anna + brian | comrie croft

Anna and Brian were married on 28th August 2014 at Comrie Croft in Perthshire. "Brian proposed to me on Christmas Day 2013 so we arranged the wedding in (a very short!) eight months." Huge thank you to Rooftop Mosaic for sharing their images of their unique, styled to perfection day! You can catch them on their website, Facebook or Instagram.

"We wanted a rustic, simple, barn wedding in a beautiful setting and Comrie Croft really fitted the bill.  We hired the whole place for two days and asked guests to pay for their rooms.  There is accommodation to fit all budgets – a farmhouse, group rooms in the Steading and even a campsite.  There are also Katas which are like small tipis (we spent our wedding night in one!) which have their own stoves, fire pits and a swing.  For those who want something ‘less rustic’ there is a five star hotel nearby."

"We live in a small seaside village in Fife called Aberdour.  The table names were made up from different places in the village – including the local pub The Forries, Aberdour Castle, Blacksands Beach and even the Witches Shop!  We made a blackboard for the seating plan and the best part of the planning process was when we spent the day walking around the village taking photos for each table.  It was a beautiful sunny day and it was really special to walk around the place we live in and love to take photos for our wedding."

"Admittedly, I was the person who came up with most of the plans but Brian was really involved in implementing them.  We had lego men holding name flags for the place settings on the tables which involved sourcing 120 lego men and allocating them with a particular person in mind.  Brian definitely led on that task!  He also made the Lego themed wedding cake (the day before the wedding!).  I had never seen him bake a cake so I was a bit worried – but he pulled it off and the cake looked spectacular!"   

"I couldn’t be bothered making a big deal of buying the wedding dress and only went to three shops during my lunch breaks.  I had a clear idea of what I wanted – a simple white dress which fell from under the bust.  I bought it in a second hand dress shop in Edinburgh for under £400 with the assurance from the shop owner that the alterations wouldn’t be expensive.  It is worth checking that out with a seamstress first; they ended up nearly costing the same as the dress!  I had a corset put in the back with a turquoise lace which matched the stole that myself and my bridesmaid wore.  I made a paper flower crown with some bright turquoise and red flowers in it, and wore my hair down with some simple curls in it (they didn’t last long!)  My favorite part of the outfit was my dark green knee high lace up boots.  They were comfortable enough to dance in the whole night through!"

"I am a Quaker.  The wedding is part of the Quaker meeting for worship and is held in the same way – it takes place in silence, and anyone who is moved to speak can stand and say something.  When Brian and I felt it was right we stood and took each others’ hands and said very simple vows.  There is no minister and afterwards everyone who attended signs the large wedding certificate, which is now framed on our wall."

"It’s so hard to choose because there were beautiful speeches, my choir sang songs and we also ended up kneeling in the mud around a fire banging drums!  But I think my favourite part was the Quaker meeting.  In other religious ceremonies the couple spend their time with their back to the congregation.  At a Quaker meeting everyone sits in a circle, and it was so special being able to look at all the people we loved in one room."

"We had burlap and lace table runners, fimo flower napkin holders, flag holding lego men for name places, lace and burlap covered jars with candles, fudge favours, parcels of toys for the children and lavender and wheat centerpieces.  We made everything.  We gave away the decorations at the breakfast the day after.  Everyone kept their lego men and people even made the fimo flowers into necklaces and bracelets.  It’s lovely when we visit friends and family and there are bits of our wedding in their houses!"  

"We were really comfortable with our photographer.  We wanted someone who would mainly be in the background taking spontaneous pictures.  But on one occasion Gail asked us to come out to take photos in the setting sun.  I thought I would have hated having my picture taken but it ended up being a really special moment - it was one of the only times when Brian and I got to be (nearly) alone with each other and have a wee kiss!" 

"I really recommend trying to make some of the bits and bobs yourself – it makes the wedding more personal and some of the funniest and happiest memories were organising and making the wedding materials.  There are loads of ideas and advice on Pinterest and youtube.  It made the wedding seem to last more than just the one day.  However, if you are going to ‘do it yourself’ I recommend giving yourselves longer than eight months to do it!"

STAR PLAYERS

Venue: Comrie Croft

Band: The Homecoming String Band and Waverley Voices Choir

Florist: The Artisan Dried Flower Company

Photographer: Rooftop Mosaic

Caterer: Gourlay Catering

"Our caterer was excellent and so relaxed – Alastair really helped calm me down on the day.  The band were excellent and adapted their set to the energy in the room."  

"Gail (Rooftop Mosaic) produced beautiful photos and memories of the day which are now framed all over our house.  She managed the delicate balance of knowing when to be directive and when to be invisible!"