A Traditional Yet Quirky Scottish Wedding Day Inspired By Oranges And Lemons

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Today’s wedding is one guaranteed to brighten your day! And possibly inspire you to add more colour to your life too. This couple aren’t afraid to go bold and used their favourite hues of citrus lemons and vivid oranges as their wedding theme. So without further ado, grab your sunglasses and let’s meet our fun-loving bride and groom…

Reporting manager Michael and accountant and journalist Shiona were married on 2nd June at Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, followed by a reception at St Andrews in the Square in the Merchant City.   Capturing all of the amazing and bright colours of the day on camera were Glasgow-based husband and wife photography team and Little Book members, The Gibsons.

“Chantal and Scott are amazing and became like friends over the course of planning the wedding, and on the day. We would highly recommend them and we now treasure the photos they took.”

The Gibsons

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“We both went to Glasgow uni and lived in the West End. It’s just such a special and stunning location and felt like such a privilege to get married there. People who visit for the first time always say it’s like Hogwarts and the aisle in the chapel is nothing short of epic. We also love St Andrews in the Square – an iconic and pretty grand building. If there’s a day to enjoy celebrating in two massively impressive buildings then your wedding day has to be it!”

Wedding film by Piece Of Time Media




The couple opted for a humanist ceremony and the bride chose a stunning traditionally ivory-white dress by Aire Barcelona to walk down the aisle in.

“The dress was by Aire Barcelona and the actual model was called the ‘Menta’. I got it from the Bridal Garden on Byres Road in Glasgow. I adored the big bow on the front of the dress and the fact that it was in two pieces. There was a long train and overskirt, which came off to reveal a fitted dress underneath. Perfect for evening dancing! Plus, it had pockets!”

Opting for a natural make up look, created by make up artist Marisa Brown, meant Shiona could let her hair do the talking and chose a curled half up, half down do, created by the award-winning hair stylist Jennifer Thomson.

“I went for natural make up and so did my bridesmaids. We’re not really into the fake eyelashes look or anything too heavy and Marisa got our looks spot on. Jennifer is award winning so I don’t think I need to say any more!”

1 A colourful and creative Glasgow city wedding

Bearsden based florists Rose and Thyme created the gorgeous yellow and green buttonholes, as well as the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, made from a bright mix of yellow, orange and white florals surrounding by lush greenery.

“Rose and Thyme absolutely made the wedding. The flowers in all the venues were beyond phenomenal and so much thought went into them. They did a mix of arrangements in tall martini glasses and low fish bowls on the tables to give the room synergy.”

4 A colourful and creative Glasgow city wedding

“All of the flowers were something between being picked from a wild field and the traditional structured bouquets. I think it sums up the wedding too; traditional meets quirky. Everyone also commented on the flowers in my hair – such a statement!”

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Shiona’s bridesmaids were a colourful bunch, wearing a mix of bright colour pop dresses from ASOS and worn with a pair of their own shoes.

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“The brief was, of course, oranges and lemons and they each wore styles they liked and felt comfortable in. It meant that they all wore different colours and fits but they were all purchased from the same place. They also wore smaller versions of the flowers in their hair. The flowers were arranged on slides so the girls could wear them with their hair up.”

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“I also wore my bridesmaid Fiona Wyvar’s cathedral length veil with diamante pieces sewn into it for a little touch of sparkle. My shoes were from Dolce & Gabbana from their citrus collection – obviously! I wore Oud and Bergamot by Jo Malone as my scent. It’s a gorgeous, long-lasting scent which always takes me back to that day. It also tied in nicely with the theme. My necklace was a specially made yellow sapphire pendant, made to match my engagement ring, by Mr Harold and Son in the Argyll Arcade.”

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After initially meeting via a mutual friend, Michael and Shiona were engaged on the banks of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands in April 2016.

“We just hit it off straight away and then started dating in the traditional way by going for drinks and dinner and just having the best times. We knew pretty quickly that we were right for each other. We had always loved the Highlands and were engaged on a surprise trip there that Michael had organised. He was down on one knee with an amazing yellow sapphire engagement ring, which we also decided to incorporate into the wedding.”

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“Because the engagement ring was yellow, my favourite colour, we started looking at having lemons as a feature of our big day. When out looking at yellow decor and fabrics, my mum asked whether we would consider both oranges and lemons and from there, the theme of the wedding day was born! Michael even mentioned it in the wedding speech. Every single thing was oranges and lemons on the day.”

15 A colourful and creative Glasgow city wedding

Shiona walked down the aisle with her dad, where she was met by groom Michael in a grey tweed suit from Slaters of Glasgow and his own kilt in his family tartan.

“All of the guys wore their own kilts and tartans but got matching tweed jackets and each wore lovely buttonholes.”

17 A colourful and creative Glasgow city wedding

“My dad and I walked down the aisle to Planet Earth II by Hans Zimmer. It was Michael’s suggestion after watching an episode of it one night. We decided it would be perfect as we both loved the programme and it is extremely atmospheric.”

“Jess Fitzgerald from the Humanist Society of Scotland officiated the ceremony and we wrote our own vows. One of my bridesmaids read Hands which is a special reading about being with each other as you grow old. We also had a number of songs during the ceremony, including John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads which was so much fun to sing. When we signed the register we had Sophie Price, one of my friends, sing songs from Phantom of the Opera and the Sound Of Music.”

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Following the ceremony, guests made their way over to the opulent St Andrews in the Square for the wedding breakfast catered by Cafe Source.

“We matched all the stationery for the day from Printing.com in Glasgow. They were amazing and the designer went back and forth with various designs until we got the perfect oranges and lemons print for all the save the dates, invites, thank you’s, table plans and order of service.”

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“For our decor inside the wedding breakfast room, my dad painted a wedding post box yellow and one of my friends Jen Harvie designed some cushions. She also drew a large tree for people to leave their fingerprints on, which now serves as a lovely piece of art from the day.”

“Luckily for us, Michael’s aunt, Elspeth Hosie of Edinburgh, is a wedding cake maker. She matched both the flavours and the icing to the theme. There was a combination of chocolate and orange, lemon drizzle and lemon poppy-seed. The icing matched the bridesmaids dresses and incorporated ombre which was very on trend!”

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“There were so many highlights from the day but feeling the love in the room and having all our family and friends come from all across the world to celebrate is something we will treasure forever.”

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To kick off the evening’s entertainment, Shiona’s friend and bridesmaid Cazz Forest sang to the wedding party.

“Cazz got everyone up and dancing – especially to Proud Mary! We also had a band called Franco who were very lively and kept us entertained all night. We chose Who I Am With You by country singer Chris Young for our first dance. We went to see Chris together in Glasgow once and had a lovely moment during that track. The lyrics are also so personal and fitting.”

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Words Of Wedded Wisdom

“Pick a theme! Sticking to oranges and lemons made the planning of everything so much easier, but also everyone loved it and said they were blown away with how beautiful it was. I’d also say try to take it all in and make sure you get at least ten minutes or so with your hubby on the day! It really is the quickest day of your life and everyone will want a photo and a kiss and hug! Prioritise each other.”

“If there was anything we could have changed, it would have been scrapping the first dance. We are no ‘Strictly’ couple and we didn’t choreograph anything and felt it was just a bit awkward. We also wished we’d spent more time together but we had so many people to see that before we knew it, the day was over!”

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Congratulations Shiona and Michael! What a wonderfully sunny and happy day. And a big thank you to The Gibsons for capturing the vibrancy of the day in all it’s glory.

Until next time…

Much love,

Holly x

Credits & Thanks

Holly Grocott

Holly Grocott View all Holly's articles

Holly loves nothing more than getting her fill of beautifully styled weddings and couple's individual stories. After living in London for 6 years, she's now moved back North and settled in the leafy suburbs of South Manchester with her husband and much-loved pet pooch. You'll mostly find her reading in a corner, writing or creating a moodboard (or five).

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