I am over the moon that Rebecca and Laura are joining us today to share their dreamy Aswanley wedding in Scotland. Their day was so full of joy, love, sunshine and bright florals – yes it was just so stunning.
They wanted a rustic and natural day that reflected their rural lives, as well as a celebration that symbolised their relationship. The resulting day was really special. There were stunning outfit choices and personal DIY decorations. I especially adore how their loved ones came together to create their day.
Look out for the fun trikeshaw transport, sun-drenched portraits and cute wellies dotted throughout.
Thanks ever so much to Beth Sutton Photography for sharing with us these outstanding images which are so full of emotion.
Aswanley Wedding
The Proposal
Rebecca proposed to Laura during a dog walk in the woods near our house, and we celebrated with soup and fizz and then built our chicken coop!
Laura then proposed back when Rebecca was pairing socks.
The Vision
A day to embody the joy and love we have found in each other, whilst reflecting the sincerity of the commitment we are making to each other. A natural/rustic feel to complement our rural lives, with bright flowers to add celebration.
The Venue
Aswanley, Huntly, Scotland
The Ceremony & Music
Ceremony – Church of Scotland, Rebecca’s uncle performed the ceremony for us. We had close friends doing readings, and prayers and we chose meaningful hymns. Rebecca’s brother played piano during our signing. We chose Seasons of Love from Rent, and Close to You by the Carpenters.
- Walking in – Husavik, from the Eurovision film, played on piano by a close and talented friend.
- Walking out – This will be (an everlasting love) by Natalie King Cole, which was really fun.
Your Outfits
Laura – Dress, veil and hair vein from Bee Bridal in Harrogate, my hometown. Really made to feel welcome and at home, a very relaxed experience which was exactly what I was after.
Rebecca – Anne Priscilla Bridal, Glasgow. I looked at many dress shops and found similar styles and AP’s offered a few alternatives and are a good option if you are looking for something different. I was able to choose a dress that complemented my personality well.
The veil has been passed through the family and it was lovely to share that connection with my Mum and Auntie.
The Styling & Decor
We made a lot of the decorations ourselves – table and place names, the table plan, centrepieces (mini woolly hats and shuttlecock brides), a willow arch for the trike, orders of service, an order of the day painted on a wooden pallet, heart confetti and decorations made out of OS maps of Yorkshire – it was a busy time!
The cake was made by a friend, with our miniature versions of our welly boots on top. It was delicious, with lemon, chocolate and elderflower layers.
Flowers were by Rustic & Roses, our local florist, who did an excellent job of making all the bouquets, buttonholes, runners for the top table and larger arrangements for the church (which we then moved to Aswanley to sit by our table).
To brighten the church, we made small bunches of carnations to hang from the pew ends. We also gathered lots of bright wellies and filled them with flowers to line the steps up into the church.
Your Photographer & Filmmaker
Photographer – Beth Sutton
Videographers – Flying Mirrors
We had the opportunity to meet both our photographer and videographers in advance and it was great to discuss what shots were important to us and their presence on the day – especially in the church. Guests comment on how well they subtly managed to get amazing footage/photos.
Doing an engagement photoshoot also meant that we were then more relaxed with Beth on the wedding day. She did a fantastic job of balancing candid shots and gently guided posed pictures whilst using the natural scenery at Aswanley.
The Honeymoon
We went on a small break to Loch Lomond and the Isle of Bute.
We are now (9 months later) very excited for our honeymoon part 2 – we are walking the West Highland way and then immediately going to Mauritius for a week, so a real adventure!
Memorable Moments
One of the highlights has to be the trikeshaw – we decorated it with an arch and flowers, helped by friends, and then Rebecca’s dad cycled us from the church to the venue. It was really a lot of fun, and thankfully the weather was perfect for it. The photographer and videographers were very committed and were running alongside us!
Guests were delighted when they also got a ride. As cars are unimportant to us, this was a great solution and we were happy with the eco aspect too. As the church was only a 15-minute walk through gorgeous woodland, many of our guests walked and chatted along the way which was lovely to see.
Cracking ceilidh! The band were absolutely exceptional and connected through a friend, so we knew it would be good and this was important to us. Both ourselves and the band got such a thrill from seeing so many guests immediately up dancing!
Throughout preparations for the day and on the day itself, we involved a lot of friends and family members. This made every aspect of the day really personal and memorable for us. We feel that they were especially engaged with the wedding day. People were excited to see their wellies full of flowers at the church!
Advice For Other Couples
We ended up being really grateful we didn’t book to go abroad straight after the wedding because we were exhausted and napping most days by 3pm! It would have been one more thing to organise at a very busy time. We hope to fully enjoy our abroad trip without being exhausted.
We often talk about how smoothly the day ran, and a huge amount of focus went into being realistic about timings and prioritising the parts that were more important. For example, we wanted to get some time at the reception and speak to people. We had considered a lineup, but due to the number of guests we had, it would have been too time-consuming
We had discussions with our photographer well in advance, about the schedule and the exact formal photos we wanted. We made sure they ran logically and had designated bridesmaids to fetch guests for pictures.
Consider the day after the wedding – organising who will clear up/pick up things from the venue and plan this before the day.
How very beautiful.
Rebecca and Laura, I can’t thank you enough for sharing with us your divine Aswanley wedding story.
Further Reading
