An Anna Campbell Gown For a Romantic Handfasting Wedding at Crear on the Wild Scottish Coast

Dear Readers, I can’t tell you how much fun it is to write about all of these wonderful weddings, and in a small way, it makes me feel like an extra (albeit uninvited!) guest. It’s also lovely to read about couples who draw on Love My Dress for inspiration, and as a way of finding trusted suppliers to work with, too.

The extra lovely thing about this particular wedding is that our happy couple were lucky enough to win their photography through a competition they entered right here! Meet Laura, a Senior Expedition Coordinator with Camps International, and Marine Surveyor Chris.

Images by Melissa Beattie.

They were married on the 31 March 2018 at the stunning Scottish coastal venue of Crear, Kilberry by Tarbert, in a day inspired by the wild and untamed beauty of their surroundings and filled with the most magical seaside light.

“The ruggedness of Scotland was always something we knew we wanted, and that set the tone for the day… We didn’t plan our wedding around any colours or styles but took inspiration from our travels and the venue space. It all came together eventually and seemed to just ‘happen’ without us working too hard at it. If you know what you like, go for that and build on it. You know then, that your wedding will truly reflect you both.”

Laura’s hair was styled beautifully by Lisa Ivone, and Mitchell & Macinnes created a polished yet romantic make-up look for the bride. There was lots of gorgeous, subtle sparkle in Laura’s bridal outfit. In her hair she wore a pretty beaded hair vine by Anna Campbell, which she bought at Anna’s Melbourne boutique on a trip to Australia in 2017. She felt it paired perfectly with her Anna Campbell gown, with its romantic empire line and beautifully detailed embellishment.

On her feet Laura wore the glamorous ‘Charlotte’ shoe by Rachel Simpson, earrings by Samantha Willis and for her wedding fragrance, Olympea Intense by Paco Rabanne.

“I also wore a silver bracelet with one glass charm on it… a present from Chris the night before our wedding. Chris had it made by a company called Ashes into Glass, and it was a green glass bead which contained some of my Dad’s ashes in it. The most thoughtful gift I have ever received.”

“My dress was by Anna Campbell, and part of her ‘Made to Measure’ Collection (which is no longer available). I think every bride has been there… right at the beginning of your engagement and you’re scrolling through dream dresses on Pinterest and you come across Anna Campbell’s Gossamer Collection… that was me, and I was hooked.”

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“I didn’t look anywhere else and I didn’t try on any other dresses. After leaving South East Asia on our travels, we headed over to Australia for 1 year. About 4 months in, my mum came out to Australia to visit, so we booked a trip to see as much together as possible and Melbourne was on the list.”

“As soon as it was booked, I contacted Anna Campbell to book an appointment. I worked very closely with Chantelle, who was my stylist and really took the time to understand what I was looking for. After trying on 6 or 7 dresses, I knew I wanted something that wasn’t there, and Chantelle told me about the ‘Made to Measure’collection… meaning I could literally make my dress by taking various elements of other dresses.”

“What a dream. Mum’s time came to head back to the UK, and us back to Perth to go back to work, and Chantelle kept me updated with the progress of my dress, even emailing me photos and videos! It was truly one of the most magical experiences, and I cannot thank Anna Campbell, Chantelle and their team enough.”

Laura and Chris first met when they were aged 15 and 16, at the Docklands Scout Project where they were both volunteering. They were friends for a few years first before a drink at Canary Wharf (ending with a dance in a fountain!) changed the course of their relationship. They spent New Years Eve together in Paris, and almost 7 years later, Chris proposed on Christmas Day 2013.

“We saved our pennies, packed our bags and spent 2 years travelling South East Asia and Australia. Starting our travels in Thailand, we spent a week on Koh Samui island for Christmas. Christmas morning, we took a kayak and paddled over to a private island to have some time together, and to take a Christmas Day photo.”

“Chris was setting up the camera, then came over to me and told me that he did have a present for me (we agreed no presents as travelling was enough!), and Chris started to read me a poem. For those who know Chris, his poems are epic and have you laughing and crying. This was no different.”

“At the end, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and through my tears and blubbering, I said yes. Chris then told me to wave at the camera… he had recorded the whole thing knowing we wouldn’t be seeing our family or friends for 2 years!”

“We returned home from an incredible two years in September 2015, and needed to start working to start our wedding savings. We planned to get married in 2017, but with Chris changing careers, we decided to give ourselves more time to plan and save, and still go away with friends and family so we weren’t too restricted, and decided on 2018.”

Whilst travelling, Chris had his wedding suit made at Yaly Couture in Hoi An, Vietnam. I love the deep shade of brown tweed paired with the champagne pocket square and bow tie from Mrs Bow Tie. He also wore ‘Raphael’ shoes by Kurt Geiger.

The smart groomsmen also had their contrasting tweed suits made for them by Yaly Couture, and wore these with their own shoes and purple and lilac bow ties, again from Mrs Bow Tie.

“My older brother Kevyn walked me down the aisle which was a very special moment for me. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else…The beauty of Crear includes the decision to get married outside or inside, and we waited until half an hour before our ceremony to decide. As long as it wasn’t raining and not too cold, then we wanted to be outside in the Scottish air.”

“We had asked our friend David (one of four who make up the very talented Suburban Dirts) to play guitar for when I walked down the aisle, but with getting married outside it unfortunately wasn’t possible for him to play. So I was piped down the aisle by the incredible bagpiper Iain Campbell which gave the romance of the Scottish coast a whole new dimension.”  

The bridesmaids wore a variety of dresses in shades of purple, ranging from soft mauve and lavender to deep and rich plum. Two were purchased at David’s Bridal, one by Jenny Packham and the other from TFNC at ASOS. On the morning of the wedding Laura gifted her bridesmaids pretty drop earrings from Pandora.

“My girls had free rein over their dresses, the only request from me was that they were floor length. The purple colour scheme only came in to play after we had started our bridesmaid dress search, and I then decided on a purple palette and the girls could choose their dresses in any number of purple tones. They looked stunning and really complemented each other.”

The couple chose a Humanist ceremony with celebrant Annie Loughlin. For an added personal touch, they also had handfasting using tartan from both sides of their families.

“We had two readings during our ceremony. The first was read by my mum, and its was ‘A Lang Promise’ by Jackie Kay… We had it translated to English by my mum and printed in the order of service!”

Good friends Rachel, Rich, Rachel and Chris read the second reading by Bob Marley – Once in Your Life. During the ceremony, Laura and Chris also exchanged rings, which they bought at Hatton Garden based Abiba.

“We bought our rings around 9 months before the wedding. It was beautiful day, so we decided to jump on Chris’ motorbike and head in to London for a wander. We then decided to make our way to Hatton Garden for a mooch at rings to get an idea of what we might want and walked out with both of our rings purchased!”

“One bit of advice I would give (given to us by Abiba) is that most people will leave purchasing their wedding rings until later on as they are not seen as a priority. In truth, when the wedding is done, the food is eaten, and the alcohol is drunk, you are left with your photos, and your rings. So, invest money where it matters.”

“It is so hard to pinpoint a favourite time during the day, but we both agree our handfasting ceremony was very special and something we’ll never forget. Witnessed by all of the people we love the most, with the backdrop of Jura, nothing beats it.”

“Where do we even begin?! Melissa was an absolute dream to work with from the very beginning. We were lucky enough to have been chosen by Melissa as her winners of the competition featured on Love My Dress, to win a photography package. I never usually enter competitions, but when I saw the photo that featured it, I was blown away.”

“It was a beautifully simple photo of a bride getting out of the car, and her bridesmaids arranging the bottom of her dress before she walks in to her ceremony. That style of photography is exactly what Chris and I were after, and the competition simply required you to provide the details of your wedding – so I went for it!”

“We were in regular contact with Melissa during the build-up to our wedding, talking over Skype, on the phone and emailing. Melissa met us at Crear on the Friday evening, had some dinner with us and we headed out to scout places to go for photos the following day.”

“Melissa even helped with setting up the venue for our big day, by taking the initiative, getting stuck in and helping wherever she could – she made a fab photo wall for us too! If we are completely honest, it felt like we had known Melissa forever. On the day, Melissa was in and out effortlessly taking photos and chatting away with us all. She was so very welcome at our wedding.”

“Melissa knew exactly the vibe we were going for and we hardly noticed her for most of the photos, which means they are beautifully natural, exactly what we were after. Melissa is such a talented photographer, and a wonderful person, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Melissa, thank you.”

The stunning florals for the day were by Blooming Wild Crear Flowers, using an amazing array of textures, from fern and eucalyptus, to thistles and roses in shades of purple.

“We chose wild bouquets with purple and cream flowers and gave them pretty much free rein with it all as we had seen their work and loved it. I wanted the flowers to feel wild with no structure and this is what we got!”

While still on their travels in Vietnam, the couple had 16 colourful lanterns made and shipped back home. They eventually came to hang from the rafters at Crear, and looked fantastic alongside the string lights.

Each of the dining tables were named after a country that Laura and Chris had travelled to, decorated with that country’s flag held in glittery gold bottles.

“We found a world map in Ikea and loved how simple it was, so we glued photo frames around it, and had string and pin going to each country, with the names of guests at that table in the photo frame.”

Crear Kitchen chef Alan Boslem laid on a magnificent vegan feast, from the canapes at the drinks reception right through to dessert.

“And it all went down an absolute treat! We also included their signature sugar blown apple, filled with apple sorbet and Crabbie’s ginger syrup. That had the wow factor as you had to crack it to get in to it!”

“Instead of wedding favours, I bought elephant poo paper whilst I was working in Kenya last February. I work for a company who support local people and their businesses, and the elephant poo paper was made by local women in the community we were in.”

“Projects like these really help to support families and help alleviate the human wildlife conflict, and we thought it would be pretty cool to reflect that in our wedding. So, the name places were written on the elephant poo paper, and a tag with them to explain what it was!”

There was also a dessert table, with cakes made by Laura’s mum, including Victoria sponge, chocolate cake, and fruit cakes laced with brandy.

“My mum also made a selection of raw chocolate balls, rolled in coconut, hazelnut and cocoa powder… and her famous Jack Daniels fudge. Yum!”

“We didn’t really have a budget in mind. We were happy to spend between £15-17k and knew that as long as we ensured we paid for the food, alcohol, band and photographer then the rest can be made, or we could go without. Crear is such a special place that you don’t need to do much to it to make it beautiful.”

“We were lucky enough to have things gifted to us from family and friends which really helped too. We did go over budget, but not by much. I think that was because we were earning and saving hard, and after having 3 years to plan and pay for it all, we were in a good position. There are plenty of things you can go without at a wedding, just make sure that you keep track of your spending and hunt for bargains and DIY where you can!”

“The speeches and dancing were a highlight of the day. I remember looking around the room and feeling so much love for each and every person that had made such an effort to be there with us to celebrate, we just felt so very loved.”

“We had a flower wall, made with the help of my wonderful friends and family, and my mum’s friend Suzanne, who worked tirelessly to cut out each petal for me to then fold and stick together!”

“We took inspiration from a friend who made a flower wall for her sister’s engagement and they were kind enough to lend us their wall they had made themselves, along with a few flowers that matched my colour scheme. We then made different shades purple flowers (all 120 of them!) and pinned them to the wall on the Friday we arrived at Crear.”

“It was a painstakingly tedious job to do, but I have to say, I am so very pleased we stuck with it. It provided the back drop to all of our photos, and we had an Instax mini Polaroid camera for our guest book, which was next to the flower wall, so the photos are just fab!”

“Looking back, there is very little we would have done differently. We would have asked for a few canapes to be put to one side as we disappeared off for photos on the beach and when we returned there were a couple left and we had completely forgotten about them and were pretty hungry by that point!”

‘There Will Be Time’, by Mumford & Sons was the song of choice for the couple’s first dance together. Both Laura and Chris are huge fans, having seen them live many times.

“We both knew our first dance would be by them, and after both of us visiting and falling in love with Africa, we knew that the collaboration with Baaba Maal would be magical, and it sure was. We knew instantly the song we wanted to dance our first dance to.”

“The immensely talented The Watershed, found through Coast Entertainment, made us feel like we were at a concert rather than a wedding and we cannot rate them highly enough. Knowing we didn’t want a traditional band who played all the cheese… we knew these guys were exactly what we were looking for. I have never seen so many people on the dance floor at a wedding, and I cannot remember sitting down once. The guitar solos and vocals were beyond anything we expected, not a wedding band, but a band first, who play at weddings.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“When planning our wedding, I didn’t even know where to start. I wasn’t too sure how the day should go or what the day should look like. We knew what we liked, but was that enough for our only wedding day? Pinterest did help, but it also became very frustrating seeing lots of ideas that are set up for photo shoots to make weddings look incredible, so if I could give you one bit of advice, it would be to plan your wedding for you, not for everyone else.”

“Ask for help. And then ask for a bit more! We wouldn’t have achieved the look and feel of our day if it wasn’t for the dedication and willingness for our family and friends to give up their time to help us. Just pay well in beer and wine!”

“It is ok to start something and then change your mind. I had no idea what colour scheme I wanted. To be honest, I didn’t want one at all. I didn’t want everything to match, I wanted the day to have personality. We started off with emerald-green bridesmaid dresses. The girls looked beautiful, but it just didn’t feel right so we scrapped that idea, and I didn’t know what colour I wanted them in. Until I started looking at the palettes of colours for various things and came across a few purples and lavender pastel colours that I adored. And that was it, what came after that was purple! The flowers for the flower wall were made out of various shades or purple, and the girls went ahead looking for a dress they would love.”

“Enjoy the build-up. I can honestly say, there wasn’t much we got stressed about. We enjoyed the lead up to the wedding, and that made for a very relaxed and stress-free weekend. If you do feel like you are getting stressed, take a step back and remember what the day, the saving money, the menu choosing is all for. It’s for you and the person you love to commit to each other and have a bloody good time whilst doing it!”

“I also would have dedicated people for certain jobs (this is where a list would have been very handy!) for things like ensuring the rings are at the ceremony and not inside (oops!), handing out the confetti for the end of the ceremony (60+ paper cones made and filled with dried lavender went to waste!) but nothing that is a major factor in the day. All of these things didn’t make or break the day…”

Laura and Chris, what a magical day you had. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Massive thanks also go to Melissa Beattie for her gorgeous, atmospheric images. How wonderful to be married by the sea! You can view more lovely weddings at Crear right here, too.

With love,

Laura