Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Wedding: Anna and Stuart and their Christmas wedding!

What are your first names?

Anna & Stuart   

 

 

Where and when did you get engaged?

We got engaged on May 5^th, 2012 in Dundee on the back doorstep of the shared house we met in and got to know each other. There was a whole new group of people living there, so when Stuart proposed, they all had their noses pressed to the window to see what was going on!

What was your wedding date?

December 28^th, 2012.

Where did you get married?

Cults Parish Church, with the reception at Maryculter House Hotel.

Why did you choose your venue?

I (Anna) grew up near Maryculter and always loved the venue. It’s very Scottish and traditional too and Stuart liked the history behind the place. It’s a beautiful setting, on the River Dee so we got some amazing picturesque photographs. The interior of the hotel is very cosy with log fires which was perfect for a chilly winter wedding. 

Did you have a “theme”?

Our theme was really already made for us. Being at Christmas, the church was full of Christmas trees and lights and there was still the Christmas decorations on display at Maryculter, so we had a festive theme going quite easily. 

What was your wedding colour scheme?

We went for warm deep reds for the flowers, bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding stationery and chair bows keep the festive theme going. 

Why did you choose Simply Bows and Chair Covers and what were they like to work with?

Simply Bows and Chair Covers were recommended to me by Lianne McGregor, the owner of Vivi Paperie, who produced our beautiful wedding stationery. Claire from Simply Bows was very professional and did a great job getting all the chairs looking beautiful. It finished off the room perfectly and we didn’t have to worry about anything to do with this – everything was taken care of. It was well worth the money as it completed the festive look we were trying to achieve. 

What sort of dress did you choose and where from?

I had a gorgeous layered lace dress from designer Annasul Y that I found in the amazing Perth bridal boutique Ivory Whites. It was a bit different, but I fell in love with it. I tried a lot of dresses on before this one, but when I tried it on, I just knew I’d found my dress.

What did your bridesmaids wear?

They wore ruby Dessy dresses. I wanted my bridesmaids to be able to pick their own style of dress and I knew that with Dessy they could do that and still be exactly the same colour. It worked out really well. My flower girl, Jessica, had an ivory dress from Dessy, but had a ruby sash around her waist to match the bridesmaids. Jessica’s shoes were dyed ruby by Arabesque in Perth to match the bridesmaids too which worked out really well. 

Who was your photographer?

Kirstie Abbey was our photographer and from start to finish she was brilliant. We got to know her ahead of the day with a pre-wedding photo shoot which was a great way to get used to having our photos taken. We were totally thrilled with our photographs at the end too – they were very natural and fun which is what we wanted.  The images in this blog have kindly been supplied by her.

What “special touches” did you add to your day?

As it was Christmas, we put the children’s favours under the Christmas tree. They were delighted to be getting another present after Christmas day! We gave them our favourite toys from when we were kids - Lego for the boys and Sylvanian families for the girls. Stuart plays the pipes and has piped at loads of our friends and family’s weddings, so it seemed fitting for him to have a blast of them on his own wedding day, so we surprised everyone by Stuart piping his bride into the meal. We also had dancing shoes available for all the ladies so they didn’t have to worry about their shoes nipping their feet.

 

What was your favourite part of the day?

For both of us it was having all our family and friends together like that. It’s not something that happens very often at all, if ever so that was extra special. 

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We went to Barbados, which was something else and really beautiful. We are obsessed with rum punch now!  

What would be your top tip for another bride to be?

It’s worth being really organised in the run up to the wedding so you can relax and enjoy everything on the day and in the days immediately before. I was hyper organised and was glad in hindsight I’d done that as I had completely chilled out by the day before and was able to just enjoy it. Don’t let yourself be stressed – it’s your day and you should both enjoy it more than anyone else.