CHRISTMAS IN THE CAIRNGORMS: A GLEN TANAR ESTATE WEDDING
FEATURING
A Glen Tanar Estate wedding was the only choice for Laura + Fraser who created a dreamy Christmas time celebration in the Cairngorms.
“It goes by fast and when will you ever have all those people under one roof again? Walk slower, look for a little longer.”
~ Laura + Fraser
We Fell In Love With…
The cosy Christmas vibes, the epic backdrop of the Cairngorms National Park and the cutest ring bearer you ever did see.
Laura and Fraser’s love for Glen Tanar made it the only choice for their wedding day. We love the contrast of the warmth and intimacy of their celebration against the majesty of the highland landscape. All perfectly captured by our very own Leanne Heron Photography.
Read on to find out all about their story, with some gorgeous inspiration for those who are planning their own wedding.
TELL US ABOUT YOU TWO + YOUR WEDDING JOURNEY
We fell in love camping in Mull and therefore it was only fitting that we got engaged there too. We knew we didn’t want to be engaged for long so we instantly started scouting for places to get married and we knew it had to be Aberdeenshire. The Scots Pines up there hold a very special place in our hearts and Glen Tanar especially so. We have lovingly walked those paths with our doggie many times. As soon as we stepped on to Glen Tanar Estate, we knew that was it. It was the only venue we went to see, there were two dates available in December and we let that decide the rest. We loved that we could have the tables separated from the big spacious dance floor (a MASSIVE ceilidh was a must for us), the fact it would be Christmas time with the big Christmas tree and the fire blazing was wonderful and we could see the space being a warm and sociable place for all our nearest and dearest to come together.
Next was everything else – and to be honest, we were lucky. First up was the ceilidh band, Cabrach. We’d seen them before and knew they were amazing. And they were available. Done. I love flowers and care about how they are grown and the materials that are used to showcase them. Emily from Fior was local, knew Glen Tanar and how to compliment the space with sustainable flowers beautifully, it was a pleasure working with her.
Food took the longest to arrange because Fraser is a massive foodie, and he had a vision. We contacted several caterers, but nothing felt quite right. Then, there was Wild Rover. Attention to detail, organised and passionate about great food. Having pies from Loch Inver Larder for the main course was a big deal to Fraser and the team at Wild Rover accommodated and curated the menu to fit around it. They were central to the smooth running of the whole day and we could not recommend them highly enough.
Because I was travelling to the South West of England for work (and the wedding was in the North East of Scotland) sorting all the ‘fluff’ (the dress, hair and make-up) as I call it, was a challenge. My mum was central to planning that part of the day. The beautiful dress and veil were selected in one trip to Perfect Bridal Rooms with my sisters and oldest friend. Fraser bought my shoes in a last minute trip to Edinburgh.
Working with Flick our celebrant was amazing, she was already a friend, and spent so much time creating a script for the ceremony that was meaningful to us. Being able to plant a Scots Pine tree (which Fraser’s Mum kindly sourced and prepared) was really important to us, and Flick built it in to our ceremony seamlessly.
Everything was meticulously planned on Fraser’s master spreadsheet and we were supported by friends and family along the way. Pulling it together was a labour of love but we were just so excited and grateful that we could share the day with so many people we adored.
On the day, everything was perfect, without any hint of irony – the happiest day of our lives. We’ll let the photos tell the story.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OUTFITS
We had so little time for the bridal dress, so it was chosen along with the veil and bridesmaid dresses in Perfect Bridal Rooms in Aberdeen on one day. The team there were a pleasure to deal with and the stylist really picked up on what I liked almost instantaneously.
All the boys already had their own clan kilts, so it was just a case of renting the jackets which we eventually settled on the colour charcoal for and they looked great.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY
Picking what kind of ceremony to have required a fair bit of thought. Although we do not subscribe to a particular religion, we are both fairly spiritual and wanted our ceremony to be a celebration of our interconnectedness with our community and the planet we are lucky enough to call home. Flick, our incredible celebrant, definitely got the brief.
We included a reading from Thich Nhat Hanh which was shared by two of our friends and my sister and her partner sang ‘You’ve got a Friend’ by Carole King while we signed the marriage certificate. While Laura walked down the aisle, two of our friends played Allistrum’s March on Cello and Violin and the cake cutting was included in the ceremony (as it was beautifully made by another friend).
We wanted the day to be about celebrating and thanking our community who make our life possible, and Flick made that happen. Lily (our beautiful angel Lhasa Apso and the love of our lives) ran down the aisle as our ring bearer wearing a floral collar which was the most adorable part!
TELL US ABOUT THE RECEPTION
We’ve already told you a lot about all our suppliers, and quite genuinely, we would heartily recommend every single one. They really were our wedding family and made our day so incredibly special.
A great tip we got from a friend, and something that went down really well at our wedding, was instead to cut the cake during the ceremony and have it with drinks during the reception. We had Pet Nat – Bear Grape and hot chocolate, it was unreal! Lots of compliments on how delicious it was. This worked great as a winter warmer for us and our guests!
WHICH SUPPLIERS ROCKED YOUR DAY?
We really couldn’t pick one. Each of them were utterly incredible.
Emily at Fior made the space look beautiful with the flowers.
Wild Rover also made the tables look beautiful with all of the food and place settings around the flowers and were pretty much the hosts of the day making sure timing was perfect.
Cabrach, the ceilidh band absolutely brought it. The floor was full the whole night.
I’d also like to shout out to Georgie Lowen our makeup artist. I originally didn’t want hair and makeup and was worried about not looking like myself on the day but I am so glad we had Georgie. She is a ray of sunshine and kept me calm in the morning when I was a bit worried about how the room was doing (as we had left it in a bit of a mess the night before) and how the boys were getting on. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.
ANY LESSONS LEARNED OR ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
Our biggest bit of advice is to have a spreadsheet! Fraser was the king of organisation and this made planning so easy.
But the best bit of advice we received from loved ones was to remember to take time to pause throughout the day to take a breath and be present. It goes by fast and when will you ever have all those people under one roof again? Walk slower, look for a little longer. That was the best advice we got and it made our day.
