Alistair and Lisa tied the knot on 25th June 2022 at Wedderlie House in the Scottish Borders with a gorgeous, weekend long wedding created for the enjoyment of their family and friends.
The couple wanted a venue that could host their nearest and dearest on site, and not be too far for other guests to reach. They wanted to hold an informal gathering the evening before their wedding day too, so hosted a self-made Pizza and drinks night, to allow family and guests the opportunity to mingle.
The bride wore a minimalist gown with a touch of drama in that sweeping train, by Spanish designers Aire Barcelona and the couple chose Love My Dress recommended wedding photographers, The Gibsons, to capture these joyous images.
The Venue & Location
Pizza and wine on a Friday evening is a firm Brailey family tradition, so it was great to incorporate this into our wedding weekend. Most of the team on site (Family) were involved in setting up the venue, as Wedderlie allows you creative freedom to put your own stamp on their excellent venue.
So, in short, the coming together of the families was the primary vibe. We are very humble and family focused people, so the inspiration was to have the families pull together and be major players in helping us achieve our desire. Well done team.
The rustic yet classy charm of Wedderlie won us over from the very beginning, and the excellent accommodation and facilities onsite allowed us to extend our event to a weekend, rather than just a one-day event. We were hugely inspired by Jamie the owner, and his drive and passion to make Wedderlie the wonderful venue that it is.
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Bridal Beauty & Accessories
Lindsay from Belle Bridal Hair & Beauty was my hair stylist and Selen Jack was my makeup artist. Both did a fantastic job of the bridal party hair and makeup up and it was lovely to have them with us on the wedding morning, helping us get ready.
I didn’t want to detract too much from the back detail of the dress but felt a subtle veil would complement the dress perfectly. My veil was inexpensive, and I sourced it from a lovely supplier on eBay.
I bought my shoes in a sale shortly after we got engaged. They were from Carvela and I just thought they were the perfect height and style. I added some blue vinyl stickers to the soles of my shoes with my new name and our wedding date – this was my ‘something blue’ and personalising myself allowed be to be involved with the creativity of my final look and feel.
I knew I wanted to have my hair up in a simple and elegant style and that I would also have my veil, so I searched for something subtle and unusual. I found the most gorgeous flower pins on Etsy from India Grace Bridal – simple pins with white ceramic flowers which were perfect.
The Christmas before we got married, Alistair had gifted me a Louis Vuitton fragrance called ‘Spell On You’ – I decided there and then I’d wear it on our wedding day.
One of my most special accessories was a beautiful vintage peacock brooch which my Mum gifted me on the morning of our wedding – I pinned it to my bouquet, and it looked perfect. Surrounded by the peacocks at Wedderlie it was very much at home.
My sister Gemma and I have always loved our leather jackets and she customised old leather jackets for us which we displayed in the Barrel barn during our wedding day and then wore for a little while in the evening – The Gibsons captured some beautiful shots of us rocking our jackets.
My earrings were from Emilia Rae Gridal and were a cute crystal flower with pearl drop. My bracelet was a birthday gift from Alistair – a beautiful fine gold and diamond bracelet with a pear-shaped charm, the same shape as my engagement ring.
The Dress
I wore the ‘Natane’ dress by Aire Barcelona. I bought my dress from Kudos Bridal in Dunfermline – my first dress appointment was at Kudos, and the first dress I tried on was the one I ended up buying. I fell in love with it there and then but felt I needed to try on a few more for my own peace of mind. After a few more appointments and finding a potential contender, I still couldn’t get the Natane dress out of my mind and felt I needed to see it again. I called Kudos and arranged another appointment the following day – as soon as I put the dress on I knew it was the one.
It was wonderful to work with Jackie and Megan at Kudos – they made the whole experience easy and comfortable, and it was a pleasure to spend time in the shop. I felt at ease which I think is so important when making such a big decision, there was no hard sales pitch or pressure, and I was so thankful for their judgement and input. I found the perfect dress for me, and I’ve never felt better wearing anything – would absolutely recommend Kudos to other brides.
I didn’t think I had an idea of the perfect wedding dress for me at the outset and was open to ideas – but I think what I chose ended up including a lot of my favourite fashion elements. I love Spanish design, beautiful crepe fabric, an elegant silhouette, long sleeves and a slightly higher neckline and simple but striking features. The deep ‘V’ back, subtle detailing on the sleeves and waistline and the super long train were really striking. It was also so comfortable.
The Groom
Alistair chose to go with Slanj Kilts due to their extensive hire collection, and ease to work with. The fitting, ordering and collection were all faultless and there was a bit of personal touch even though they were busy.
Our 3 year old page boy wore a mini kilt suit which matched the groomsmen – he looked incredibly cute!
Bridesmaids
The bridesmaids were in navy and I found their dresses on ASOS – when deciding on colours I was torn between navy and shades of green, but I was so drawn to navy and both girls looked amazing in the dress. I was keen that they both loved wearing their dresses and felt comfortable in them, and that they weren’t too formal and structured, so the dress chosen ticked all those boxes.
The bridesmaids wore simple nude sandals from Boohoo which complimented the dresses perfectly and looked great in the summer. I gifted them gold cuffs from Oliver Bonas, little gold earrings with leaf droplets, and gold leaf hairpins for them to wear in their hair however they wanted to.
The flower girl dresses were from Monsoon – our florist also made the girls little headbands with fresh gypsophila which complimented the dresses perfectly.
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All Hands On Deck
We were lucky to have a team of family on site the day before the wedding to help with the set up and décor – I was blown away by their creativity and so grateful for all they did. My auntie also kindly lent us some wedding décor that had been used at cousins weddings and it was great to be able to borrow rather than buy it all.
In the ceremony barn, we opted for ivy garlands around the wagon wheel lights and the sides of the barn and a lovely floral garland over the arch at the front of the barn. I made ‘pew ends’ to hang on the aisle side chairs with my Mum using faux foliage and ribbons.
At the entrance of the ceremony barn we placed two wooden wagon wheels which I found in B&M and decorated with faux florals. We used the marquee as our dining area and decorated the tables with wooden log slices and little glass vases with flowers which had been provided by our florist and arranged the day before the wedding.
Ceremony
My Dad walked me down the aisle to the sound of Songbird by Fleetwood Mac – one of my favourites. We knew the moment in the track that I wanted to start walking down the aisle – and Kamile (events director) expertly coordinated the logistics of this using walkie talkies with her colleague who was managing the music inside the barn. I remember her signaling to her colleague and the next thing I knew the barn doors opened and I was walking down the aisle.
We chose our rings in Goldsmiths – I went for a beautiful gold band with a slight wishbone shape, which compliments my engagement ring beautifully. Alistair chose a palladium ring with a hammered texture finish.
We opted for a humanist wedding ceremony – we gave this a lot of thought and agreed that we wanted our ceremony to have depth, emotion, meaning and to feel very special. It was all of this and more.
Candice Dillen was our celebrant and she is a truly gifted and inspirational lady. We included a traditional Scottish hand fasting, and our Mums each presented a piece of their family tartan which we used to ‘tie the knot’
We had a couple of special additions in our ceremony; the first happened early on in the ceremony and was a huge surprise to me – Alistair started off by reading the words ‘you’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you’ to which our guests then joined in and helped him sing the remainder of the first verse – a very special moment. Alistair’s son Kobe had the special job of being our ring bearer, but he was assisted by a gorgeous white barn owl who flew down the aisle to him with our rings.
We had two readings at our wedding. The first was read by one of my best and oldest friends, Sarah. She read ‘How We Love’ by ‘Beth Nielsen Chapman – it is actually a song but the lyrics are beautiful and I knew I would love to have them read at our wedding as soon as I heard them.
The second reading was beautifully read by two of my cousins Hayley and Aimee – I’m lucky to have them as cousins, but also best friends, I knew I wanted to have them play a special part in our ceremony and found a really fitting reading which they read together. It was ‘I’ll Be There For You’ by Louise Cuddon. I found the reading on Love My Dress – such a helpful resource and I really enjoyed being able to go through lots of ideas before making my choice.
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Photography & Film
We chose The Gibsons and it was one of the best decisions we made when planning our wedding. After securing our venue, the next thing we booked was our photographer. I loved the style of The Gibsons photography as soon as I found them and was delighted they were available on our wedding date.
From the very first contact we had with Scott and Chantal, it’s been a wonderful experience. We are truly grateful to have had Scott and Chantal’s help and expertise all the way through the process and their proactive approach was fantastic.
We had an engagement shoot prior to our wedding which was so much fun and a chance for us to meet in person – we had a great evening in Glasgow with Scott and Chantal, and they made us feel at complete ease, would really recommend this to couples ahead of their wedding.
Scott and Chantal captured our day perfectly and were fantastic on our wedding day, ensuring all went to plan. They are hugely talented and true professionals in every sense and we knew we were in very safe hands. The day after our wedding Scott & Chantal started to share photographs and we were blown away by the images – our guests also loved seeing photographs shortly after our day and it created a huge buzz around our wedding.
Recommended wedding supplier
The Gibsons
The Gibsons provide natural, relaxed modern wedding photographers based in Scotland.
Our videographer s were Goosegreenfilms – Sylvia and Grant captured our day beautifully from morning preparation through to the evening party. Not only did they produce a video which we’ll treasure forever, but they were hugely supportive on the day.
The day after our wedding, we got a video teaser with the highlights of our day – it captures the sentiment of the day so beautifully.
How They Met
We met in 2018 on the dating app Bumble – interestingly we both grew up in the same town, went to the same school, and had some shared social circles, but we both played it cool and pretended we didn’t know each other at first.
Fast forward to Christmas Day 2020 when we got engaged. Alistair had planned the loveliest surprise on Christmas Day, starting with a set of clues in door number 24 of my advent calendar – sort of like a treasure hunt. It was incredibly thoughtful and special – very Alistair. Alistair chose the most stunning engagement ring – I don’t think I could have chosen a more perfect ring myself.
At this point, it was the height of the pandemic but we were so glad we could spend Christmas Day with 2 other households and toast our engagement with my parents, sister and brother in law, before going back into lockdown! Alistair had plans to propose on Arran (location of our first holiday together) but the pandemic had other ideas so this was his plan B.
Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, we decided to skip 2021 and look for a date in 2022 – we were so lucky Wedderlie had the 25th June 2022 available.
Flowers
I was keen to find a florist local to our venue as I knew I wanted to have buckets of fresh flowers delivered to our venue the day before the wedding to arrange as part of our table centers – we have some family with floristry expertise so it was great to get them involved.
Our florist was the wonderful Border Blooms, based in Kelso – Gail the owner was fantastic and listened to my ideas and inspiration and created the most beautiful bouquets and other floral displays.
I knew I wanted to have quite a big bouquet – lots of white florals and green flowy foliage including lots of eucalyptus in a hand tied bouquet.
Reception
Decor & Details
We loved the different spaces that were ours to style in whatever way we wanted to at Wedderlie, as well as the most beautiful grounds.
We were keen to keep décor simple and striking that would complement the gorgeous, charming spaces. Rustic and country while retaining a stylish and elegant feel. We’re also huge music fans so knew that we would want to incorporate music and song into as many parts of the day as possible.
My Mum and Mother in Law helped me wrap string around all of the menus and a sprig of eucalyptus was placed inside each person’s setting – it provided a lovely green pop of colour in the marquee. My Mum also had a great idea using hula hoops. We covered the hoops in hessian ribbon and decorated them with faux florals to hang in the marquee. It was great to see my mum’s creative side come to life.
Alistair and I made two signs from old pallets – we sanded them down and stained them and sourced vinyl lettering from eBay to make our ‘order of the day’ and ‘welcome’ signs. We had the use of another small barn, cutely called the ‘barrel barn’ – this ended up being a brilliant extra space for guests to gather. We decorated with white bunting, wicker hampers, photographs and florals. Alistair is really handy and creative and made a brilliant selfie wall to go in the barrel barn using wood, IKEA foliage panels and neon lights spelling ‘love’.
We both love our food and were keen that food was plentiful and delicious. Regis Banqueting were great from the outset – it was really encouraging that they had lots of options to suit all budgets and styles. The tasting session was a great opportunity to discuss plans in more detail. We had a delicious range of canapes at the drink’s reception, and opted for a traditional 3 course wedding breakfast, and a taco bar in the evening which proved very popular. The staff were so professional and friendly, and everything ran smoothly on the day.
Our cake was from Cakes by Cullen. Heather was incredible – we had a cake tasting evening which then led to the difficult job of choosing our flavours. We went for toffee, red velvet and carrot and chose a simple semi naked design for our cake – we loved the rustic style and arranged for our florist to provide some fresh florals which Heather expertly arranged during the cake setup on the morning of the wedding.
One of the lovely touches of a Wedderlie wedding is that couples get a bespoke coat of arms designed for them and a flag which is lifted onto the mast in the courtyard for your wedding day. I loved that our crest was unique to us and was keen that we used this on our stationery. The crest was designed by Michelle of Sprocket Dog Design and she worked with us to come up with our design. I then asked if she could help with our stationery, and she was delighted to – she designed our invites and RSVP cards as well as other stationery including our menu cards and order of ceremony. I was delighted with our stationery. I even ordered envelope seals with our crest printed on them.
Our wedding tables were all names of our favourite albums – we found a wonderful supplier on etsy who designed this for us. We then arranged for a local printer to print the table plan for display on an easel at the entrance of the marquee, and individual album covers to sit on mini easels at each of the tables.
Favourite Moments
“It’s hard to pick a favourite part of the day – so many incredible moments. I’ll never forget the barn doors open and seeing all our guests turn and Alistair at the end of the aisle.” (Lisa)
“Upon reflection, so many moments flash through my mind. With so many of our nearest and dearest present. And few of the unplanned but entertaining memories created and etched into our story. I could easily get lost in the refection. However, the most treasured is the first sight of Lisa walking down the aisle and with the radiant sun behind here in the large arched entrance of hall, was heavenly and majestic. And Lisa looked radiant and glowing. As always.. A big gulp and acceptance of this is it moment.” (Alistair)
Evening & Dancing
Our first dance was to Skerryvore’s ‘Take My Hand. Wedderlie had this as the soundtrack to the video on their website – it’s an emotive track and we found ourselves falling more in love with Wedderlie each time we watched the video (and heard this song). I think the line ‘Take my hand and we’ll go dancing’ is a good metaphor for how we want to go through life together.
Brian Kelly, a guitarist, provided a fantastic soundtrack to the afternoon drinks reception.
We found our evening band ‘The Brightside’ via Elite Bands and James and the team were so helpful, would recommend to anyone looking to book a band. The Brightside are incredible – from start to finish, they created something so special and unforgettable – the dance floor was packed and electric all night, and it was one hell of a party.
Our guests are still talking about them. Their entire set was amazing, and our guests particularly loved the old dance classics, including Bits n Pieces. We barely left the dancefloor all night – and the train of my dress is evidence of this.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Remember it’s your day, and plan for it to be a reflection of who you feel you are. The journey of building this shared dream is something that will test your ability to work as a team and compromise to find the balance.
When the day comes, you will be surprised how quickly the day runs, and the team of people around you will ensure you manage to experience all the joy your day will bring. So many precious and cherished memories created in one special day.
We do however remember feeling the day after the event that we never managed to interact and speak with all the guests.
And strangely feeling a bit guilty as they all made such a great effort and enhanced the whole experience. We have tried to divide the time back in our minds – and simply there would not have been enough time in the day to spend 10/15 mins with everybody, even if we tried. We wanted an inclusive vibe overall and we believe we got that.
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The Gibsons
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Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
