A blank canvas venue with beach views
FEATURING
Katherine and Peter were married at Crear, on the west coast of Scotland, in an intimate, international celebration that blended their cultures together beautifully.
From their very first meeting in South Carolina (when Katherine was wearing her PJs) to their Isle of Skye proposal (when she got all flustered and yelled at Peter to “Stand up!”), nothing has been conventional about Katherine and Peter’s relationship.
Their long distance romance between Scotland and the USA prompted Katherine to make a ‘six month’ study trip abroad. She moved to Glasgow, fell in love with Scotland and never left.
“When we started thinking about where we would get married, we both thought we would get married outdoors and near the beach in South Carolina,” she says. “However, as time passed, we realised getting married in Scotland felt right as it has been our home for the last 8 years.”
And so, the venue research began. Peter really wanted to get married by the water, while Katherine wanted a blank canvas venue that they could personalise themselves. They found Crear and knew right away that it was perfect for them – a blank canvas with beautiful white interiors and oak floors, and views of the beach with Isla and Jura in the distance.
“The beach and water views reminded us a lot of our home in South Carolina, which made the venue even more special to us.”
Katherine follows We Fell In Love on Instagram and loved seeing the real wedding features for inspiration.
“We didn’t have a particular theme but we wanted to connect our very international family and friends, and also represent our blend of cultures.”
They made table number signs with Scottish slang words and their definitions, which they thought would be fun for their international guests. They also had a big map set up next to the seating plans, which had a marker for where all their guests were from.
“Later in the evening, we had a small ceilidh section which our guests loved. It was so fun to see our Scottish friends teach our international guests what to do and everyone had fun crashing into one another on the dancefloor!”
Peter’s dad made a set of Cornhole boards to represent their connection to South Carolina. “Cornhole is a popular bean bag toss game played in the south and it was really fun to have our American friends teach our Scottish friends how to play. It was a great way to bring people together and meet one another.”
Katherine also honoured Peter’s heritage on the day, with a little help from his mom and aunt.
“Peter is half Sri-Lankan and half Scottish, and I wanted to surprise him by changing into a traditional Sri-Lankan lehenga to honour and embrace this side of his heritage. His aunt and cousins sourced a beautiful green, gold and red outfit for me from Canada, and his mom brought gorgeous gold and red jewellery for me to wear on the day. I am the worst at surprises, so it was so hard to keep it a secret for over a year but so worth it as Peter was so surprised when I came into the room!”
When it came to shopping for her wedding dress, it was important to Katherine that her mom could be there. During a family holiday they were due to fly through Las Vegas, where they decided to book a few appointments at bridal boutiques. And it was there that she fell in love with the fourth dress she tried on.
“I knew I wanted a dress with an intricate bodice and a flowing skirt, but I had zero expectation of actually finding my dress in one day and certainly not in Las Vegas!
“It was a pretty classic bridal moment as my mom and sister-in-law had tears in their eyes, which made me cry too!”
The bodice of the dress was heavily beaded with lace embroidery and it had an intricate back design and a tulle skirt for added drama. At first, Katherine was a bit nervous about choosing a dress that wasn’t white, but the champagne colour really suited her fair skin. Her grandmother’s pearl jewellery completed the look.
“I ended up ordering my dress too big and found Megan at NutMeg Couture, who did an amazing job altering it,” she adds.
Peter wore his father’s Sutherland tartan kilt that was handed down to him along with the sporran, belt and bright orange socks. Unfortunately, the socks didn’t get to make an appearance on the wedding day due to the discovery that they had holes in them, but Peter bought orange flashes from Lochcarron, and paired these with dark green socks to match his kilt.
“It was the first kilt that he’s owned and it was so special to have something passed down from his father, who bought it in the early 2000s from Kintail Kiltmaker in Glasgow.”
Peter rented a charcoal grey tweed jacket from Gilt Edged to match his groomsmen, who all wore rented kilts in the Flower of Scotland tartan.
Katherine knew she wanted to make the space at Crear feel wild and romantic, with a canopy of greenery over the dancefloor. She mentioned to her florist, Barbara at Wildflower Workshop, that her favourite flowers were peonies.
“When Barbara arrived and showed me my bouquet, I was blown away! They were a stunning mix of ivory and blush peonies and greenery. Barbara even ordered one special flower called ‘American Girl’ just for me. It was such a thoughtful and personal touch, which made my bouquet even more special.”
One of Katherine’s best friends, Nicola, gifted them an incredible cake whilst Peter’s sister and dad helped them to make signs. This helped them to cut down on costs but also have really special handmade touches.
But not quite everything went to plan. Katherine had her heart set on getting married outdoors but on the day, it wasn’t to be.
“The morning of our wedding was all blue skies with a clear view over the water to Jura and Isla. It was perfect! However, about five minutes before the ceremony was due to start, it began to rain and we had to move the set up indoors to a converted barn. Since we planned to get married outside, we didn’t have any decorations but the barn was gorgeous with its stone walls and simple fairy lights strung above. It was a squeeze to get all our guests inside but it created a lovely cosy and intimate atmosphere.
“Afterwards, so many people said our ceremony was their favourite part and that they’re so glad it got moved inside because the setting was perfect. Even though I was so adamant about being married outdoors, it turns out that moving inside was the best thing we could’ve done!”
Having decided not to have a wedding film, finding a photographer they both really loved and who could capture all the special moments for them was incredibly important.
“I fell in love with Caro Weiss’ candid and intimate style immediately. And wow, we are so happy we found her – her photos expertly captured the emotion, love and intimate moments throughout the day.
“Peter and I both got a bit emotional when we received our final photos. Caro did an incredible job creating timeless photos that mean the world to us…. She blended in with our wedding seamlessly and was so flexible with getting the photos we wanted and dealing with temperamental weather.”
For their first dance, they wanted something unexpected and fun. Peter picked Smooth by Santana and they took a few dance lessons from Marion at Dance Glasgow, who created a short choreographed routine which really helped set the tone for the party afterwards.
From their incredible wedding band, Sneaky Treacle, to uber-talented hair and makeup artist, Lesley McCormick of Pamper and Polish, Katherine says they would pick all of their suppliers all over again if they could. “Each deserve credit for creating such a magical day for us!”
She says they will never forget how it felt to have their family and closest friends with them in this beautiful part of Scotland.
“One of our favourite moments was actually after everyone went home and it was just us and our siblings at the venue.
“We all changed into warm, comfy clothes and trekked down to the beach, where one of my brothers built a bonfire. It was about 2am and we were exhausted, but it was so special to sit around the fire with all of our siblings in the same place. We all live so far apart from one another (Glasgow, Colorado, Idaho, Madrid and South Carolina), that being able to have us all together was a once in a lifetime moment that we will never forget!”
KATHERINE’S WEDDING PLANNING ADVICE
1. “Before we really got into planning, we asked each other what our one (or two!) must-have/non-negotiable items were for the wedding day. For example, I knew I wanted a particular style of photographs for our wedding and this was really important to me. It was really helpful to know what each of us really wanted before we started planning so that we could prioritise them.”
2. “Due to our very international wedding, we decided e-invites worked for us better and we received a lot of compliments on them. The best feature is that we could track RSVPs, connect our registry and wedding website, and communicate with guests through Greenvelope. It really made things so much easier for us to manage.”
3. “Other than that, I would say to just soak in every moment on the big day. I know that everyone always tells you this, but you wouldn’t believe how fast the day goes by. Don’t get overwhelmed by planning or feeling like you have to have everything – weddings can be expensive! I guarantee that on the wedding day, all you will care about is your future spouse and that all your loved ones are with you, having a good time.”
See more from their wedding in the Autumn issue of our online magazine…
WEDDING TEAM
Venue – Crear, Argyll
Photographer – Caro Weiss
Hair & Makeup – Lesley McCormick, Pamper and Polish
Florist – Wildflower Workshop
Katherine’s dress – Allure from Celebrations Bridal, Las Vegas. Alterations by NutMeg Couture. Shoes – Blue by Betsey Johnson
Peter’s outfit – Kintail Kiltmaker, Lochcarron and Gilt Edged
Celebrant – Andrew Smithsimmons
E-invites – Greenvelope
Band – Sneaky Treacle
Dance lessons – Marion, Dance Glasgow
Transport – West Coast Motors
