Peonies & Pampas Plumes

Inspired by peonies, romantic tones and pampas plumes, Carla and Scott’s June wedding was set amid the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders. They made the most of a well-timed weather window and were married outdoors in the sunshine, before dancing the night away to a mix of ceilidh and 90s classics. As an illustrator and designer, Carla was able to add lots of these incredible finishing touches herself, with help from her family and friends. So much to love!

How did you two meet?

Scott and I met online! We were both initially sceptical about the prospect of a long distance relationship, but quickly realised we had a really special connection and most importantly, made each other laugh. We met two weeks after we started chatting online and the rest is history.

Scott moved to Scotland almost a year to the day of our first contact, we were engaged the same week and married 8 months later!

What inspired your plans?

Having a design business, I’ve had a lot to do with other’s weddings and all that time on Pinterest really does pay off! I had a clear vision on how I hoped the day would be. I knew I wanted to incorporate a spectacular pampas grass archway and use pampas across my arrangements and decor, bringing all of that together was a challenge but worth it.

The main thing that both of us wanted was the best day for us but also the best day for our guests too, lots of fun, lots of bubbles and lots of laughs.

I always knew I wanted a June wedding, because I have a slight obsession with peonies and knew they’d be in peak condition this time of year. Our florist, Jennifer caught my vision for beautiful texture, romantic tones and of course the feature of pampas plumes! She created our stunning bouquets and kindly pointed us in the right direction for our own centrepieces and venue arrangements, which were a huge group effort!

Ruby And Pearl Cake Art supplied the most amazing dessert grazing table for our guests.

I designed my own stationery through my business, Dash Design.

Tell us about your venue…

Owned by some of our long standing family friends, Lewinshope already held such wonderful memories for my side of the family. Being such a beautiful setting, with rolling Border hills and incredible views, we knew we wanted to share it with our family and friends down south and give them a true Scottish experience on our wedding day!

Scotland is beautiful, scenic and feels like home for both of us. Our English guests loved it and, in true Scottish style, we had one small window of glorious sunshine. I still feel like it was a miracle that the sun shone for an hour and allowed us to get married outside with the hills as our backdrop.

Your photos are beautiful!

I’d seen Anna’s work after providing wedding stationery to another wedding and fell in love with her relaxed, personal style. The candid shots of guests, finer details and natural couple shots won me over.

She captured the very essence of our day and allowed us to see moments we would have otherwise missed!

We love your dress! Tell us more…

I had followed Emily at Unbridaled since before I was engaged and had a clear idea about the kind of dresses I’d like to try on. Being the only Scottish stockist of Made With Love Bridal gowns, the first thing I did in my wedding planning was to book an appointment with her!

I settled on the “Frankie” style – gorgeous soft lace, flattering fit, deep V back, beautiful sheer details and the best… a huge, detachable tulle skirt for the ceremony! A great secret to surprise Scott and the guests with before our confetti canon shot!

I chose a pair of leopard print mules from River Island to finish my outfit, as well as lots of nice rose gold jewellery and flowers in my hair.

Our bridesmaids wore dusky pink dresses from Oasis and our flower girls were in Marks and Spencer dresses.

And what about Scott’s outfit?

Scott wore granite toned tartan trews with a charcoal jacket and waistcoat set. We matched his best men and his brother’s dreams came true when they picked up their kilt hire from Tartan Plus Tweed! Thankfully they all pulled it off – especially our gorgeous nephews and pageboys. We didn’t really know what it was going to look like once we added some edgy bow ties and fancy buttonholes but the outfits looked amazing on the day – phew!

Scott kept it simple with his Omega watch and got the bow tie off and buttons down after the speeches!

Slow shuffle or big number?

Our first dance song was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which our band The Phat Cats covered beautifully. We started off acoustic and slow and went into full blown party by the end of it. Our first dance felt amazing!

Throughout the whole evening, the band kept the dance floor busy with a couple of ceilidh dances, 90s classic covers and our favourite floor fillers!

Were there any challenges along the way?

I think sticking to a budget was our biggest challenge but we managed! A bit of compromise here and there and a LOT of diy and work from ourselves, family and friends meant we saved a lot of money when it came to decoration, stationery, flowers, etc.

We didn’t blow our budget, but we certainly went a little higher than expected!

Honeymoon or minimoon?

We opted for a small honeymoon at our favourite Airbnb apartment in the Canary Islands. It was bliss.

Any advice?


Weddings are amazing but being married is the greatest! Remember why you’re planning a wedding and don’t get too caught up in the details and forget about YOU! The day really does go so fast, so try and savour every moment!

What’s the one moment you’ll always remember?

For me, it will always be the moment I heard the band playing Wild Mountain Thyme as I waited with my dad to walk out to our ceremony. It was so emotional and felt like slow motion, there were lots of happy tears around the venue at that moment!

Thanks for sharing your amazing day with us Carla & Scott! Anyone else dreaming of a pampas grass archway and peonies now? Thought so! x