Chris and Ashleigh originally met when they were very junior doctors. They were colleagues and then friends for a few years until they got together around January 2007. Chris proposed to Ashleigh when they were on holiday in Cuba May 2008 – Ashleigh thought it was about time! They were in the Hotel National in Havana being serenaded by a Cuban band – how lovely!
Chris and Ashleigh looked at quite a few venues initially. Ashleigh was keen on a weekend type wedding since lots of Chris’ family were travelling from England and would need accommodation. Then Ashleigh found the baronial style Dalmunzie Castle’s website and could hardly sleep that night she was so excited! As Ashleigh told us “Dalmunzie Castle offered everything I was looking for in an amazing setting. In addition the food is a very high standard which was also very important to us. The staff were excellent throughout – Emma and the team went out of their way at all times to ensure everything went smoothly. I really loved the extent to which we got to really personalise everything about our day, and at the same time felt really looked after. The exclusive use aspect of the hotel meant that we felt really special and felt that the staff got to know us and our guests during our stay.”
The hotel is situated in Highland Perthshire in a 6500 acre estate dating back to 1510. It is apparently the highest hotel in Britain and is described as “hidden in the heart of Scotland”.
The ceremony was held in the nearby and unbelievably picturesque historic Spittal of Glenshee Church. Nestling in the dramatic hills of the Scottish Highlands, this church is ideal for couples wishing a Highland wedding. The name Glenshee comes from a gaelic word which signifies fairies and also means peace.
Ashleigh’s hair and make-up was done by Julie Sangster at Riah Hair Design in Banchory. Julie and her assistants came up to the hotel on the wedding morning so there was minimal rushing around and they were really pleased with the results.
Ashleigh’s dress was Aurelie by Maggie Sottero. Asheigh told us “I tried many dresses, but had seen this one in a magazine first and really loved it. It took a while to find a shop which stocked it – Roberta Buchan in Glasgow seemed to be the only one in Scotland. It was worth the wait! I absolutely loved my dress. I am really proud that I managed to wear it all day and evening especially since there was no time to loosen the lace up back before (or after) the meal!
My biggest extravagance was probably my shoes – I went for sparkly gold Ginas that I really enjoyed wearing on honeymoon too. I also liked my garter which was in Hunting Pride tartan to match my grooms kilt from McCalls.”
Butterflies of Blairgowrie was the florist for the wedding and according to Ashleigh “the white hydrangias of the table decorations were amazing. Beatrice also decorated my cake with fresh flowers – peach roses and hydrangea to match my theme.
The cake was from our home town, Robertsons the baker of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. I was delighted with the cake. I bought lace and pearls to match the vintage theme and the baker iced them on.”
The couple’s band were Kilter and they were “excellent”. One of the band members did the ceremony piping too. Asheligh told us “they did a brilliant ceilidh with a disco later on. Our guests loved the band! Even guests from England managed the dancing thanks to the calling from the band. We were really grateful to them for playing into the evening later than planned too!”
Ashleigh and Chris were also really pleased with their wedding car, which was a 1948 Bentley from Alyth Classic Restorations.
Chris and Ashleigh looked at quite a few photographers but were impressed by the images on the Archibald Photography website. Ashleigh told us that after they met Mark for the first time, they felt “confident that we had made the right choice, as he really listened to what we wanted. On the day itself Mark was great. He was unobtrusive, easy to be around and really added to the fun of the day. We are delighted with all our photos. It’s hard to choose just one favourite. I think it would have to be the ones of us walking up the glen from a distance though – it makes me laugh as I remember how stunned we were when Mark suddenly scrambled on top of the roof of his own car just to get a good shot! I don’t believe we could have chosen a better photographer to share our day.”
The couple had a BBQ on the Friday night, and having already met and greeted their guests made the day itself much less stressful for them. It still all passed too quickly for them though! But overall they had the most amazing day …..”the best of our lives”.
Here’s a short video showing our favourite images from their day:
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