A Florist’s Golden, Autumnal, Flower-Filled City Pub Wedding

Happy May Day everyone! I hope you’re enjoying the extra day off? I am more than a little excited today, because I can finally shout (very loudly, at anyone who will listen) that I’m getting married next month! Suddenly May doesn’t feel so very far away from September and those crisp, autumnal mornings and deep, rich colours. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like a summer to arrive at some point before this all happens though! Today I am delighted to be sharing a golden, seasonal-inspired celebration with you all. The lovely Emma, a florist and owner of Betty Bluebell, wed her husband, Robert, a senior web developer at Dog Digital on 25^th September 2016 at Sloans Bar and Restaurant in Glasgow. The couple wanted a relaxed and informal pub wedding, and a venue where their adorable dog, Ted, could be guest of honour.

As well as setting up a ‘Tedcam’ (a GoPro strapped to their dog’s back), Emma and Robert also engaged the services of the quite frankly wonderful Rooftop Mosaic to capture their day on camera and on film. Glasgow based photographers Gail and David’s work has a clean, modern style with a delicate fine-art influence that we adore. You can read more about this talented duo in our curated wedding directory, Little Book for Brides.

“The gold detailing and dark wood in the venue inspired a lot of our décor choices. My mum’s wedding dress was champagne-gold so inspired my outfit choice, and Robert chose a tartan in cornflower blue, green and ochre so we had an accidental gold theme running through. The other colours in the flowers and décor were inspired by the time of year – ochres, deep reds, burnt orange and lots of greenery.”

Film + Photography by Rooftop Mosaic

https://vimeo.com/195816009

“I am really lucky to call some talented wedding suppliers friends but it was lovely that our photographers were one exception, as Robert and Gail used to work at the same agency in Gail’s previous life as a graphic designer. Gail and David are stupendously talented. They were always going to be our first choice and we were delighted when they agreed to capture our day when given the option of guesting vs working and guesting! We really cannot put into words how much we value our photos and highlights video; we were absolutely blown away.”

Emma chose a golden-hued gown from Flossy & Dossy, which she paired with sweet ‘Anabel’ flats from one of our Little Book for Brides darlings, Charlotte Mills. The glittering gold heart on the toe was beautifully set off later in the evening by a shimmering golden cable night jumper from Ralph Lauren. I straight up adore brides in jumpers.

“I have been involved in making big days happen in some capacity for the last nine years. I have a background in hospitality and event management before I trained as a florist and I still occasionally dip back into front of house management at weddings. I knew I wouldn’t choose a traditional wedding gown and I wanted something relaxed, informal and comfortable to suit the style of wedding we were having.”

Robert bought Emma the beautiful Peony & Blush Suede by Jo Malone perfume to wear on the day, and she chose Boss The Scent for him – new fragrances for both of them to evoke the most special memories. Robert wore a MacGregor and MacDuff suit and very sweet cufflinks – one a map of the coordinates of where he and Emma met, the other the coordinates of their wedding venue.

“I was inspired by my mum’s champagne gold wedding dress and thought it would be a really nice nod to choose a similar shade. Money left by my gran bought my wedding dress too, so it was very much a family affair. I first met Wendy when we were both exhibiting at the Sloans wedding fayre and I knew when the time came I would ask her to make my dress.”

“I opted for separates inspired by BHLDN, I liked the idea of something I could wear again and Wendy has since cut my skirt to ballerina length.”

The brides ombre locks were tousled by Laura McEnroe and her make-up was taken care of by Pamper & Polish. Emma had a cuff made by the Vintage Bridal Boutique to tie in with an extremely sentimental heirloom pearl necklace.

“My pearl necklace was gifted to me when my gran passed away and I had kept it to wear on my wedding day. We realised that my mum is wearing a very similar necklace in her wedding photos and it may even be the same one. I went to see Claire at Vintage Bridal Boutique with my gran’s pearls and she colour matched it for me. Every pearl was hand stitched individually, the craftsmanship is beautiful.”

The Little White Wedding Taxi whisked Emma away to Sloans Bar and Restaurant to meet her fiancé at the top of the aisle.

She walked towards her very-nearly-husband on the arm of her dad to You & Me Song by The Wannabes, sung and played by her brother Nick on the ukulele.

Emma personally arranged every single bloom for the day, from bouquets and buttonholes to her gorgeous flower crown, to her bridesmaid’s wired stems twisted into their hair. Doesn’t her best girl look gorgeous by the way, in that pleated Warehouse number?

“I did all of my own flowers because I’m self-confessed bonkers. The flowers really had to pack a punch; they were always going to be a major focal point. I got more ‘I can’t wait to see your flowers!’ than ‘I can’t wait to see your dress!’ I did get offers from florist friends to do them for me, or even do the set-up, but I actually really enjoyed owning the process, down to the 9am McDonalds breakfast with my bridesmaid, Alison, with a flower filled courtyard while we waited for the Sloans staff to arrive and open up! I work alone 95% of the time; I likely would have felt differently if I had a permanent team but I wanted the flowers to be ‘me’.”

“The mantle topper was my pièce de resistance as the whole wedding centred on the fireplace – we were married in front of it, we ate in front of it and the DJ set-up in front of it. I wanted to have an absolute whopper of a bouquet as my dress design was very simple and both incorporated trailing ribbons. I loved the natural shower style but equally wanted it to be very full and lush.”

“I chose a mix of roses, garden roses (for their beautiful scent), astilbe, dahlias, cosmos and hypericum berries with a mix of purple cotinus, eucalyptus, ruscus, rosemary and olive (a nod to our Italian honeymoon). I also added daisies into my bouquet and my dad’s buttonhole, a nod to his mum Daisy. As well as my gran Betty’s pearls I also inserted her gold ‘E’ scarf pin into the back of bouquet ribbon so I carried a bit of both of them with me down the aisle.”

“Robert and I met on 4^th April 2009 on a night out at the ABC nightclub in Glasgow. I was out with my best friend from school, Craig, and Robert was on a work night out. Craig used to work with Robert so we gatecrashed and it only took a brief introduction.”

“We became engaged on 24^th May 2015, a year and a day from when we moved into our house. Robert hid the engagement ring in the pantry behind the dog food and proposed in the advert breaks watching Sunday night TV with Ted sleeping at my feet. We were engaged for 1 year, 4 months and 1 day.”

“Robert’s best man was Simon, a close friend and ex-colleague. Our four ushers were our brothers – Robert’s older brothers, David and Stuart, and Emma’s younger brothers, Jon and Nick. I also had a bridesman, Craig (the same Craig who introduced us.) The brothers all wore their own kilts and we hired waistcoats and jackets so they were all the same on top, and we hired full outfits for Simon, Craig and the dads. They all chose their own tartans and it was lovely for them to all have their own identity.”

“We tailored our own vows as part of our Humanist ceremony by Lorraine Simpson of the Humanist Society Scotland. Lorraine and my mum grew up together, and her mum and my gran worked together, so it made an already personal ceremony even more personal. My brother Jon read ‘Yes I’ll Marry You My Dear’ by Pam Ayres, who was one of my grandpa’s favourite poets. I kept it a surprise for Robert and wanted something light hearted and funny.”

Robert’s favourite moment of the day melts my heart, the second his beautiful bride reached his side, his nerves disappeared and he so loved walking back up the aisle as husband and wife.

The couple asked Robert’s brother to find or write his own reading to share during the ceremony, something he took on with full gusto, penning the most beautiful passage for the newlyweds:

“What did you all do yesterday? How many of you ran around to get a last minute card for today or find a pair of shoes or organise a lift in? We are all very busy aren’t we? And that’s because everyday life is not easy. It moves fast. It is complicated. It is busy. It is hectic and it is tiring. But every so often there are points where that everyday life gives way to something special.”

“You only have to think about a place a few metres from where we are. Because right outside on Buchanan Street lives are going on; the husband trying to remember what his wife asked him to buy when he was in town, the girl running to catch the train, the boy on his way to the library to cram for a final college exam – fast, complicated, busy, hectic and tiring lives and none of those people outside are aware of what we are all doing right now (unless they are really late) and that is what makes a day like today and a time like right now special.”

“For in a moment like this we stop. The world keeps spinning around outside us but we stand still at a point in time and we have a chance to think and reflect and be immersed in a moment.”

Emma and Robert exchanged rings from Chisholm Hunter in the Argyll Arcade, where Robert chose his bride’s engagement ring. It felt fitting for the couple to return to choose their wedding bands, Emma’s a diamond platinum ring to complement her engagement ring, and Robert’s a classic platinum band.

After the ceremony, the venue was transformed into a warm, golden-hued dining area, dancing with candlelight and smattered with giant balloons. Emma created all of the invitations and menu cards herself, while lettering for the place settings was taken care of by Claire at DaisyBisley.

“We hired chairs from Cairns & Scott and the balloons and post box were by Purple Willow Weddings. Our 5-foot light-up star and vintage fairground games were from Go2 Event Hire – the fairground games were such a huge hit! We had them set-up in the room used during turnarounds to keep everyone entertained.”

“Sloans in-house caterers took care of the food – everybody raved about it. The day after we got engaged we took my ring back to the jewellers to be resized and went to Sloans for lunch. Robert had steak pie and I had their famous mac ‘n’ cheese so we chose those as our main course options.”

The couple chose a scrumptious marshmallow cake-y confection by Choccywoccydoodah – ppplleeeaassee give me a slice right now!? Emma has always loved Choccywoccydoodah’s work and she and Robert have visited the Soho café on a trip to London, somewhere I’ve always longed to go.

They created a ‘sweet stuff’ table for their guests to enjoy in place of favours, including chocolate lollipops by Chocolat Blanc and fudge and tablet by The Wee Fudge Company, all decorated with bunting by Paper Street Dolls. The bride also commissioned the most incredible cake by Emily of Happyhills Cakes as a surprise for her groom, in the shape of their cute pup, Ted.

“Emily was recommended to me by another cake maker and is exceptionally talented. I got the Ted cake made as a groom’s cake; it was a complete surprise. Robert jokingly said in a meeting with Sloans that we should get a cake made of the dog and, unknown to him that it was already booked in, I shot him down in flames! Everybody got a photo of it and couldn’t believe how lifelike it was, I loved revealing it to Robert. I also loved watching my dad and Robert do their speeches; I was so proud of them both. Robert suffers with anxiety over public speaking but you would never have known.”

Pin Up Nights entertained the guests in what Emma can only describe as “our own personal club night.” Emma first spotted these DJ extraordinaires at a wedding she was working at and thought it was the best selection of music she’d ever heard at a wedding.

They were one of the first suppliers she and Robert contacted after they booked their venue.

“We chose Eric Clapton’s unplugged version of ‘Layla’ by Derek and the Dominoes for our first dance, played by my dad, brother, cousin Olly and sung by my cousin’s husband Steven. Steven had the idea of positioning themselves in four corners around us for the acoustics but it made it feel very intimate and the awkward shuffle an enjoyable few minutes.”

“We both agree that there is nothing we would have done differently down to holding the wedding on a Sunday because a Sunday is ‘our day’. We were true advocates of ‘your day, your way’ and the unplugged ceremony was particularly important. It really grinds my gears when photographs are spoiled by someone sticking their phone out, or the dreaded iPad (who takes an iPad to a wedding?!)”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

The 10 truths of wedding planning:

1. I lost count of how many times I said ‘I need to start exercising more’ and ‘I really need to start eating better’ in preparation for wedding dress-dom. I didn’t set foot in a gym the whole time I was engaged and I ate more ice cream and giant buttons in the fortnight before the wedding than I had all year. He still married me.

2. Ninety nine percent of weddings are expensive, frivolous and self-indulgent. Go deal. Get the best in your price bracket: you might get hit by a bus tomorrow and you can’t take your money with you. There’s a lot of crap in life, celebrate the good.

3. Budgets are not hard to stick to. Keep on top of your spending and include every little £10 here, £20 there in your costs. Prioritise, do your research and project manage your wedding.

4. Spreadsheets are a successful way of life.

5. Weddings bring out the worst in people and you may lose a friend or two. Surround yourself with people who are genuinely excited for you and respect that this is your time.

6. Other people just won’t care as much as you do. Apart from maybe your mum. Your mum will care what kind of confetti you buy.

7. The nearer the day gets, the more you will question EVERYTHING. Have faith; your suppliers will turn up and you have made good choices.

8. Summing up your boring but equally very fulfilling life is hard when asked. As is writing your own vows.

9. Your wedding is not a well-curated mood board. Put your faith and trust in professionals to create something unique for your day. You’ve hired them for a reason.

10. Love conquers all. When the proverbial hits the fan they’re always there.

“Point ten reaffirms that as nice as all the fluffy stuff is, it’s about the marriage and not the wedding. I was way more excited about the prospect of being Robert’s wife than I was about any aspect of our wedding day. That said, if you have half as much fun as we did on the day, you will have the time of your life!

Also, I dip in and out of all of the major wedding blogs if I see something on social media that speaks to me but regularly visit Love My Dress – having my wedding featured is a dream come true. Love My Dress epitomises stylish weddings and I love the focus on the personal aspects of what truly makes a wedding for the couple.”

Wow, Emma is a serious wedding guru and I for one will be saving these pointers to read and reread in the coming weeks, it’s so important to keep perspective when planning a wedding. That just leaves me to say a huge thank you to Emma, Robert and the crazy talented Rooftop Mosaic for sharing this gorgeous day with us all.

You can find the new Mrs Lawson on Twitter and Instagram along with her husband. And if you’re struggling to tear yourself away from these stunning images, take a look right here, we’ve a whole collection of beautiful weddings shot by the magnificent Gail and David.

Love, Em x