A garden wedding at Prestonfield House

FEATURING

With outdoor ceremonies very much on everyone’s mind at the moment, today’s garden wedding shows just how wonderful these can be. Kirsten and Stefan opted for a Humanist ceremony last September in Edinburgh – best friends getting married in their favourite place to be, the outdoors in Scotland.

How did you two meet?

We met at university, on a night out, we then stayed together through graduating, travelling, working on other sides of the country before moving to Edinburgh together in 2016. Then after 8 years together Stefan proposed after a beautiful hillwalk in the Scottish Highlands, a place very special to both of us.

Tell us about your venue…

We were keen for a venue that was in Edinburgh and handy for all our guests, with enough space for us to do everything in one place. When we went to visit Prestonfield, the set up was perfect with the opportunity to get married outside which was something we had always wanted to do and when we realised we could stay in one of the beautiful hotel rooms too, that sealed the deal.

Prestonfield were absolutely amazing, everyone on the day was perfectly organised and we just didn’t even have to think about anything, they were on top of it all.

What inspired your wedding plans?

We definitely made the most of our talented friends! We had musical additions from some of our best friends. One of my bridesmaids played the piano for me walking down the aisle and two of our best friends (my extra big sisters) sang, accompanied by their dad on guitar during the signing of the register.

A friend drew us a fingerprint tree and my mum spent a lot of time preparing a slideshow of photos of us throughout our lives but making sure to include all our guests too.

We decided instead of favours to donate to two charities – the Child Brain Injury Trust and Marie Curie in memory of some of our favourite people.

I looked at a few florists but then stumbled upon Save the Date Collective’s Instagram account and loved their style. After meeting with them, I knew they would pick something to match our style which was also seasonal and blended well with our colours. They were so helpful with other tips and suggestions for the wedding too, like recommending a hire carpet for our outside aisle to add a finishing touch.

I had seen a stationery design I loved but couldn’t find it anywhere local and then my mum sent me the link to Lovestruck Stationery’s feather design and it was perfect, it tied in with our venue having peacocks in the grounds and also looks a little like hills (we got engaged on a munro). Angela was amazing and so helpful, she even designed an image for us for the big screen at the venue as a little bonus.

Stefan travelled in his dad’s Jaguar E-Type. My bridesmaids travelled in a white Cadillac and my dad and I travelled in a blue Lincoln Capri.

We had a bubble photobooth which was a big hit with guests! Looking back at the photos from it the following week was a joy.

Your photos are gorgeous!

One of our good friends is actually a wedding photographer but we were keen for her to be there as a guest and she had recommended Lindsey at Mack Photo to my sister, who got married the year before. We loved her photos of their wedding and her style is very relaxed but with a creative edge.

We love our photos, and Lindsey was such a pleasure to work with.

We love your outfits! Tell us more…

Just after we got engaged I went on a girls holiday, we bought a wedding magazine for the flight and in it I spotted a Justin Alexander dress which I loved, it was the perfect mixture of relaxed but detailed. I found a shop near where we live that stocked it and went with my mum and sister to try it on.

I tried on three other dresses first to give me an idea of styles then tried on the one I’d seen, I loved it straight away and bought it that day. Lynn at Pretty Woman was great and very honest which I liked! The dress has a beaded bodice and floaty skirt and was really comfy – the style I was hoping for to fit with a relaxed wedding!

For most of the wedding I wore shoes from LK Bennett which had a small heel but on our trip up Arthur’s Seat for photos I changed into some Kate Spade glittery trainers. Any excuse for two new pairs of shoes! I also had a beige suede jacket from Reiss for when it got cold!

I wore earrings Stefan had given me for my birthday, borrowed my mum’s necklace, and wore a ring I had inherited from my gran (my something blue).

Stefan was keen to get a new tartan from what he had worn previously and after shopping around, the Isle of Skye tartan at Slanj stood out. To go with it they had light grey jackets and waistcoats that were a bit different for him and his ushers.

Stefan wore a kiltpin with the Cairngorm stone which I had given him to open on the morning of the wedding.

The ushers and best man’s kilt outfits came from Slanj. My bridesmaid dresses were Dessy, also bought from Pretty Woman.

Stefan’s mum bought her outfit from Frox of Falkirk. My dad wore his own kilt. And my mum wore the dress my gran had had made for my mum and dad’s wedding.

What was your first dance song?

Follow You, Follow Me by Genesis. We wanted something that we hadn’t heard anyone have before and that meant something to us. After that the band were brilliant for the rest of the night, including a ceilidh set in the middle and a bunch of our favourite songs to finish the night.

They kept the party going all night and have a really great, interesting repertoire.

Did you manage to stick to your budget?

Yes, as an ex event planner, now accountant we had a very detailed spreadsheet set up pretty early on in our planning.

Were there any challenges along the way?

Our biggest stress before the day was the weather. We were so keen to get married outside but could only do so if it was dry so we were refreshing the weather constantly the week before the wedding and it looked like the only potential problem might actually have been the wind.

Stef and my dad went to the venue on the morning of the wedding to check conditions and it was just calm enough to go ahead outside, which was a decision we didn’t regret.

Any advice? 

You honestly can make it as stressful as you want it to be, just don’t worry about the little things and put trust in other people and it will all be okay! Also remember, it’s not worth falling out over!

Honeymoon or minimoon?

We were cheeky and did both! After the wedding we had a few days in Barcelona which was amazing – good food, wine and sunshine. Then a few months later we did a road trip in the USA, starting in San Francisco, skiing at Squaw Valley and Mammoth, and finishing in Las Vegas.

What’s the one truly unforgettable thing about your wedding day?

Our friends singing was a real highlight, they sang If I Should Fall Behind, which is perfect for a wedding day, and Stefan even admitted that it might have been a better version than the original.