Good afternoon everyone. I've a lovely winter wedding to share with you right now – a celebration of love I'd describe as 'effortlessly elegant', and indeed glamorous. I'm also delighted to have discovered a new bridal wear designer through preparing this post – Kobus Dippenaar – a name to watch out for.
Gillian and Jeremy tied the knot on 2nd November last year with a ceremony at St. Salvator’s Chapel, followed by a reception at Kinkell Byre, both in St. Andrews, Scotland.
“Throughout our engagement we were living in Tunisia and as much as we loved the sunshine, we both missed cosy, candlelit winters and made this our wedding inspiration.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Fiona Macneill
“Jeremy was a colleague and friend of my sister, Lindsey, and after seeing me from a distance at a party campaigned for several months to have her introduce us. A very obvious set up over a Sunday lunch in Fulham, London took place – and worked!
Eight years later, Jeremy proposed in California. Having sought my Dad’s blessing and explained his intentions of proposing at the beginning of the holiday, things didn’t quite go to plan and he kept him waiting all holiday. Jeremy finally got down on one knee at sunset on Santa Monica beach on the penultimate day. Definitely worth the wait!
We were engaged for a year before the wedding."
“I grew up in Belgium however my family are Scottish so I always wanted to get married in Scotland. I studied at St. Andrews University and my parents have since bought a house there so it seemed like the perfect choice. It also meant my Mum was always on hand to help out with anything wedding related as we were living in Tunisia at the time. The university chapel, St. Salvator’s, is beautiful, so we felt very lucky being able to marry there. For the reception venue we were looking for somewhere unique, romantic and fitting for a November 2nd wedding in Scotland. From the minute we walked into Kinkell Byre, we knew it was the one!”
Gillian wore a Kobus Dippenaar design from Morgan Davies of London. Kobus is a South African-born fashion designer, most prominently known for his couture evening and bridal gowns.
"I was lucky to meet my dress designer ,Kobus, during one of my fittings - a real pleasure! I had my heart set on an ethereal look with some sparkles to catch the candlelight at the venue and this dress was just perfect. I absolutely loved all the flowers on the corset and the subtle twinkles from the sequins on the under skirt. It was also such a beautiful ivory colour, which had a warm feel, great for a cold wedding. I was hoping to look a little like I’d appeared from the forest, with flowers in my hair and this dress worked with my vision!"
"My shoes were by Jimmy Choo and I didn’t want them to be too obviously bridal, and just loved these.
My flower crown was made by Pathhead Nurseries in Anstruther (no website), Scotland and felt amazing to wear. I didn’t want to take it off at the end of the night!"
Gillian's gold clutch is by Anya Hindmarch.
“The church flowers, bouquets, flower crown and the venue decoration were all provided by Pathhead Nurseries in Anstruther. I wanted the bouquets to have an almost wild feel to them and to be full of dusky pink and cream roses. I also loved the idea of adding succulents to my bouquet for a touch of greenery, and bruneii berries to the bridesmaids bouquets. I explained my ‘fairy in the woods’ vision to Pathhead Nurseries and amazingly they completely understood! I was absolutely blown away when I saw my flower crown and the bouquets the morning of the wedding, they took my breath away.
The button holes and beautiful table centre pieces were put together by a good family friend, Carol, who is also a florist. Along with a variety of dusky pink roses, Carol also included white ivory lisianthus, white and pink wax flower and eucalyptus. I adored the table centre pieces, they were so romantic.”
"My sister was my Maid of Honour and my bridesmaid was my best friend, Natalie, and I can’t thank them enough for their patience when it came to finding their dresses. I took them on several shopping trips and always seemed to pick the hottest days of the year to be shopping in London, none of which were successful! With us all living in different cities, and me in Tunisia it wasn’t easy, but I liked the idea of having them in a pattern and spotted their dresses online at one of my favourite shops, Reiss. They both looked gorgeous!
I let the girls choose their shoes as I wanted them to be comfortable and not overly bridesmaid-like.
Each bridesmaid also wore a pair of bespoke earrings that were a gift from me from Alchemia Jewellers.”
“Our photographer Fiona Macneill was an absolute joy to have with us at the wedding, and always so helpful and enthusiastic on email before the day. She was discreet while giving plenty of advice and direction when needed. Her photos are beautifully soft and romantic, and we will treasure them forever".
“Sophie at Sophie Butler styled my hair. My bridesmaids and I had a fun morning at Sophie's salon before the wedding. Sophie and her colleagues really listened to what we all wanted and helped keep any nerves at bay by being great company. I highly recommend Sophie for future brides!
Lindsey, my sister did my make-up after joining me for a make-up trial at MAC in Covent Garden. I didn’t want to look too done up and different to my usual self so I had my hair loose and my make-up fairly natural, but with a smoky eye (done perfectly by my sister!).”
Gillian also wore a Tiffany bracelet and necklace and a pair of bespoke diamond earrings that were a gift from her Godmother.
“We didn’t want to impose a uniform dress for the best men and ushers, choosing to give them ‘Stewart tartan’ (my maiden name) hipflasks filled with whiskey."
“My Father gave me away – it was such a wonderful moment. I walked down the aisle to a favourite piece of mine, 'Highland Cathedral' played beautifully on the organ by Jeremy's cousin, George.
During the ceremony, my brother, Robbie, read Robert Burns’ poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ the words are lovely and I thought it was a nod to my Scottish roots. We also had biblical readings from the Old Testament Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and New Testament John 2:1-11.
My veil by the way was from Morgan Davies, London. It was ivory, to go with the dress, and silk tulle."
“One of my favourite parts of the day was the wedding service, starting with walking down the aisle with my Dad. It felt amazing marrying Jeremy in front of all our close friends and family. We stood at the altar with my Maid of Honour and my bridesmaid to my left and Jeremy’s two best men by his right, and the support we felt from them and the Chaplain was wonderful. During the signing of the resister, Jeremy’s brothers, Tim and Jon (also his Best Men), performed ‘Ho Hey’ by the Lumineers and ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John, and I just didn’t want it to end! We watched them while looking out to our friends and family in the congregation and it was such a special moment that I’ll never forget.
I had a slight mishap with my garter at the altar – I felt it fall down my leg and had to ask my sister (and Maid of Honour) to remove it from my ankle subtly during a hymn! She did an amazing job at being discreet and it helped calm any nerves up at the altar! I also managed to lose my veil during the signing of the register as it slipped out of my hair, prompting the Chaplain to comment on never knowing a bride to ‘shed so many items of clothing during her wedding service’!”
"We bought our wedding bands from Tiffanys as they just felt right from the moment we tried them on."
"My parents had my wrap made for me and surprised me with it a few days before the wedding, such a treat and beautifully soft and warm.'
“Jeremy’s Father is a keen amateur baker and kindly took on the challenge of baking a 3 tiered fruit cake. It was the most delicious fruit cake I’ve ever had!”
“We danced to Bruno Mars ‘Treasure’. We are both big Bruno Mars fans and wanted a fun song to dance to and get everyone in the mood.”
“Stephen from i-light provided the gorgeous lighting at the venue, and Pathhead Nurseries filled the venue with plants and flowers. We had long tables as we wanted guests to feel like they were at a big dinner party. Each table had candlesticks all along it with our dusky pink rose centre-pieces. Our table names were all places in California where Jeremy had planned to propose, but for one reason or another it was never quite the perfect moment.
We sat at ‘Santa Monica Beach’ as that’s where he finally asked the question!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom…
“Try not to have any pre-conceptions about the ‘dream dress’ and go with the dress that’s not only beautiful but makes you look beautiful. I struggled to choose a dress and would even have sleepless nights over the decision, but ultimately the Kobus Dippenaar dress was the one that brought tears to my Mum and sister’s eyes and made me feel like a fairy!
Make sure you give someone the task of reminding you to brush your hair and top up your lipstick at some point during the evening, I forgot to do this! Finally, I would’ve taken more time walking down the aisle with my Father as it’s such a special moment to take in ”
One for all you brides who appreciate glamorous wedding day style. Huge thanks and congratulations Gillian and Jeremy for sharing you beautiful day. Gillian, I really, really love your dress – and you have introduced me to a talented new designer in Kobus Dippenaar too! Thank you!
My thanks also to photographer Fiona Macneill.
I love the idea of wearing a flower crown in the winter. Anyone else doing this?
Love Annabel
Photographer – Fiona Macneill
Second shooter – Morag from Browns Photography (Glasgow)
Venue – Kinkell Byre, St Andrews, Scotland
Wedding Dress – Kobus Dippenaar via Morgan Davies of London
Veil/Headpiece – Morgan Davies
Brides' shoes – Jimmy Choo
Gold Clutch: Anya Hindmarch
Groom – Gieves & Hawkes suit/tie + Neil and Palmer waistcoat + Barker shoes + family crest cufflinks
Bridesmaids – Reiss
Accessories – Tiffany bracelet and necklace
Florals – Pathhead Nurseries in Anstruther (no website)
Cake – the groom's father
Transport – A blue Daimler from Something Old
Catering – Wilde Thyme
Entertainment – House Arrest
Stationery – Glasgow Print Press
Hair Stylist – Sophie Butler
Make-up Artist – the bride’s sister
Lighting – i-light
Follow Love My Dress® on Google+
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
