Thistles & Bees – An outdoor Humanist wedding

We are loving all the colour, plus the bee-inspired styling, in Cara and Iain’s summer wedding! Their humanist ceremony took place in the stunning grounds of the Glen Tanar Estate in the Cairngorms National Park, with live music and party vibes throughout the day.

Love at first sight or gradual attraction?

Love at first sight. An accidental meeting in Brighton. I was visiting my brother and Iain happened to be in the area after seeing a Pearl Jam concert. He found out my brother was having an impromptu leaving do and we met there. A long distance relationship between Manchester and Aberdeen ensued.

Six months later, Iain moved in and a year after that we decided to have a baby. Iain proposed in Vienna toward the end of my first trimester on a trip to see the singer, Steven Wilson. The rest is history.

What inspired your wedding plans?

I’m from Manchester, England, Iain from Stonehaven, Scotland. We wanted the wedding to be a fusion of cultures hence the bee and thistle. We wanted it grand yet rustic. Stunning but not pretentious.

An outdoor wedding located next to a Victorian ballroom on a magnificient estate did just that. Located in the spectacular grounds of Glen Tanar estate, the place gave us a great feeling as soon as we first visited, a majestic tranquillity. The staff were very helpful and accommodating, and there were plenty of onsite cottages for our guests to stay in. Music is very important to us, and Glen Tanar (being designed as a ballroom) has great acoustics. We wanted the wedding itself to be outside, and it had an ideal strip of grass next to a river, within walking distance of the ballroom.

Walking around the grounds, there are many amazing sights, such as lakes, beautiful trees and picturesque derelict buildings. The weather certainly came through for us. It was a glorious day!

We used The Secret Garden, a local florist in Aboyne. Mother and daughter listened to my request for bright vibrant colours, advised accordingly and the result was superb. They incorporated all my quirky ideas such as having little worker bees on wire in the bouquets, buttonholes (bride’s side) and table decorations. They produced petite hair flowers which my hairdresser was blown away by. They worked with my friend, Jackie Perkins who made our bespoke wedding arch. They were wonderful without any fuss. I strongly recommend them.

We had a childless wedding except for our toddler, Lily and her four immediate cousins. They were present for the day but were looked after in the evening. Thank Evans couldn’t be faulted.

We love your dress! Tell us more…

The dress was ivory with a bronze underlay underneath a tulle skirt. It looked cafe latte in colour. It was unusual, more of a vintage style. Elegantly understated and beautiful. The corset laced neckline intially went an inch lower but I asked Agape to alter this to be less ‘glam’. I wanted to feel like me, boho yet bride. I tried on so many dresses as I didn’t know what I wanted. This was the dress.

My accessories were all personal belongings. I wore hair jewellery in the evening from John Lewis, a diamanté belt bought from Agape Bridal Boutique and teardrop sparkly earrings from Harriet and Dee to glam myself up in the evening.

Your photos are beautiful!

We contacted Liana (Firefly & Embers) through a recommendation from a friend, and were really impressed with her portfolio. When we first met her, we really liked her free spirited attitude to life, and were confident that she would do a great job on the day. She did not let us down, and she did an absolutely amazing job, with her husband as assistant.

Her style is unique, we particular loved how she captured colour and movement. Her focus is on capturing the day as people experience it, rather than staged photos, which is exactly what we were looking for.

We found our filmmaker, Bonsai Weddings through a web search. They were a fairly new local firm, based in Aberdeen. We were not sure how it would turn out, as we had not seen much of their previous work. We were absolutely blown away with what they came up with. The film was stunningly produced and shot, a perfect length for highlights too. It really captured the energy of the partying, and makes a lovely contrast to the slower start which builds anticipation and really shows the love.

What was your first dance song?

Alabama Shakes – I Found You. It was the album Boys and Girls that was playing when Iain first got into my car. This song fit. We didn’t want a cheesy number.

The band were excellent. We heard them at a wedding in Manchester and knew we wanted no other. They have such a presence on stage, everyone was up dancing even in the stifling heat. Two Scottish couples have requested them for future weddings. Given they reside in Manchester, that says it all!

Were there any challenges along the way?

Sorting the wine. In the end Dunnottar Wine & Spirits from Stonehaven sorted us out, with reasonable rates and excellent service. Finding a tent to house our bar – Craigievar Marquee Hire sorted us out perfectly. Fairytale Events provided the remaining touches.

Any advice?


Plan little by little and book things bit by bit. The date creeps up on you. It’s important to enjoy the process and not get overwhelmed. Go with your gut when choosing between any options because at the end of the day the wedding is more about the fun you have on the day.

Honeymoon or minimoon?

Minimoon in Skye to be close without our toddler. Always stunning. Bali a few months later with Lily. Ubud is out of this world.

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

Our daughter Lily, 20 months at the time, spontaneously providing sound effects during a moving card reading while getting ready; my dad seeing me in my dress and the moment we shared; standing in front of our bespoke wedding arch, on a glorious summer’s day on Glen Tanar Estate, hearing our very personal humanist ceremony which told our story to our family and friends.

The speeches, of course. Iain loved the band, they were marvellous.

Great advice here – plan little by little and trust your gut. Thanks for sharing your day with us Cara and Iain! x