A Small, Simple Family Wedding in a Beautiful Scottish Setting
Her Name: Rosie
His Name: Mark
Rosie’s Gown: Anne
Photographer: Mark Pacura exceeded couple’s expectations and delivered amazing photos. He was great to work with on the day. Mark Pacura’s Instagram
Venue: High Wards (Loch Lomond). Stayed in the house and got married under the Gazebo outdoors. High Wards’ Facebook Page
Florist: Rosie and her Mother put together artificial bouquets.
Hair Stylist: Jasmine from Angus (Rosie’s brother’s girlfriend) kindly did everyone’s hair on the day.
Makeup Artist: Rosie did her makeup herself.
Harpist: Jessica Burton
SM: Hello Rosie and congratulations on your wedding! You look gorgeous!
How and why did you choose your SuzannaM Wedding Gown?Rosie: I had long disliked the idea of “traditional” wedding gowns; the thought of miles of fabric, tight corsets and sparkly trims just didn’t appeal to me, nor did it seem fitting with our low-key wedding.Suzanna’s dresses caught my eye instantly on Etsy (a wonderful place to find that something different). Her graceful bohemian dresses are reminiscent of Art Nouveau paintings from the early 20th Century.Suzanna’s dresses present an ethereal quality I’ve yet to see by any other designer, and with each gown being made-to-measure, it was the perfect choice for me.
SM: How did you and Mark meet?
Rosie: We met on Twitter in 2012 while Mark was working overseas in Afghanistan. A few weeks later, while back in the UK on leave, Mark and I met up and spent our first date taking the tram ride up Mount Snowdon in North Wales. I knew I wanted to marry him from that first date!
SM: What was the first thing that attracted you to him?
Rosie: His rugged good looks, charm, and all the things we had in common!
SM: Were you together for a long time before your marriage?
Rosie: We had been dating for three and a half years by the time we got married.
Mark wearing chino trousers from Charles Tyrwhitt, a shirt from T.M. Lewin and a waistcoat from White Stuff.
SM: How did the proposal go down? How did you feel?
Rosie: It wasn’t a total surprise, as we’d been ring shopping a few months earlier, but the proposal was romantic all the same! Whilst driving Route 66 across America in 2014, we had taken a sunset helicopter ride from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Mark got down on one knee in front of the beautiful backdrop. I was thrilled (if still a little hungover from the night before!)
SM: Which season did you choose for your Wedding and Why?Rosie: We decided to get married in May for several reasons. To keep costs down, so family would all be able to make the journey, and so we could conduct the wedding outdoors without an intrusion of the famous Scottish midges!
SM: How did the Wedding planning go? Do you have any tips or advice you’d like to share with future SM Brides?Rosie: Other than booking the venue and sending invites, I did all the wedding planning in the 4 months leading up to the big day. In hindsight, it might’ve been better to get a few things done earlier, but overall I managed it quite easily.We had a small wedding party, the venue was providing catering, my mum was making the cake and once I’d ordered my dress with Suzanna, there were only a few things left to arrange.Choosing the menus was the hardest part, we had only 12 guests, all close family, so we wanted to make sure they were all catered to. We were staying at High Wards for 3 nights, so it was a lot of meals to plan! I made all the decorations myself with the help of my mother. I also designed and sourced invites, made welcome baskets for each guest, helped my sister find her dress and made all the table decorations by hand. Since I’m a crafty person anyway, I enjoyed it immensely!The day went ahead without a hitch. Perhaps I had it easy as all 14 of us were staying the same house and the ceremony was being held in the grounds, but I do think that putting your own stamp on a wedding is so important.To be able to look back on photos and say, “We did this!” is an amazing feeling.
SM: Did you choose a specific theme and/or colors?
Rosie: I’ve never been a fan of going too “matchy matchy” with a wedding theme. I believe it limits you creatively and you’ll miss out on getting something different and unique on your day. We went for a broad rustic/vintage wedding theme, with a hint of eclecticism thrown in (nothing really matched!).
My dress from Suzanna was paramount in bringing the whole look together, so many people noted how the lace on my dress looked beautiful against my pretty vintage bouquet.
SM: Where did you get your inspiration from?
Rosie: I tried to start a Pinterest board but found myself getting overwhelmed with inspo pictures and decided in the end to just go with what was in my head. I conferred a lot with my sister and mother who gave me some great ideas and suggestions. The venue largely played a roll, too. The breathtaking views, sweeping landscapes, wildlife and gardens meant that any unnecessary frills would likely be shadowed by the beauty of the setting, so I let that speak for itself.
SM: How did you feel at your Wedding Day?
Rosie: We arrived at High Wards the day before, followed shortly by our guests, and had a lovely big meal so everyone could get to know each other. I felt really relaxed that evening and the next morning. I found it a little hard to let go of the control freak in me on the wedding morning, I wanted to be running around doing everything! But once I had my hair done and dress on I was confined to the bedroom until it was time to go.
SM: What was the highlight of your Wedding?Rosie: We both loved doing the Handfasting during our ceremony. Though traditionally a pagan ritual it has become popular again in recent years as a bit of fun and a way of literally “tying the knot”. I had ribbons made with Scottish tartan for Mark and Welsh colours for myself, the celebrant wrapped the ribbons around both our hands and as we pulled the ends, it tied an everlasting knot.
SM: The dogs look so cute!
Rosie: Yes! And they deserve to be mentioned!Fergus and Nessie, both played a roll in our big day. Fergus proudly wore his “Best Dog” bandana while Nessie’s read “Dog of Honour”. They were so well behaved and with two other dogs joining the party, our wedding was quite a four-legged affair!
SM: What about your Honeymoon? Where did you go? How was it?
Rosie: Three weeks after the wedding we flew to Chamonix in the French Alps for 10 days. We both love walking and the great outdoors, and neither of us particularly enjoy sitting by a pool all day. We had wonderful weather during our stay and already can’t wait to go back!
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