Cover Story

from The Grampian Wedding Directory - Summer 22

by House of Morgan

The Grampian Wedding Directory - Summer 22

In the Enchanted

Forest

Like many couples, Sarah-Louise Ingram and Scott Fraser were forced to rearrange and reimagine their wedding several times over so when the day finally arrived (fourth time lucky!), they were beyond delighted. Sarah-Louise tells us more…

“Our first three wedding dates were at Maryculter House Hotel (it has such a cosy feel to it, and so many photo opportunities) but I couldn’t face starting again for a fourth time. Thankfully, I came across Schivas Steading. When we first viewed, it was a shell with a long way to go until completion, but I loved that no-one had been married there before. And it ticked all the boxes – grounds, amazing views and a steading that fitted perfectly with our enchanted forest theme.

We made the space our own by adding rustic décor peppered with blush pink, made even more magical with lots of candles, fairy lights, uplighters and six-foot cherry blossom trees. I made what I could (our welcome sign, favours, place settings and menus) as I really enjoy crafting… I even dyed all the napkins to fit the theme! I have a candle-making business, Cairnwell Candle Company, so popped candles in my wedding perfume scent on the tables. The place smelled amazing!

The bridal party matched our theme beautifully – the girls in dreamy tulle and sequin dresses and the boys kilted up in grey with blush pink ties. For me, I had a photo of my dress before I even went shopping… But it didn’t stop me trying numerous others!

‘The One’ was a champagne Mikado ballgown with delicate lace and bead detail. A crafter at heart, I personalised it by adding glass buttons to the cuffs, the back and the train. What I loved most about it, though, was that while it looked like a one-piece, the huge skirt came off and the bodice continued into a fishtail gown. Everyone was taken aback when I reappeared for the evening with a completely new look – but still in the same top half of my dress!

We stayed at Schivas the night before (we actually had the house for three nights, so it was great to have everyone together the day after we said: “I do”) and despite being up since 4.30am, the wedding morning was really relaxed and calm. Even the rain wasn’t phasing me! I was just so excited the day had arrived after rescheduling so many times.

That vibe continued throughout the day – relaxed and laid-back, not spending hours separated from our guests while we had photos done. We wanted them to enjoy our day as much as we did.

We had a sentimental yet funny humanist ceremony, where we wrote our own vows and included both sets of parents with the lighting of candles. Then the Kilted Sax took us back up the aisle with Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love to get the party started and set the scene for the next few years!

Our wedding meal… Well, everyone is still talking about it! It was an informal barbeque feast with lots of main course options, from steaks and salmon to burgers and curries. It tasted amazing and most people were back for seconds. Unfortunately, we got married two days before dancing was allowed post-pandemic but that didn’t stop people – the band were so incredible that they went outside to dance!

From start to finish, it was so much more than we could have imagined. Having all our family and friends together after being in lockdown for 16 months was so special and we just didn’t want it to end. It still felt surreal that I had finally married my best friend.” ♥ Sarah-Louise's Little White Book