Pampas grass, foliage & proteas – A boho inspired Loch Lomond wedding

FEATURING

If you love boho weddings then you’re in for a treat today! Natalie and Mark tied the knot in a humanist ceremony by the shore of Loch Lomond. From the pampas grass and protea bouquet to the foliage and floral crowns, there’s so much to be inspired by here.

How did you two meet?

We met via some mutual friends and Mark proposed to me in Croatia on Mount Srđ whilst overlooking “Kings Landing” (Game of Thrones fans will understand this). He took me completely by surprise and hadn’t even told our parents!

What inspired your wedding plans?

All things Australian bride! I was influenced by the many brides who wore the Grace Loves Lace brand and all things bohemian. I wanted pampas grass and lots of foliage and greenery at my wedding. I wanted a minimalist look dressing for the tables and room.

Since getting married, I still read WFIL regularly and love to see such colourful and unique ideas the other couples have had.

How did you choose your venue?

I always had Loch Lomond in mind, ever since I was little. Just the beauty and being near the water appealed to me. I always knew that Scotland would be the perfect location.

It was Mark who actually suggested the Lodge and I’m glad he did. We viewed three venues on the one day and this one was our clear winner. It had stunning views and a great location.

Sandra and her team at Florette Flowers came highly recommended. Florette work closely with our venue and we felt confident that they knew it well and had dressed it for numerous other brides and events, and that they would do a good job. I had fallen in love with king protea and wanted a bouquet centred on them. They also made our beautiful flower crowns.

We booked a caricaturist, Tony Docherty as something a little different. The guests loved their caricatures to take away with them.

Special mention to Beau Jangles also – the guests loved sailing around after the ceremony on their own private yacht.

We love your outfits!

I originally flew to London to purchase the beautiful Inca gown from Grace Loves Lace after being obsessed with it for a long time. I wanted lace and I wanted sleeves – those were my two musts! Three months before the wedding, however, my mind kept darting back to the Honor dress, which I had tried on in a boutique in Aberdeen, shortly after getting engaged. I knew my mind was elsewhere and I traced the Sassi Holford dress, in my size, down to a boutique in England and had it posted to me. Talk about last minute! I kept the Inca to wear as my reception dress, however I never did actually get around to changing!

Mark wore a bespoke kilt outfit using Harris Tweed. We choose all aspects of the kilt – the colours, fabrics, textures, buttons, etc. The back of the kilt was two separate ones slashed and sewn together for a unique effect.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were from Debenhams. And the best men’s kilts were hired from Kilts-4-U. The bridesmaids were in all different colours that they’d chosen themselves and the best men were in grey tones.

Your photos are amazing!

Jacqui at Chic Photo came recommended by a mutual friend. I had specifically been looking for a female photographer, as I thought one might help to ease my nerves more on the day, with the “posing”! I viewed her website and loved her photos and in particular all of the nature elements that featured. I love this also about my photos – the greenery and the light reflecting from the loch, and some lovely photos we had on the rocks. Jacqui was more than a photographer, she was an amazing helper on the day also!

I was certain that I wanted to have the wedding filmed, however Mark took some convincing. We are now over the moon with the video by TR Media and I’m glad we had the wedding filmed as, watching it back, there’s little bits of the day you may have forgotten otherwise.

What was your first dance song?

Only Love by Ben Howard. It’s a beautiful song and the lyrics, we felt, suited the day. Our band, Sneaky Treacle were amazing, their interaction with our guests was fab and nothing was a problem. They welcomed song requests and were really friendly.

Were there any challenges along the way?

Mainly with myself and the last minute dress change three months before. I found wedding planning quite stressful and relied on phone apps for guidance with dates etc. and reminders. You also see how far in advance some suppliers are booked up and how quickly you have to act when you find something you like.

Did you stick to your budget? 

NO… and I’ll never hear the end of it! It more than doubled along the way. I massively underestimated my costings, Mark was more of a realist.

Any advice to share?

The same advice that was given to me. To take time out, even just for a few minutes at some point in the day to just look around and absorb everything, and watch your guests having fun.

Honeymoon or minimoon?

Both! We mini-mooned in Croatia immediately after and then went on a three week tour of Bali, Singapore and Mauritius a few months after the wedding.

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

Mark and I were sat at our reception table and just looked around the room and watched our guests having fun. We just felt proud and grateful that everything had all come together perfectly.