Alison and Paul first met briefly, 10 years ago. Alison was out on a girlie day with her sister and friends and saw Paul with his friends in a local pub. She asked her sister if she knew him and was told Paul was too young for her! About 4 years later on New Year’s Day 2003, Alison was out with her girlfriend Kimberley and got talking to Paul! They hit it off and went on their first date a couple of weeks later. From then on, they were inseparable, until, 6 months later, Paul graduated from University and got his first Quantity Surveying job on the Isle of Man. They then pursued a long distance romance for the next year and a half! When Paul finally came home to a job in Glasgow, they made plans and bought their first house together that same year, 2005.
Paul proposed to Alison in Barcelona on 6th of August 2006. It was a total surprise for Alison and she thought initially he was joking. They had been on some amazing holidays to Singapore, Las Vegas, Paris and Rome, and each time they went on holiday, all the family would be thinking Paul was going to propose. When Alison booked a quiet weekend in Barcelona no-one expected anything exciting to happen. Paul caught everyone out. They had been for a lovely dinner in an idyllic square overlooking a stunning fountain. As they walked around the square after their meal, Paul stopped and produced a beautiful ring and Alison was stuck for words. Of course she said ‘yes’.
Paul and Alison wanted their wedding venue to be fairly local and easy for their guests to travel to, so they looked at about five venues in Ayrshire and finally opted for Lochside House Hotel near New Cumnock. The staff were very accommodating and the venue itself stunning. The hotel has two beautiful suites, one which the couple had their wedding breakfast in and the other to host the evening reception. Alison said “the personal service offered by the hotel made our day so relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable”
Alison got her dress from By Storm in Bearsden, Glasgow. The designer Joyce Young has fabulous collections which are all made to measure. It was Alison’s mum who suggested looking there as they also do Mother of the Bride outfits (she had hers made there for Alison’s sister’s wedding 6 years before). Alison also got her veil and tiara from By Storm. Shoes were bought from the Westend Wedding Boutique. They had a great range in stock and also offered a shoe dying service to match a shoe to a dress for the bridesmaids.
Alison and Paul’s flowers were from Allison’s Flowers in Stonehouse. The owner Allison Walker dealt with Alison directly and offered a lot of helpful advice on what flowers were available at that time of year. She discussed design, style, shape and even added diamantes and sparkle to the flowers. All bridesmaid bouquets and buttonholes were supplied by Allison’s Flowers.
Paul and Alison met Mark and Donna of Archibald Photography at the SECC Wedding Fair and as Alsion said “immediately felt that this was the kind of photography they were looking for. We were looking for more of a storybook idea which captures the mood of our day rather than very formal pictures. Mark and Donna spent a lot of time showing us the different layouts available and how they work on the actual wedding day. It was important to us that we were not taken away from our wedding guests for too long and on the day Mark was really good at taking great pictures quickly and without obtrusion. We were really impressed and satisfied with the service both in the run up to the wedding and afterwards.”
Other notable suppliers for Alison and Paul included their wedding video by Hart Video, Cars were from NIL WEdding Cars , their band was the James Honey Band – a 9 piece band with a great repertoire. (Contact Gordon Pollock gordon_pollock@hotmail.com) and Alison got her flowergirl’s wand and little teddy with Swarovski crystals from Louise Graham at www.weddingandbaby.co.uk
The best thing about the day for Alison and Paul was the smooth running of it. From the moment Alison entered the church the day just flowed seamlessly. Also, having a winter wedding they were not sure what kind of day it would be weather wise. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny and frosty day. In addition, the wedding ceremony was very personal to them both as Alison, who is a music teacher had her colleagues there to play the organ and trumpet and her school choir sang a blessing after the vows. Paul also had a Priest friend of the family give a blessing too. Friends of them or their family had made the stationary, the cake, the video and Alison knew the band personally. It really added to the intimacy of the whole day.
The funniest moment for the couple was during the cutting of the cake, as everyone was quiet, when their little nephew shouted out at the top of his voice that he needed the toilet. It was all caught on the wedding video.
Tags: archibald photography, by storm, edinburgh wedding photographer, glasgow wedding photographer, lochside house hotel, wedding photographer