ebay, ikea and Laura Ashley
3. Our save the date cards, image from The Knot, image by Jose Villa
4. Table from The knot, silk ribbons for our place settings, homemade soya candles, our venue
5. All of the images of our venue are by Lillian and Leonard Wedding Photography (a business my fiancé and I are trying to get going at the same time as planning the wedding, eek!)