Jenna and Christopher were married back in May at The Black Isle Brewery, Munlochy, Inverness. They wanted a day that was relaxed, colourful and with a festival feel. They choose a humanist outdoor ceremony under an old oak tree, which looked so magical.

They decided on a blue and yellow colour scheme, with bluebells and bluebirds, yellow petticoats and balloons. They kept to a budget of £4000, keeping things low key, and making much of the decor themselves. It looked oh so pretty. I love Jenna’s simple floaty gown and Christopher’s tartan kilt suit, don’t they look gorgeous?!

Thanks so much to the lovely Clear Photography for sharing their images with us today.

Names…. Jenna and Christopher

Wedding Date…. 26th May 2012

The Proposal…. We met at Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival in 2009, whilst there in 2011 he asked me whilst in the festival on the Thursday night.  He asked me whilst in the shops ‘Would you like a ring?’, I was confused and unsure what the question meant, he looked like he was away to cry so we went outside and he said ‘Will you marry me? I really want to marry you!!!’ so I said YES!!!!!!

The Vision for the day…. Festival style, relaxed, simple, colourful, fun and personal

The Planning process…. We emailed the Black Isle Brewery firstly the following week.  We had met on the Black Isle, got engaged on the Black Isle, toasted our engagement with Black Isle Beer.  And been to the Shindig there in the June 2011.  We thought it was a great idea for a wedding celebration.  They said yes we could have it there.  They thought it a great idea.  So the planning continued in earnest.  We both wanted a humanist ceremony, as it meant we could have a ceremony very personal to us.  Friends helped.  With invites/cakes/desserts/wedding videos/dj’s and musical treats all provided by friends as wedding gifts to us.  I made the decorations.

Budget…. We did everything on a shoestring.  All in we calculated we managed to spend around £4000.  We didn’t want it to be a lavish affair, as this isn’t necessary to celebrate a union in our opinions

The Venue… The Black Isle Brewery, Munlochy, by Inverness

The Dress + Accessories….. A simple dress (I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted from the start) A simple soft veil in antique ivory.  My mums pearls. I stitched silk bluebells onto hair clips to put in my hair.  I had little ballet pumps.  And then later on I put on blue DC trainers and a yellow cardi to keep warm.

Finding the dress…. Friends had been to Alison Kirk in Perth and really liked them.  So I went straight there.  Amy was an angel. And once I explained the style of wedding, and the type of dress I had in my minds eye, she showed me the exact one.  They had it in blue, so I tried it on and it was perfect.  They ordered the same dress but in ivory.  It was perfect

Groom’s attire… Chris wore a MacDonald muted tartan kilt, and a pale moss green jacket.  He kept his outfit a secret too.  He  looked like a country gent.  With a checked shirt and red kind of colour tie.  Later on he changed into his trainers too and put a red coloured t-shirt on instead

The Readings + Music…. I walked down the aisle to Bats in the Attic (Unravelled) by King Creosote.  Midway through the ceremony whilst signing the register we had ‘Time is my Everything’ by Ian Brown.  We walked back up the aisle to ‘It Takes Two’ by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.  My brother is a writer and wrote a wonderful piece for us.  It was funny and touching, and a brilliant piece of wordplay.  The other reading was a piece from ‘High Fidelity’ about making a mix tape.  On our first date I met Chris on his birthday and made him a mix tape as a gift.  My friend Kirsty, who was my first friend to meet Chris read it.  When she met him, within about 20 minutes of doing so, she said to me ‘He’s the one Jen…. He’s your ONE!’ :D

Beautiful bridesmaids….. My best friend of 27 years, Carolyn, was my bridesmaid.  She was very pregnant, so wore a blue halter neck, floor length dress with flip flops.  She got married last Friday and I was her bridesmaid too :D  My flowergirls were Chris’s Nieces Bella 7 and Freya 6, and our festival buddy Amelie 5.  They wore amazing Yellow tulle skirts with yellow wellies, little white t-shirts with yellow and pink flecks through them and a sequinned collar, and I made them yellow star wands.  They had colourful heart bangles and hair bands on too.

The Flowers… Blue and yellow theme.  Agapanthus (instead of bluebells as they wouldn’t have lasted) and yellow craspedia, and roses. We had ferns as the foliage through them as my Dad is from Glenlyon and they remind me of there.  There were even ferns growing in the wall of the barn which was lovely.

The Cake… My friend Katie made us yellow and blue cupcakes with little eggs on them.  I made 2 bluebirds as decorations.  Bluebirds are the sign of happiness.  Our day was to be a day of happiness and joy. None of the cakes matched they were quirky and gorgeous

Your Photographer…. Sam and Susan from Clear Photography went to Art college in Dundee with me.  I loved their photos, and loved the fact I already was friends with them.  It made a huge difference on the day.

The Details + Decor…. Blue and yellow and ivory bunting which I made.  Bluebells in little yellow plantpots from my grannies garden in Fortrose.  Bluebell cut outs on the walls.  Hand made and hand written place cards and seating plan with little birds on them, and bluebirds on the seating plan.  Yellow and ivory balloons.  In the bar/dancing area we had more bluebells, blue and yellow paper lanterns, and fairy lights aplenty!!! We had a bouncy castle for the children which proved a hit :D With children and adults too!!!! And the bluebirds as cake toppers.  The food was served in one of the barns and guests were seated inside on bales of hay along long banquet tables cut from trees from the brewery land, and outside on picnic tables. I decorated the tables with doilies which I spray painted blue and glittered too.  And led tealights in jam jars.

The Honeymoon…. After a night in our family cottage in Fortrose, we went over to the west coast to Ullapool, Applecross and Skye.  We ate lots of delicious seafood.  Went walks by the beaches.  Drank tasty beer, and generally chilled out and relaxed after all the hullaballoo!!!  We hope to go on a longer belated honeymoon next year.

Memorable moments… We absolutely LOVED the ceremony.  The Celebrant Jackie Goode was absolutely brilliant.  Vivacious, funny, enthusiastic and a joy to be around.  She made our ceremony come alive.  Combined with my brothers writing and the personal touches it was lovely.  We got married under an old oak tree in the dappled shade.  The sun was shining all day at about 30 degrees Celsius!!!! It was amazing.  Having all our friends and family in this field, surrounded by nature, and sunshine (and the sheep that were still in the field!!) was lovely.  We allowed dogs at our wedding, and along with Chris’s sisters dog Barry, the dogs from the brewery were running around.  As a vet nurse this seemed appropriate!  At some weddings people release doves or have swans waddling about….it was like someone had released a kennel of cute pooches!!  Also Swallows were nesting in the barns, so they were coming in and out during the meal and dancing.  It was a lovely touch.

I also sang for Chris.  This was my gift to him.  My friend Mike played the accousic guitar and I sang 3 songs which were significant for us ‘Stay Forever’ by Ween, ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ by the Beatles, and ‘Only You’  of which there are many versions, I chose a version to cover by Joshua Radin.  It was nerve wrecking, but again made our day a little bit different.

Advice for other couples… Spend as little as you can, it’s one day, you have a future to pay for, and our day was absolutely perfect so it can be done :D  Our day started at 12.30 which made it seem like it lasted a lifetime… it didn’t fly past as we were told it would!  I would recommend it.  Simple food (we had soup, macaroni cheese (our favourite) and pies from the Cromarty bakery along with salads, and then the desserts our friend Laura made)  Everyone said it was just the kind of food you needed.

Credit where credit is due…

Clear Photography
Angela Hunter flowers
Alison Kirk Bridal

Ahh such a lovely dose of summer sunshine on a winters day. Thanks so much to Jenna and Christopher for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today XOXO Lou

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