Lovely readers, you will simply adore this beautiful Scottish wedding set in the ruins of Lindores Abbey near Fife. I love that Nicky set her own rules with every aspect of the wedding. She admits that neither her or Neil are big label lovers so they planned their budget spending on the things that were most important to them, getting some amazing bargains along the way. When I first flicked through the images of this wedding I would never have guessed that Nicky’s dress was a high street find either!
Nicky and Neil were married on the 31st of May 2014. Neil is a mechanic, restoring classic cars so it was only fitting that Nicky and her dad were chauffeured to the wedding in a beautiful Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3, which Neil had helped to restore himself. Their day is a perfect example of a family affair with so many of their wonderful relatives and friends helping out and putting their talents to good use!
Photography Copyright (c), 2014, SD Photography
“Unique, historic and charming, the beautiful ruins of Lindores Abbey in Newburgh, Fife were the first and only venue we visited. When we saw the great big majestic archway covered in ivy we knew we had discovered somewhere really special and nothing else would compare!
It was the perfect location and the lovely owner Helen McKenzie Smith provided us with so many brilliant suggestions for the big day, was open to all of our ideas as well as sharing our spirit for simplicity and fun. Our day was basically a mish-mash of my love of all things vintage and pretty and Neil’s love of all things fun and geeky.”
Nicky’s good friends Mel and Sam were on hand to do her hair and make-up on the day. Her hair was braided into an updo to accommodate her pretty Alice band and long floaty veil.
“My veil which I wore with a floral Alice band of rose buds and gypsophila was a last minute purchase from eBay and only arrived two days before the wedding but I was really glad I wore it!”
“I found my dress whilst shopping with my mum and sisters in Edinburgh in the wee boutique section of Miss Selfridge. It was stunning! The beadwork, lace and pretty little sleeves won me over. I loved the vintage vibe of the dress and I had not seen anything else like it. It fitted me perfectly, and the high waist detail made my petite frame seem taller!
My talented and good friend Julija created a beautiful silk slip for me to wear under the dress which finished it off perfectly.”
“The bridesmaid dresses were a last minute buy from Primark. I never intended to spend so little on the dresses but they were so pretty and the girls appreciated a good bargain!”
“We chose the amazing SD Photography to record all the special memories of our day. I met Sarah and Darren at a wedding fair. Their style is informal yet thoughtful and they are so brilliant at capturing relaxed, natural moments. Most importantly, they are incredibly fun and put everyone at ease on the day.
They also took Polaroid snapshots of the guests to take home.”
“My gold glitter heels were also a high street buy. I wore a beautiful flower diamond ring which belonged to my Mum as my something borrowed and a spritz of ‘Loverdose’ by Diesel.”
“Neil and I met as teenagers, writing letters to each other and talking on the telephone for hours each night… first love! We broke up after school but got back together years later. Neil asked me to marry him on our 6th anniversary in the north of Scotland under a big fir tree in the pouring rain.
I was so busy giggling at him kneeling on one knee in the mud that I almost forgot to say yes!”
“We are both non religious folks but our lovely celebrant Helen understood exactly what we wanted to say and the nature of the promises we wanted to make to each other so she tailored the ceremony to suit us in a very open minded way. My Dad walked me down the aisle while my brother in law Ninian played the bagpipes.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing and I felt like my heart might burst with happiness standing in front of Neil and saying our vows with huge smiles on our faces!”
“Neil’s kilt was a beautiful rich green tartan worn with accessories given as gifts from his family. He wore a single echinops (soft thistle) as a buttonhole. His brother and best man Evan wore a similar tartan and the rest of the chaps wore a mixture of suits and traditional Scottish kilts.”
“My mum Tina made delicious fruit cakes including a small vegan one. It was the best present ever! The design was a surprise and incorporated our golden dinosaur cake toppers. Our sister in law Joeann even read ‘A Lovely Love Story’ by Edward Monkton a poem featuring dinosaurs during the ceremony tying everything in nicely.”
“All of the succulents for the centrepieces were grown in Neil’s sister Kate’s garden and the flowers were a handpicked selection of roses, waxflower, heather and gypsophila from a florist. We were so blown away by how much time and love Kate put into the arrangements.”
“As favours we gave Lego figures and put wee buckets of Lego on each table to build things. It gave everyone the chance to be a big kid and made for some great photographs!”
“We had a ploughman’s lunch of artisan breads, carved ham, wedges of cheese and a selection of handmade pickles and chutneys, it felt like a big family picnic and it was so special looking on from the top table. Afterwards we feasted on cake, heart shaped scones with jam and drank tea from our vintage teacups. Later, everyone wrapped up in blankets by the fire and ate posh sausages from the BBQ.”
“Our Céilidh band Dancing Feet started with a version of ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers for our first dance. They had a lovely folksy sound and everyone was up dancing. Later on we played a pre-mixed playlist of songs ending with a full on glow sticks, lasers and smoke machine rave!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Remember to have fun and enjoy being surrounded by everyone you love. Their love and support was immense and we are so lucky to have them. In the end, all the plans in the world couldn’t prepare me for how beautiful and meaningful each detail was on the day, mostly the result of the efforts of our wonderful friends and family making it so personal.”
A gorgeous wedding don’t you agree! I absolutely love the brightly space hoppers and other garden games around the ruins. The whole day was shot beautifully by SD Photography, I am swooning over those couple portraits by the ruins. Massive congratulations to Nicky and Neil, thank you for sharing your day with us.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – SD Photography
Venue – Lindores Abbey, Newburgh, Fife
Catering – Hatter’s Catering + Supreme Sausages
Dress – Miss Selfridge
Bride’s Veil – eBay
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Primark
Florist – Groom’s sister with flowers from Lorna Davis florists, Perth
Rings – Victor & Sons (no website)
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
