17TH CENTURY LUXURY: A HOUSE OF ELRICK WEDDING IN ABERDEENSHIRE
FEATURING
Yasmine + Martin brought their loved ones together to celebrate their marriage at the magical Elrick Estate.
“In the end, all that really matters is that you share your special day with those that matter the most.”
~ Yasmine + Martin
We Fell In Love With…
A pink champagne tower, the sweetest ring bearers in the land, and the magnificent setting of the Elrick estate.
“In the end, all that really matters is that you share your special day with those that matter the most” – maybe the most important wedding advice of all. Yasmine and Martin’s House of Elrick wedding was full of thoughtful touches with an emphasis on what matters most.
Read on to find out all about it and stay tuned to the end to hear their top tips for those currently planning a wedding!
TELL US ABOUT YOU TWO + YOUR WEDDING JOURNEY
Martin and I met way back in 2011 just after I’d moved from Glasgow to Aberdeen. I held a flat warming party and Martin came along with his best friend – who was dating my sister. All these years later we’re now all married, two sisters marrying two best friends!
In 2022 we went to Dubai. Little did I know that Martin had worked with a company to set up a very grand proposal, complete with a massive heart of red roses, a “marry me?” sign and a huge print out of our two Frenchie babies!
Once we got home we started planning. We knew House of Elrick was the one as soon as we stepped inside. It is the perfect balance of traditional but with modern touches, along with a gorgeous outdoor space and stunning “barnquee” where the wedding was actually held.
We didn’t really have a theme, we just knew we wanted it to be laid back and informal. I did a lot of the planning myself, but we had lots of advice and support from parents and the bridal party.
The biggest challenge was definitely my father’s illness. We knew he would have a long road to recovery and I was so worried he wouldn’t be able to make it. We even considered getting married early, just so he could be there. The night before our wedding he told us he was cancer free, he had found out that morning! Knowing that he was fighting fit and was able to walk me down the aisle made one of the most important moments of my life even more memorable. Something we will never forget.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS
Martin’s kilt came from Georgian Kilt Hire in Aberdeen. He was open to ideas and narrowed it down to three choices, Weathered Smith, Weathered McKenzie or Pride of Graham.
My dad’s name is Graham McKenzie and Martin’s surname is Smith, each of them felt meant to be! Martin decided on the lovely brown/green earth tones of the Smith tartan. His four groomsmen and our dads all wore the same.
My dress came from June Brides in Glasgow. It was my first day looking so I wasn’t expecting to say yes that day. Carol, who owns June Brides, is a real life fairy godmother. I chose some dresses to try but she showed me one dress saying I’ll get you to try this on too. It was the final dress I tried, a plain, strapless, silk mikado dress which she added sleeves, over skirt and lace veil to. I fell in love. She later told me she knew as soon as I walked in what dress I would be leaving with!
My overskirt came off in the evening and I added a bow and DIY white leather jacket. I had some offcuts after the jacket was altered which I made into a little dress for my Frenchie Heidi. Flex, our other Frenchie, had a tartan bow tie.
The bridesmaid’s dresses came from True Decadence, two wore brown and two wore sage green to tie in with the kilts.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY
We had a humanist ceremony. I knew of David from a couple of my clients and had also seen him on Instagram. He is so funny and down to earth, we knew he would be a perfect fit. We had family who are of mixed religious views and he was so great at being respectful to everyone.
It was such a personal, relaxed ceremony and David really summed up our relationship. Our dogs were the ring bearers, and they loved all the attention!
I walked down the aisle to Rose Of My Heart by Johnny Cash, this is what was playing when Martin proposed. Martin is a massive Swiftie so we signed our papers to Lover. We walked back down the aisle as husband and wife to Still In To You by Paramore.
Amy at Cymbeline did all the decor. Everything from putting out our Crafty Labs newspapers to lighting all the candles and setting up the macaron tower.
TELL US ABOUT THE RECEPTION
Our reception vibe was informal. We had free-flowing bubbly and beer, we knew we were going to have a good night!
After our entrance to AC/DC, our caterers put on the BBQ – halloumi, pork belly, slaw, pit beans, house salad, chicken shawarma, loaded fries… all just good tasty food.
We had planned a surprise visit from the singing waiters which went down so well. They really got the party going.
We had a champagne tower and two macaron towers instead of a traditional cake. Our first dance was Blink 182. The band started very slow and ballad-like before the drums kicked in and everyone joined us to have a proper fun first dance! Of course we finished with Scotland’s traditional last song, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. We were thrown up in the air on folks’ shoulders, my favourite part of any wedding!
WHICH SUPPLIERS ROCKED YOUR DAY?
We couldn’t have had the day we had without Amy and Cymbeline Events. She was on top of absolutely everything from when we first met to quite literally the end of the night. We ended up telling her to “go home!” She made sure everything went seamlessly and was there to manage any crisis, from getting makeup off of my wedding dress before I walked down the aisle to sewing my mum into hers after a faulty stitch!
Our photographer Connor brought the fun and made us so comfortable.
Niall, our videographer, was so relaxed and just lovely to be around.
I was obsessed with my red and white roses from Tigerlily, they were exactly what I wanted.
ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
The biggest lesson was when my stepdad fell ill and all we wanted was for him to be there. Of course all the little touches like crisp walls, sweeties, glow sticks etc are lovely but all that really matters is that you share your special day with your loved ones.
That goes both ways too. Don’t feel pressured to invite those that you’re unsure of. You’re opening up the most loving, vulnerable side of yourself on your wedding day so only invite those who mean the most to you – not just to make up numbers or because you feel obliged.
Finally, don’t sweat the small things. Who leaves a wedding saying “I wish they had organised a sweetie table or a photo booth?!” When you’re surrounded by those you love, you know they’ll bring a good attitude and will have the best time.
