Nicola & Michael
It was in my final year of university that I realised just how amazing Michael was. While I was stressed out, juggling placements, a dissertation and a part-time job, he’d still make the effort and drive into the city even if it was just to have a coffee together.
hello
hello
hello
The proposal didn’t quite go to plan, but it ended up being private and perfect for us. Michael had planned to propose at a restaurant, but I was late leaving work so he had to resort to plan B. Ready with a take away instead, when I walked in the door Michael got down on one knee and proposed!
My Justin Alexander 8663 dress came from a boutique in Inverurie. It was the most amazing dress I’d ever seen! I loved the floral lace, mermaid design and chapel-length train. It made me feel so confident. I visited a few more bridal shops afterwards, but every time I’d find myself comparing the dresses to this one, so I knew it was the one.
I didn’t want a big tiara for my hair, just something with a subtle sparkle, so a hair vine was the perfect choice. Michael gifted me a gorgeous topaz necklace the night before the wedding and I added some blue shoes.
Michael hired a kilt from McCalls, teaming it with a Sherriffmuir jacket and waistcoat. He looked incredibly handsome and the smile on his face made me feel so lucky.
I had four bridesmaids – my two sisters, step sister and best friend. They each wore twilight blue floor-length chiffon dresses with illusion necklines and embellished belts. Since they were wearing the same dress, I wanted them to personalise their looks, so they wore their own jewellery and shoes and chose their hairstyles individually.
My bridesmaids, mum and I had such a great morning together getting ready! I did my own hair and makeup for the big day. I don’t wear a lot normally, so I went to the Boots counter for advice and then practiced beforehand. You don’t realise how early you need to start getting ready to be finished on time, though! My step dad kindly did a breakfast run for us too.
I lost my dad when I was five and I knew how much it would mean to mum, so I asked her to walk with me. Initially I felt so nervous and emotional when the bagpipes began and we started to enter, but seeing Michael’s face melted all the nerves away and I couldn’t stop smiling. I tied dad’s wedding ring into my bouquet so he could be there too. Our ceremony included the Celtic knot ceremony, so after saying our vows our hands were tied together with ribbon to symbolise our new union.
I’m a vegetarian, so our wedding breakfast main course had two options – vegetable tartlet or chicken stuffed with haggis in whiskey sauce. Our starter was tomato soup and for dessert we had chocolate mousse and white chocolate ice cream. None of us are confident public speakers, but we were among friends so everyone did a great job with the speeches.
When it came to the décor, we didn’t have a specific theme in mind, but the more we bought the more a Scottish woodland theme emerged.
We made our own centrepieces from white Manzanita trees (get yours here!) with ivy and photos tied onto the branches.
Flower Passion supplied our blooms, they’re a local florist in Westhill where I grew up. We had hand-tied, unstructured bouquets with white roses, blue thistles, ivy, aster daisies and purple statice. The men’s buttonholes were blue thistles.
Our wedding cake had three tiers with ivy and trailing flowers to decorate. Artlocke Designs supplied our cake topper – it was so detailed and even included our cat and dog! We found them in Wedding Ideas. Michael also made a very boozy fruitcake following family tradition.
A friend of the best man designed our invitations – they were cute caricatures of us! Our venue provided all the on the day stationery which helped to keep the costs down.
Our wedding favours were SSPCA donations and homemade shortbread. While I love to bake, it did test my patience a little and made for a very busy wedding eve!
We loved having a receiving line at our reception – it meant we could speak to guests and thank them for being there. We then danced the night away with Clachan Yell, a ceilidh band. Our dog also entertained guests during the day, wearing the cutest little tuxedo and bowtie, while we were away having our photos taken. We enlisted the help of The Dapper Dog, Aberdeen, to take care of him during the day for us.
Get all the big things done early (your photographer, venue, entertainment) and then you can relax as you choose the finishing touches.
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Maryculter House Hotel
DRESS Justin Alexander
BRIDESMAID DRESSES For Her and For Him
GROOM McCalls and Sherriffmuir
FLOWERS Flower Passion, Aberdeen
CAKE TOPPER Artlocke Designs
ENTERTAINMENT Clachan Yell
PHOTOGRAPHER Janie Barclay
