A botanical beachside wedding overlooking the Bass Rock

Today we’re travelling to the beautiful East Lothian countryside, where Julia and Benny were married in an atmospheric medieval church before celebrating in a marquee with incredible views over the Bass Rock. With DIY details including a botanical cake and pottery decorations by Julia’s mum, a vintage VW camper belonging to and decorated by her dad, flowers by their mega talented maid of honour, and stationery and other styling by Julia and Benny themselves, their day was packed with personal touches.

How did you two meet?

Julia: We met in Edinburgh in Brew Dog. I was out with Ellen (my maid of honour) and Benny was with a group of friends, including Eddie (his best man). We all got talking, and when Eddie found out I was single, he pulled Benny over and suggested we should talk. We hit it off instantly – Benny is hilarious! Benny was going back to Ireland the following weekend, so we decided to go on our first date the week after that. In the lead up to the date, we spoke constantly, we knew right away that it was something special.

After a few weeks together, we went walking in the Pentlands. A year and a half later, Benny took me back to the Pentlands to climb the same hill. Sadly, the army were doing shooting practise that day (!) so we had to take a different route. When we reached the top, Benny pointed out a lovely view to me, and when I turned back around, I found him down on one knee. It was a complete surprise! He had designed the ring with local jeweller, Liam Ross, and I was blown away with how beautiful it was. I had no idea what good taste Benny has!

Benny: I had started working local to Edinburgh about two months prior to meeting Julia, so had just moved to the city. In that time I had not been out to explore the night life. A couple of my friends from home (one being my best man Eddie), decided to use this as an excuse to come across for a visit. We explored a few different bars in Edinburgh and were coming to the end of the night when we got talking to Julia and her maid of honour, Ellen. Ever the matchmaker, my best man took the unusual approach of physically relocating me so I was next to Julia, and the rest is history.

I knew right away that Julia was someone special. We have laughed constantly for three years, there is never a dull moment! Pretty early on, I decided I was going to marry Julia, if she would have me. After getting the all clear from her father, I set about getting the perfect ring. Knowing Julia’s taste in jewellery, I consulted Edinburgh based jeweller, Liam Ross. Together we designed a beautiful engagement ring. I brought Julia to the Pentlands, where we had spent many of our early dates together. Then, in the damp heather, I got down on one knee and popped the question. To my eternal relief she said, “yes”, and everything since has been a blur!

What inspired your wedding plans?

Our lives! We just wanted it to reflect us. It was really important to us that the day felt personal so we chose to make all of our own decorations and most of our stationery, including the order of service.

The mother of the bride, Diana, made the wedding cake – it was a real talking point (and delicious!). She grew corn flowers in the garden, dried, and pressed them, and then decorated the cake with them. Diana is an artist – a painter and a potter. She made two pottery tree stumps for cake stands – they were pressed with bark from a tree in the garden and inscribed underneath. She also made the fantastic cake topper – a pottery tree with the bride and groom sitting on a branch – the bride even had little red shoes! Diana also made individual pottery leaves which we hung on the dried branches around the marquee, and pottery dishes for mints on the table, pressed with wild flowers and leaves. She also decorated the church with flowers from the garden, tying posies to the end of each pew.

Diana also made a fantastic photo frame which we positioned to have the Bass Rock in the background. The large frame was attached to an antique table, with a flower box built onto the top (all attached by Diana). We attached fake flowers to the frame, and grew real flowers from the table top flower box. Diana then painted the flower box in a design that matched the wedding stationery.

The father of the bride, Steven, decorated his VW Camper van with flowers, leaves and lights to transport the bride to the church, and then the bride and groom to the venue. After the ceremony, one of the bride’s brothers, Colin, even ran out and put a ‘Just Married’ stencil on the back window. Steven also did all the outdoor lighting at the marquee – setting up bulbs all along the marquee, and individual lights along the field walls. It looked marvellous in the night time.

Colin collected antique standard lamps, which he then re-wired, stripped the shades down to the wires, and decorated with fairy lights and ivy. We still use these around the house!

The confetti was made from dried rose petals, dried by the maid of honour’s mum, Julie, in the month’s leading up to the wedding. The place names were balanced in pine cones, collected by the maid of honour’s dad, Paul.

The wedding favours were individual pottery tokens made my Diana, with a thistle and a shamrock on the front, and the wedding date on the bag. Julia then made up individual tea bags of whiskey tea (and sweets for the kids), and attached them all with a little note to the guests, with a watercolour leaf design.

The bride dried and pressed flowers, before framing them for the table numbers. Julia also collected vintage French carboys for the table centre pieces and made several terrariums in crystal decanters. Benny built a fantastic wedding post box for wedding cards and notes from the guests. Two friends brought Go-Pros and drones and filmed some amazing footage of the wedding and the venue.

Tell us about your venues…

Julia: Having grown up in North Berwick, when Benny and I got engaged, we didn’t second guess that we would get married in my beautiful home town. We were spoilt for choice – North Berwick is truly picturesque. St Mary’s Parish Church is an incredible, medieval church, situated amidst rolling fields and winding country roads. The stained glass windows, rows of antique pews and gorgeous, vaulted ceilings create the most unbelievably atmospheric setting. After meeting with Rev. Tom Gordon – a truly wonderful, and welcoming minister – we knew that this was the perfect place to say our vows.

The reception was held in a marquee just a few miles down the road, at Castleton Farm, next to the beautiful cliff top ruins of Tantallon Castle. From here, we had views not only of the castle, but also over the sea to the Bass Rock, and over the fields to North Berwick Law. This was the first reception venue we visited, and honestly, we didn’t need to see any more – we found perfection! Jo McNicol, who runs Castleton Events, and her husband, Stuart helped out loads on the day.

Benny: I have always liked tradition, so marrying Julia in her home town was never a doubt. We were truly blessed to have such picturesque surroundings. The church at St. Mary’s, Whitekirk is beautiful, and steeped in history. Since coming to Scotland from Ireland, I have been struck by the dramatic landscapes in such easily accessible locations, our wedding venue being a case in point.

Our reception was held in a marquee in the shadow of the ruins of Tantallon Castle. From our cliff top location, we had beautiful views of local landmarks, North Berwick Law, and of the Bass Rock. Thankfully the weather held out, and we were treated to beautiful views by day, and a cosy fire pit by evening.

Your flowers are beautiful!

We were rather lucky that the fantastic florist, Ellen Cumming (Euphorbia), was also our Maid of Honour. Our wedding theme was botanical, due to Julia’s love of plants and gardening. We chose to fill the marquee with indoor plants, beautiful dried branches and hanging flowers – we wanted a magical, outdoorsy feel. Julia and her mum spent the months leading up to the wedding collecting large branches, drying them, cutting them down, sanding them, and varnishing them to use as display pieces. At the same time, we collected as many house plants as we could, taking cuttings as we went to grow little plants to dot around the marquee. We grew pots of flowers at Julia’s parents’ house and collected tall pampas grass stalks from our neighbours. We pressed flowers and leaves for table decorations, and framed them in the week leading up to the wedding.

We explained our vision to Ellen, and she was on board instantly. She created the most wonderful centre pieces, each one different from the next in order to match the wild theme of the wedding. The marquee was filled with beautiful hydrangeas, cheese plant leaves, ferns and so much more. Ellen went out of her way to create the wedding that we had imagined – even sourcing out of season flowers that we liked, such as proteas, and arranging several bunches of sunflowers around the marquee to match with a poem from our service. She garnished the dried branches with eye catching pockets of flowers – everything was perfect.

The bouquets, buttonholes and pins were beautiful. They were so wild and vibrant. Each one was just wonderful. Ellen also made flower hairpins for the bridesmaids and flower girl, and the most incredible flower crown for Julia. Each piece was so wonderfully handcrafted and tailor-made for our wedding. We couldn’t have been happier with the magic that Ellen helped to create!

We love your dress! Tell us more…

I wore a beautiful, full length, lace wedding dress with a 3/4 length sleeve bolero by Edinburgh based designer, Liliana Dabic. When I picked up the dress, I knew instantly that it was the one for me. I had been to one other shop, earlier on that day. I had no idea what I was looking for – I just told myself that I would know when I saw it. I tried on five dress – all very different styles, all beautiful, but none of them felt right.

It was a very rainy day, and I left the first shop feeling a little disheartened. After strolling around town with my mum, in the rain, we passed La Novia Bridal, and my mum suggested we pop in, and ask if they’d mind us having a look. The staff were busy decorating their Christmas tree, and they very nicely welcomed us in – even though we were soaked from the rain. I found my dress near the front of the rails, and felt an instant want to put it on – I hadn’t felt this at all up until this point. When I tried it on, I just knew it was right for me. Everyone in the shop was a little shocked when I said I had only started looking that day, but I wanted to go with my gut – I knew that way I would be true to my own personal style. I called my maid of honour, and she raced up to Edinburgh to see me in the dress before La Novia closed – arriving with just five minutes to spare. As she walked into the room, she instantly burst into tears, and my mum and I both said ‘well that settles it!’.

On the day, I wore a pair of simple gold stud earrings from Oliver Bonas, a gold, solitaire diamond necklace which belonged to my Granny (my something old), a gold bracelet that belongs to my mum (my something borrowed) and my beautiful Liam Ross engagement ring. I also wore a simple, long veil and the gorgeous flower crown, crafted by Ellen Cumming/Euphorbia.

And what about your outfit Benny?

After much consideration I decided against wearing a kilt, not being Scottish, nor having the legs to pull it off, a suit seemed like the best option.

With the colour of the bridesmaids dresses in mind, we chose navy suits. We tried on several suits and decided on a three piece from Burtons Menswear. I wanted a little reference to my being Irish, so we agreed on a green pocket square and tie. I wore a pair of brown brogues from Russell & Bromley.

How did you choose your photographer?

Finding the right photographer for our wedding day was incredibly important to us. We looked through so many different websites and portfolios – as soon as we saw Rachel Hein’s work, we knew we had found our photographer. We were so thrilled when we found out she was free on our date.

We were both drawn to Rachel’s natural, reportage photography. Her work captures those unplanned moments in the day that you want to remember – the spontaneous laughter, the silly faces, the uncontrolled reactions. We wanted to remember our wedding for the way it felt, rather than choreographed shots – plus, we’re both a little awkward in front of the camera, so the less formal, the better!

Rachel has a very warm and friendly personality- it was fantastic to have her with us on the day. There was so much going on, but she remained so calm and upbeat – I can’t imagine what a stressful job it must be but every time I saw her she had a smile on her face. It honestly made us so relaxed – she was more like one of the guests to us. The photos that Rachel has produced are all that we asked for and more. We will treasure them for the rest of our lives!

What was your first dance song?

‘Classy Girls’ by The Lumineers followed closely by ‘All I Can Do’ by Dolly Parton. Julia is a singer/songwriter and has a band called Jules and the Blue Garnets. Normally, they perform their own music, but they do a couple of covers, including Classy Girls. We always felt the song worked well for us, as it talks about two people meeting in a bar, which is how we met.

We then played Dolly Parton as she is the soundtrack for pretty much all of our car journeys! We both love the song ‘All I Can Do’ – it is so upbeat and fun – it was nearly our first dance but we just couldn’t work out how we could dance to it!

The band were fantastic – an amazing group of musicians who kept the dance floor full. The ceilidh was brilliant!

Any advice?


Just be true to yourself. This is your day – you can make it whatever you want it to be!

Honeymoon or minimoon?

We went on honeymoon on the Tuesday following the wedding (which was on the Saturday). We flew to Rome, spent one night there, took the train to Naples, then the boat to Sorrento. From here, we worked our way down the Amalfi Coast, travelling mainly by boat, staying in six different places.

During the trip, we went on two long hikes, visited Pompeii and Herculaneum, ate and drank to our hearts’ content and enjoyed the endless beauty of the Amalfi coast. We finished by heading back to Rome for one last romantic night, in one of our favourite cities.

What’s the one thing you will never forget about your wedding day?

Honestly, the ceremony. The service was beautiful. We were just in our own bubble.

Wow, what a talented bunch of folks! Love all the botanical styling and that setting is divine. Congratulations Julia & Benny, and thanks for sharing your day with us! x