Katharine’s dress & shoes were Wayne Cooper (an Australian designer).  Katharine told us “it was nerve wracking traveling with them although I had chosen a dress designed to be crushed.  I couldn’t pack it in my carry on because it was 5% metal – so I just had to hope the luggage didn’t get lost!”

Guy and Katharine emailed a few different churches and said “the people at St Cuthbert’s were just so lovely and welcoming and made everything so easy for us that it was easy to choose them!”

These guys loved the weather; it was raining and really foggy and according to them”so exotic” (think they could teach us Scots a few things on thinking positively about our climate!)  For them, they come from years and years of drought so having wet weather was “really special but also made the wedding really feel Scottish; if we’d wanted sunshine and dry weather we would have stayed in Australia”.

Katharine told us after that it was great going round Edinburgh with Mark.  She said “the photos were amazing but having him tell us all about the places we were seeing was like having a personal tour of the city as well.  My shoes were impossibly high which meant Guy and I were holding hands in almost every shot (very romantic) but walking on the cobbles was challenging!  One of my favourite moments was when, coming down from the Royal Mile, I took a few steps with my shoes off – the cold wet cobbles felt so good! We had a fabulous day exploring Edinburgh and we wanted to get funky shots of us all over Edinburgh (and that’s exactly what we got)!

Here are some of our favourite images:

Chris proposed to Leigh in Venice, Italy.  Leigh said, “ He’d taken me there for my birthday. He proposed on a water taxi between Venice and Murano…I cried, then said yes”.

Leigh and Chris chose Cornhill House because they’d visited it during one of Chris’s visits to Scotland and felt that it “perfectly embodied what we were looking for in a ‘Scottish’ venue…beautiful scenery, and classic decor. We were so glad we chose Cornhill, Mae Fraoli (the owner) was absolutely wonderful, she took care of every detail and I never felt like I had to worry about anything-she totally had it under control.”

Leigh and her bridemaid’s make up was done by Alex from Healing Hands in Lanark. Peter from The Directors Box, also in Lanark did Leigh’s hair.

Leigh told us, “My dress was a Benjamin Roberts dress from Anne Priscilla in Glasgow which I’d seen in a magazine and knew was ‘the one’, I also got my shoes from there. My jewellery came from Mica, also in Glasgow. I wore my grandmothers pearl earrings which now belong to my mother as my something old and borrowed.”

The flowers were done by Floral n’ Hardy in Lanark and the cake was supplied by Special Days.

According to Leigh & Chris, “Our minister Melville Schofield was wonderful and everyone enjoyed our service along with the Cairn String Quartet who played during the ceremony and immediately after.”  Leigh told us, “I walked down the aisle to ‘Falling Slowly‘ from the movie ‘Once’ which the string quartet played beautifully…I believe quite a few people cried! We both have a huge love for movies and that one is particularly special to both of us. For our first dance we’d taken classes and had a whole choreographed routine which was so fun to do. I got to live out my ‘Strictly Come Dancing‘ fantasy.”

Chris and Leigh explained that, “We had a ‘modern’ ceilidh, provided by The Tatties. It was amazing! We were so impressed by how much our American guests really got into the spirit of it and gave everything a go. I even managed to dance in my dress…which I never thought I could have! Our favourite moment was probably during the final 12 minute ‘Strip the Willows’ (yes, that’s 12 minutes!) when the band worked in The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’”.

For photography Leigh and Chris chose Archibald Photography because Leigh remembered meeting Mark at a wedding fair quite a few years before when she was working for her Dad. As she told us “his style was exactly what we were looking for, informal and modern but also very beautiful. We were thrilled with our photographs and we both cried when we saw them for the first time.”

“It’s so hard to choose a favourite image”, confessed Leigh, “I love the one of us laughing together in the line-up, to me it really sums up our relationship and how fun the day was but I also love the one of us in front on the Cornhill which we actually have blown up in our living room.”

The best bit of the wedding day for Leigh and Chris was, “having all the people we loved with us. Our relationship has been a crazy ride and the whole visa process for me to live in the US took so long, it was just wonderful to know that it was over and we were finally together for good”.

Chris and Leigh put it simply by telling us it was, “The best day of our lives! Totally cheesy…but absolutely true”.

Lennoxlove House has recently (and unsurprisingly) retained it’s 5 star status awarded by the Scottish Tourist Board.  The house provides luxurious accommodation available for exclusive hire.  With gorgeous grounds and beautiful interiors, it’s one of Mark’s favourite wedding venues.  Sue and Chris opted for the amazing floral designers, Planet Flowers, to dress the venue.  Planet Flowers are always guaranteed to come up with something dramatic and different from the norm – read our feature Planet Flowers here.  Charlotte from Heritage Portfolio provided all of the event design for the wedding including linens, glassware, cutlery, menu planning, wines, menu cards etc (apart from flowers, which Planet Flowers executed perfectly).  Heritage Portfolio also ran the wedding reception at Lennoxlove House.

Mark has never met a couple who have laughed so much as Sue and Chris on their wedding day – it was completely infectious and the couple, their guests and Mark just giggled all day long.  You can see some of our favourite images in the slideshow below (turn down the volume if you are at work!).

Chris and Sue – we have loved being involved in your wedding and can’t wait to produce an amazing album of your favourite images.  Mark would also like to say that he loved watching your guests who had never ceilidh danced before making a great attempt!

Venue – Lennoxlove House

Flowers – Planet Flowers

Dress – The Bridal House

Kilt – Slanj Kilts

Band – Reel Time Events

The couple met when they both finished University and were working in Debenhams in Dundee together.  When Heather and Arron were in their last week of a year long travelling stint around the world in 2008, Arron asked Heather to marry him.  He surprised her under the Christmas tree at the Rockerfella Centre in New York on bended knee.

Heather and Arron chose Balbirnie House Hotel as they did not want a church wedding being non-religious but didn’t want a registry office. As Heather told us “Balbirnie had a feeling of grandure, nice architecture and was a place for our guests to relax all day. The service was excellent and the food was top class.”

The couple found many of their suppliers online:

• The cake was made by Scrumptious Cakes based in Dundee
• The wedding band was called Athens and Heather says “they were amazing, and we found them on Music for Scotland website”
• A local florist in their hometown of Carnoustie called Olives provided the wedding flowers.  Heather mentioned that the florist was “an old family friend so it was a personal touch”
• Heather’s dress was Benjamin Adams from Bows and Bells in Dundee
• Arron’s kilt was from Keith Scott and was made in Rangers tartan.

Heather and Arron also found Archibald Photography with an online search and loved Mark’s images.  As Heather told us “they were the look that we wanted for our day and we weren’t disappointed.”

Here are some of our favourites from their day:

The couple kept every detail of their wedding secret from their 7 guests. All they were told was they were flying into Glasgow. A coach met their guests and transported them to the exclusive Glenapp Castle – at which point the couple could hear their guests gasp. The day started with clay pigeon shooting before the couple got ready for their beautiful ceremony in the intimate Glenapp Church.

In choosing their venue, the couple felt as though they had visited every castle in Scotland and Glenapp Castle was the last venue for them to see before heading back to West Sussex. As Becky told us “It was superior in every respect. Unique in terms of the incredible location and stunning, sympathetic restoration by Graham and Fay it ticked all the boxes for us. It was also the most accessible which was important because one or two of our guests have mobility problems (there is a lift in one of the turrets!) We were very impressed by John Orr’s knowledge, confidence and expertise regarding exclusive use weddings at the castle, and the various options open to us when entertaining our guests. Because we had very few guests this meant we had more choice, we chose to have clay pigeon shooting in the morning (the ceremony was at 3pm) and an interactive falconry display after the ceremony whilst we were with Mark, our photographer. After a fabulous five course wedding breakfast, we finished our special day off with a spectacular fireworks display. All the activities were provided by companies that were recommended to us by John, who took care of all the arrangements. Glenapp only recommend suppliers/companies who’ve been to the castle many times before and consistently do a great job.”

Becky’s dress was by Vera Wang found in the Wedding Shop at Selfridges. It was an ivory v-neck bias cut sheath dress of satin back crepe, with picot edged drapes and jewelled straps. Becky saw it on the hanger and got very excited, when she tried it on she jumped up and down! As she told us “I ordered one there and then, who wouldn’t? Kiko, the very kind and warm gentleman who fitted my gown, made me feel ten feet tall. I knew it was the one, a vintage circa 1930s/40s design and not the typical princess cut. I was looking at dresses with a very specific idea of what I wanted, luckily found it after trying on only two dresses elsewhere.”

Becky also had a very long veil of ivory silk tulle which also came from Vera Wang. Becky said “I wanted to be quite old fashioned with the veil so I wore the blush over my face, which my dad then lifted at the altar. The length of the veil only added to the shape of the dress. I had a small crystal and pearl comb in my hair (which was in a low bun) that complimented the jewelled straps on the dress. My shoes were dove grey/ silver satin round toe court shoes from LK Bennett. I think the heels were approx three inches. Beautiful!”

Becky did her own makeup as she wanted to look like herself and her hairdresser Jeanna Hyslop (recommended by Glenapp Castle) did a beautiful job of her hair – a low bun with a little softness and body.

Becky travelled to the wedding ceremony in a vintage 1954 Riley which is owned and has been lovingly restored by Graham Cowan (one of the owners of Glenapp Castle)

Sam Murdoch is the florist for Glenapp Castle and he did all the couple’s floral arrangements. The couple had a theme of the same blooms in all the decorations, shades of purple/blue, small white roses and thistles. Becky’s bouquet also included some loops of Douglas Modern tartan ribbon interspersed among the blooms to match the groom’s kilt and plaid. The ladies all had corsages featuring a white rose and a purple spray flower. The men’s buttonholes featured a thistle, the purple spray and a little greenery. Godfrey and Becky had only seven guests so this was a nice touch.

Becky and her Dad were piped into Glenapp Church by a piper playing Highland Cathedral and according to Becky “there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. That piece of music always makes me feel quite emotional and hearing it on the bagpipes is just a little bit of magic.”

Godfrey looked incredibly handsome on the day and wore a gorgeous Douglas Modern tartan kilt and plaid with a navy blue Prince Charlie jacket, black dress sporran, finished with a decorative plaid brooch, kilt pin and a ‘sgian dubh’ (Scottish ceremonial knife). Godfrey’s best man wore the same kilt without the shoulder plaid.

We asked the couple why they chose Archibald Photography. “We felt that Mark’s work had a superior quality to it, we researched many other wedding photographers and their work but kept coming back to Archibald Photography. Mark was the only one we both agreed on. Godfrey and I both liked the inclusion of elements of architecture and the story-telling style of his work. Godfrey also had the opportunity to travel up to Scotland and meet Mark a few weeks beforehand, they got on very well. When I met him on the day of the wedding, he helped me to feel at ease very quickly and comfortable in front of the camera. I felt like a model for the day!”

Becky made the most stunning bride – elegant, serene and wholly beautiful.  Her choice of this 1940s vintage inspired Vera Wang gown was perfect – how gorgeous does she look?

The best bit for Becky was that the day was “all about us, and a celebration of everything we’ve been through together in the seven years we’ve known each other. Aside from a couple of minor deviations from the plans, it was the most wonderful, emotional and fun day.”  For Godfrey, it was when he saw Becky walking down the aisle.

The couple’s cake came from Sugar and Spice and according to Becky was “very delicious”. Becky chose their ‘Highland Dreams’ design consisting of two tiers, one fruit cake and the other vanilla sponge. They chose this design because the sugar craft was so delicate and intricate. The colours of the flowers can be changed to suit a theme.  For favours, the couple chose small pearlised ivory boxes finished with ivory ribbon which were placed on the dinner table filled with the traditional five sugared almonds.

There’s always something unplanned that happens on a wedding day. As Becky recalled “We did some clay pigeon shooting on the morning of the wedding, when it came to my dad’s turn he managed to shoot the machine! Every single clay was broken and the machine had a rather large dent in it. We were all laughing so hard that no-one could speak for several minutes!”

Looking back, Becky would say “it was an incredible day that I will never forget. Plus I got to marry my best pal, how many people can say that.” And her advice to others would be “Take a few moments out to savour the experiences of the day. Just stop and appreciate all the hard work and organisation that has gone into your day because it will go past in a blur.”

We recently shot a post wedding photoshoot for Lisa and Michael around some of their favourite parts of Ayrshire.  The weather on Lisa and Michael’s actual wedding day had been horrendous so this ‘rock the frock’ photoshoot gave them a chance to get some gorgeous relaxed shots of the two of them outdoors with some of their favourite backdrops.  As Lisa told us “The photographs took my breath away. I had imagined beautiful pictures by the sea and castle but was blown away by how natural and unique the images were! The colours and textures are incredible – Mark totally captured the magic of the day. We couldn’t ask for more.”

Lisa’s wedding dress was ‘Serena’ by Alan Hannah, hair by Volume Hair and makeup by Looking Good.  The images were taken at Culzean Castle and at a local beach location.  Here are some of our favourite shots from the shoot:

Planet Flowers are a mother and daughter team who have always had flowers in their lives.  Mum Rachel had been involved with flowers from a young age as her father was a keen gardener which progressed to her training in flower shops in Australia.  Gemma, her daughter, always went along with her Mum to work and so it seemed like a natural progression to also start working in the flower business.  After Gemma left school, she trained in Holland and received a Dutch Masters Diploma in floral art and shortly after began work with her Mum, Rachel.

Planet Flowers has now been trading for just over 12 years.  After Rachel gained a wealth of experience managing flower shops over 25 years, she decided to start an Event Floristry business that would specialise in event, wedding and hospitality flowers only.  Planet Flowers offers a team of highly trained florists that strive to deliver the highest quality of flowers and design without compromising traditional floristry skills.  As Gemma told me “We think outside the box and constantly try to inspire our clients to move on with floral design and try something different. We want each and every wedding to have a different look and feel.  Each wedding should be unique to each bride and groom – it is their special day so the flower design should be designed just for them.  No matter whether it is designing or executing the design we are passionate about our work and we think this shows through to our clients.”

I wondered what their favourite arrangement or event had been.  Gemma said “This is such a hard question! There are so many memorable events for all different reasons! One of the most amazing experiences was designing and executing a wedding at Hotel de Paris, Monaco back in 2008. It was a lifetime experience that we will never forget. More recently we designed the flowers for a wedding at the stunning venue Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh. It was a truly magnificent wedding – it was such a modern, sleek design. For the last five years we have also supplied the flowers for the Queens Summer Party at Holyrood Palace – which we are very proud about – sadly we have never seen a Corgi in the grounds… maybe this year!”

So what do Planet Flowers foresee for the next few years?  They plan on continuing to provide the very best in Event and Corporate floristry.  They would also love to continue traveling further afield to experience the rewards of tackling the most challenging work.  Check out some of their stunning designs on their blog.

One of our favourite couples from last year (Jen and Derek) chose Planet Flowers to provide gorgeous arrangements on their wedding day.

Ainsley M is currently running a special offer on makeup lessons.  If you visit her Facebook page and click ‘Like’ you will be entitled to a 20% discount on a one-to-one makeup lesson.  Ainsley is based on the south side of Glasgow and you can visit her home studio to be shown the art of perfect makeup application.

Ainsley M trained at London College of Fashion in 2002 when she lived in London.  She knew from the first day on the course that this was what she wanted to do and so after returning to Glasgow, she started ‘Ainsley M‘ in 2003.

I asked Ainsley what her favourite look is to provide someone with and she told me “I really love a 40′s look, alabaster skin, dark brows and red lips. I think pale skin is so beautiful and such a welcome relief from oversprayed brides.”

I was interested to know what sets Ainsley M apart from her competition.  She graciously said “I have quite a few friends who are ‘the competition’ so need to be careful here! The majority of my work now is word of mouth as opposed to advertising. I absolutely love my job and get very passionate about it, I think my brides like that. Winning two VOWS Awards (2007 and 2008) has helped too as it demonstrates great customer service plus someone they can trust to turn up on time and do a great job.”

So where will Ainsley M be in 5 years time? “Doing exactly what I’m doing now. Making women beautiful and loving every minute of it.”

Make sure you visit her Facebook page to take advantage of the 20% off a makeup lesson offer.

Here’s an image of the gorgeous Lisa on her wedding day having had her makeup perfected by Ainsley: