A Joanne Fleming Gown in Blue and Gold For a Festive Naval Wedding in Glasgow

I’ve always enjoyed this time of year in the run up to Christmas. There’s a real sense of anticipation in the air and more than a little bit of magic, too.

If it’s festive enchantment you’re searching for – perhaps a little sparkle and drama, and maybe some snow, too, then I have just the wedding for you today. Put the Christmas lights on, get yourself a mince pie and take a little time for some inspirational indulgence and a wedding full of cosy, joyful holiday spirit.

Images by Lauren McGlynn Photography

Wedding photographer and theatre designer Katy and Ciaran, who works for the Royal Navy were married on the 29 December 2017 in a ceremony at Govan Old Church in Glasgow followed by a reception at St. Andrew’s in the Square.

I’ve fallen completely for the exquisite gown Katy chose, and it’s by the fantastic Joanne Fleming, whose Brighton atelier is filled with the most romantic confections in silk, tulle, damask and more besides.

We’ve showcased her talent many times here on Love My Dress, and you can dive into this box of delights right here.
As a nod to Ciaran’s naval career, Katy wore an off-the-shoulder gown in navy blue with gold embroidery and the most glorious iridescent material – Katy shimmers and shines.

“I chose this dress because I loved how romantic and dramatic it was. I spent a lot of time looking at much more subtle dresses but once I’d seen that I just knew I had to have it.”

Katy wore burgundy suede heels from Clarks, and for her wedding day perfume, Chanel Chance, which always makes her happy whenever she wears it.

“I wore a gold necklace that my mother has had since she was 18 and a bangle that my aunt gave me for my 21st birthday.”

To finish off her outfit Katy wore a headband of golden leaves from Etsy designer Rose Red Rose White.

Hair and make-up artist Heather from AMM Hair and Make-Up Team was there on the morning of the wedding to style Katy to perfection.

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“Heather was great, she knew was I was looking for and made me and the family feel very relaxed on the morning of the wedding.”

There was spectacular festive colour in the breathtaking floral arrangements for the day, courtesy of Sophie at Cosmos Floral Design. Katy carried a bouquet trailing with fluttering ribbons in rich jewel shades of purple, blue and pink.

“Sophie was amazing, she created the most beautiful bouquets, buttonholes and table décor. She just understood exactly what I was looking for and she let me play with all the different ribbons in her studio, it was the best!”

“We wanted to get married at Govan Old because Ciaran’s mother, Dr. Rev. Moyna McGlynn was the minister and married both Ciaran’s siblings there.”

“Unfortunately Moyna died before we could be married but it made it all the more significant for us to be married in her church.”

Katy and Ciaran first met at school, and reconnected after studying away and returning home to Glasgow at the same time.

“The proposal happened on our three-year anniversary. It was a very private and relaxed proposal at our home .We were engaged for two years before we got married.”

Ciaran looked incredibly smart in his naval uniform, and the page boys matched him perfectly in sweet sailor suits, complete with hats and collars from Seaport94/

“Ciaran wanted to incorporate a few naval elements so we had port wine for our favours and our page boys wore sailors collars and hats, which they really loved. I wanted to surprise Ciaran with my blue dress and I chose a colour palette to match the navy blue with shades of gold, purple, burgundy and dusky pink.”

Accompanied by her dad, Katy walked down the aisle to Hornpipe from Handel’s Water Music to begin the ceremony. The couple chose to say traditional vows to one another, and exchanged rings from McGowans Jewellers in Argyll Arcade, Glasgow.

“We bought my engagement ring there and really liked the service.”

As their wedding reading, Katy and Ciaran decided on Song of Solomon 8: 6-7, choosing it for its passion and beauty.

 

“The ceremony itself…there is nothing else like it that you will ever do in your life, it felt surreal to be up there in front of all your loved ones and I will never forget it.”

As well as being a fantastic wedding photographer and member of our directory of trusted suppliers, Little Book, Lauren McGlynn is also Katy’s sister-in-law, with Katy herself being part of the photography team. For Katy and Ciaran then, there was only one choice when it came to who would capture their day.

“Lauren is my sister-in-law and we also work together, and she knew exactly what I wanted for the day. It made it all the more special that we were family and I was delighted with the pictures she took.”

“My bridesmaids picked their own dresses, one from Hobbs, another by Ralph Lauren and the other was from Switzerland, so I don’t know her retailer.”

As a thank you gift Katy gave her bridesmaids crystal necklaces from Etsy based GLDNxLayeredAndLong.

After the ceremony it was over to the neo-classical Georgian splendour of St. Andrew’s in the Square – a former church turned wedding venue for a cosy reception.

The soaring space was decked out for Christmas, with sparkling trees, twinkling lights festooned around the building’s pillars and garlands hanging from the balconies. Tables were decorated with more lovely flowers from Cosmos Floral Design and port favours from Valhalla’s Goat Liquid Treasures. A delicious dinner was made by Cafe Source, the in-house team at St. Andrew’s in the Square.

“The staff were so helpful when I came to select which port to go for. The anchor stickers were from Etsy and the bottles from eBay.“

Later in the day there was an array of brilliant family friendly entertainment from The Face Place (face painting) and Chris Twist – The Balloon Guy!

“Our main focus was to create a wedding that everyone could enjoy so we picked a really lively ceilidh band and had a balloon maker and face painter for the kids. This was a double win as all the adults were entertained by watching the kids and then they also got their faces painted for the dancing…Both Chris and Ellis the face painter went above and beyond duty by staying and working later than intended because of the amount of people wanting balloons and face painting. They were so great about it.”

Ceilidh band Stravaig kept everyone dancing, and for their first dance as a married couple, Katy and Ciaran chose I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith.

“It’s a really good song and everybody knows it and sang along, it was over the top and super fun on the day and now when I hear it on the radio it feels extra special.”

“For Ciaran, his favourite part of the day was dancing with his nieces and nephews at the reception and seeing how much fun they were all having.”

“Ciaran’s ship was due to go to sea 5 days after the wedding,which made the time we had together at the wedding and just after all the more special.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“The parts I found the best were the little details like making up the kids favours and the entertainment on the day, seeing the kids run about with their balloons and dance ribbons and then the adults dancing with the same ribbons and going to get their faces painted like they were kids again was really fun.”

“The planning can be stressful but when you get to see the culmination of your efforts and everyone having a great time it is the best feeling.”

Many congratulations, Katy and Ciaran as you approach your first wedding anniversary. Thank you for sharing your vibrant, festive day with us – it’s been brilliant. Huge thanks also go to Lauren McGlynn Photography. You can see more of Lauren and Katy’s wonderful work on our blog pages here.

With love,

Laura