AN INTIMATE URBAN WEDDING AT A GIN BAR

FEATURING

- David Grant Simpson Photography

Kendra & Lorraine did things their own way – with a dress reveal and edgy urban couple shoot followed by an intimate evening ceremony in their favourite Glasgow gin bar. We love their style!

How did your story begin?

We met at the gym! Lorraine is a personal trainer who was teaching group exercise classes at the gym I joined. It was at least 12-18 months before we even had a proper conversation (seriously!). I wanted to get some PT and Lorraine’s arms say it all, so she was a natural choice.

I think the attraction was silently mutual from a distance for a while, but the journey to speaking to each other, never mind admitting that we liked each other, was a very long one! Once we eventually got together, we were (and still are) inseparable.

We hear you had a change of heart when it came to your venue…

Gin71 is one of our favourite places to enjoy a gin (we’re big fans). We’d booked another venue shortly after we got engaged. We knew very soon after that it was a mistake – it just wasn’t us. So we cancelled.

One Saturday we were sitting outside at Gin71 enjoying a drink. Lorraine said “Why don’t we see if we can do it here?”. And that was it. I emailed them and very quickly after that we had our venue! It’s got a very cool vibe, especially the room downstairs; it just felt like us.

What inspired your wedding plans?

We dialled our wedding all the way back – only 30 or so people saw us get married and we had probably another 10-12 join us in the evening.

We also did our wedding a bit topsy turvy – we got married at 5pm because our humanist celebrant, Gerrie had another wedding on earlier in the day. Lorraine and I got ready together, had an epic dress reveal at Melle Cloche and then took to the streets of Glasgow with David before heading to Gin71 for the ceremony and reception. That meant our time together was maximised and we can’t express just how special that made the day.

What’s the one thing you’ll always remember about your wedding day?

We can’t pick just one thing – the dress reveal was special. Walking around Glasgow with David was very, very cool – we were heckled by one unkind driver crossing to Clydeside at the Clutha but it coincided with me spotting my mum, sister, brother-in-law and two nephews in their hotel room window – so it didn’t matter a jot!

The ceremony was very special. Gerrie and Susan Douglas Scott did it together – the first same sex couple to get married when same sex marriage was legalised in Scotland – iconic. Both Lorraine and I didn’t ‘come out’ until we were in our 30s, and our stories are surprisingly similar. To get to that point – getting married in a city that (for the most part anyway) embraces everyone no matter their class, colour, race or creed, in front of our closest family and friends, and by Gerrie and Susan, captured by the incredible David Grant Simpson – it was just epic!