lorraine + chris | lothian chambers

Lorraine & Chris were married on 6th September 2014 at Lothian Chambers, Royal Mile and had their reception at the Marriott in Edinburgh. They were planning their wedding for 18 months. Big thanks to Ali Cleary Photography for sharing the images!

Lorraine gets her hair and make up done above by the fab Amy and Kirsty from Made Over Ladies.

"We picked Lothian Chambers because it had the historic charm and simplicity of a civil wedding. Also an opportunity to get some lovely photos around the old town! Marriott had a great space inside that ticked all the boxes. It also had a perfect outdoor space for the drink reception. The biggest reason for picking the Marriott was because we felt the staff was so professional and that we were in safe hands with the amazing event planner."

"Chris said soon after proposing that he’s happy for me to plan most of it which I was happy to do that as I’m quite creative with lots of ideas and like being organised! He selected the music and suggested the song for our first dance. He was always included on major decisions such as the venue, photographer, menu and invitations among other things."

"I’m not a particularly fussy person when it comes to dresses as I don’t normally wear them. I didn’t have much of an idea what I would like but knew what suited my body type. I didn’t want to spend weeks looking for my dress so after a lot of research online I shortlisted three shops and made appointments for each. After trying on a selection I had one in my mind that I went back to try on the following day. I think when that happens you know you’ve found the one! I got my dress from Gwennes of Broxburn and it was by Justin Alexander, a lovely vintage looking lace bodice with a tulle full skirt and a dropped waist and gorgeous peep hole back detail. It really flattered me and had a slight vintage/romantic look to it which I loved."

"Of course the ceremony was special for us but I also wanted my guests to have a good time so really enjoyed the photo booth we organised. It was so much fun! All of our guests seemed to really enjoy it and we were able to incorporate it into a guest book with photos and messages which we could look through the next day. Trying to change props in between photos and larking around with guests was such a laugh and really gave evening guests the opportunity to get involved. I’m so glad we decided to do it. The photos make me smile every time I look at them."

"I really enjoyed planning the food and in particular designing and baking my own wedding cake and dessert table. It really impressed my guests on the day."

"My favourite detail had to be the dessert table as it was something in my head that really came together on the day. All the guests were so impressed, even the Marriott staff said they hadn’t seen anything like it. I spent hours practicing and designing details of my three tier fruit cake including about fifteen handmade sugar roses for the top and hand painted portraits of us from our invites on the top tier. Not only that but I also spent days leading up the big day baking over one hundred different flavoured meringues to create a colourful tower! It was great to give some local bakers an opportunity to showcase their delights. We had macarons from Mademoiselle Macaron, gluten free chocolate cupcakes and a giant red velvet cupcake from Caledonian Cupcakes and the most amazing rainbow sponge buttercream cat cake from 3D Cakes. We have a pet black cat called Haku so it felt right to incorporate her into the day somehow. None of the guests knew about it so it was a lovely surprise."

"The first dance is my most vivid memory. I know it can be pretty daunting and I’m definitely no dancer because I remember trying to decide if we should try and dance a little or just shuffle around the floor. We opted for a safe shuffle but the music was so romantic and the words fitted the occasion so well that I couldn’t help but get a bit emotional. No one else in the room existed for those 2-3 minutes. My husband joked that I was only crying because I had just cut my beautiful cake!"

"Try not to sweat the small details as you’ll probably be the only one who notices and give yourself plenty of time to do anything homemade. Chances are you will underestimate how long it takes, particularly if you’re doing it alone. Don’t get too carried away of you could end up with a house full of random stuff to clear out afterwards."

"Pinterest is a gold mine for ideas on everything wedding related and you can source some really personal gifts for your bridal party from sites such as Etsy."

Thanks again to Ali Cleary Photography for sharing the images of Lorraine & Chris' day! You can catch Ali on Facebook too.