Inspiration

Just as the leaves have dropped, the air is crisp and the light is dappled, the gorgeous Lisa & Mark had a wild and wonderful woodland wedding at Fernie Castle in Cupar, Scotland at the height of Autumn magic. The ceremony was dressed beautifully with DIY ribbon chandeliers, hay bale seats draped in moroccan rugs, and an altar full of florals. Lisa looked absolutely stunning walking down the aisle in a spaghetti strap, Chantilly lace Enzoani gown and Richard Designs veil from the bridal boutique she works at Kudos Bridal. And standing their proud as punch was her groom Mark in a traditional tartan kilt and tween jacket. They included a hand fastening at their ceremony as well as many other spiritual/pagan elements and it all just oozed sentiment. Capturing all the wonderful moments was the fabulous Maureen Du Preez, who Lisa found on Rock My Wedding. Together they are a match made in heaven, and we've loved being able to share this Autumnal wedding. If you decide you love Maureen's photography style just as much as Lisa, then check out these gorgeous weddings she's captured too.

Dress

Lisa the Bride: Working within bridal allowed for me to know exactly what I wanted and style my whole outfit from one place. I was actually part of the buying process which brought my beloved, January, by Enzoani into our bridal collection at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline. I knew I wanted a soft, unstructured dress which would allow me to feel super comfortable throughout the whole day. Soft Chantilly lace adorned the whole of the gown, low back and crystal straps added just the right amount of detail. I wanted my veil to be longer than the dress! Gathering leaves as I walked down the aisle was my vision form the start! My gorgeous super long veil form Richard Designs, did just that and added drama to a soft look. I was in love with my whole outfit and just felt so lovely, comfortable and confident the whole day!

Grooms Attire

Mark's choice for his outfit was the weathered Mckenzie tartan, simply selected because he liked it! The colours offered a rustic look and teamed perfectly with his brown jacket, shoes and accessories. His whole look fitted in perfectly with the woodland setting. Mark is super laid back and I feel as though his outfit represented him perfectly with his long hair tied loosely tied back he was the most beautiful, handsome man I had ever seen! :)

The Venue

We had visited a few venues before we came across Fernie Castle. We always knew that the most important aspect was the offering of woodland and nature for us to hold our ceremony if weather allowed! The moment we pulled up to this beautiful venue we knew it was the one. A stunning castle surrounded by 17 acres of woodland, we knew it was the one for us. Not only did it offer exactly what we wanted for our ceremony but inside the castle was so welcoming and comforting the moment we stepped through the front door. We just had a feeling for this place and went for it! Colour Scheme/Decor Autumn is our favourite time of year and the colours that nature offer at this time dictated the overall look for our day. Nothing was precise but more so we just went with it! Woodland/rustic/autumnal/relaxed could all be used to describe our day. Using colours of Burgundy, orange, gold and green and every other colour in between! Our reflection was of Autumn and the beautiful time of year we were devoting to one another.

Flowers/Florist

We created everything ourselves! from the flower bouquets (which Mark made!) we picked most of the flowers from Mark's parents garden which was so much fun and a huge thank you to them for not grooming their garden to allow us to do that. Our dearest friends arrived from Lithuania a few days before the wedding and we literally spent the days leading up to the day getting crafty! decorating jars which we had collected with scraps of lace I acquired from work at Kudos Bridal. Spray painting jars and wooden pallets which Mark had acquired from his work. Making signs from frames we had sourced from charity shops and then even baking a layer of our wedding cake of our favourite, Carrot Cake! Once we had spent the days leading up to the wedding preparing and decorating inside the venue. Mark took on the responsibility of decorating the ceremony area on the morning of the wedding! This was just so amazing as I walked down the aisle into woodland not knowing what I would see and I was blown away! Hay bales were covered with throws, gifted to us from a friend who had brought them back from his travels in India. Flowers were strung up between the trees and a beautiful archway was decorated with meters of tulle fabric.It was so special and absolutely perfect for us.

The Wedding Party Fashion

Again fitting in with the relaxed feel of the whole day, we didn't want to dictate in any way as to what our wedding party had to wear or how they had to look. We were lucky to have such beautiful friends and family who just looked so mazing in everything! The groomsmen matched their tartan kilts to Mark, just switching up the colour of the jacket to a charcoal grey. Bridesmaids looked incredible in Sorella Vita dresses in Burgundy. Mark's sister (one of my bridesmaids) picked the kilts for the page boys and the gorgeous little flower girl dress for our niece was again selected from Kudos Bridal! My dad and brother (who carried our niece down the aisle) also selected their own outfit for the day.

Ceremony

The ceremony, for us was the most important part of the day. We knew the whole day would be relaxed and informal but it was this part which we wanted to place most focus. Being surrounded by nature and our dearest family and friends as we devoted our love to one another was so important. We opted for an interfaith ceremony, offering spiritual aspects and tailoring it with meaningful, Scottish tradition. We held a hand fasting, using sashes made from our Family clan tartan and we drank form the quaich using whiskey from our fathers hip flasks. Our dearest friends, also played special parts within the ceremony, Ruta read The Amber Spyglass, which was such a special moment for us. Melv played flute as I walked down the aisle. And of course, Mark's best friend, Gaz offered the rings. We wrote our own vows, again so important for us to take the opportunity to express our love and devotion in front of family and friends. Our siblings acted as witnesses, which we know isn't tradition but hey! it was what we wanted :) The ceremony was perfect in every way. The sun shone for us at that moment as the pictures show. we couldn't have asked for anything more in that moment.

Entertainment

The Invitations! the best wedding band ever!!!! these guys are truly a hidden gem and I would recommend them to everyone, they had our dance floor packed all night, it was just the best party. We came across them on YouTube, made our way to Glasgow one night and the second they started playing Led Zeppelin, we knew they were the band for us. We chatted to them and they were just so cool and accommodating, we booked them straight away. We had an unusual request for our first dance, Halo by Beyonce but sung in the Ann Brun version. If you haven't heard it, check it out on YouTube! Truly amazing and the lyrics resonated with us so strongly. and these guys done it amazingly! not only did the they learn our first dance, just a couple of days before the wedding I sent them a message to introduce them to song which I thought they could play so beautifully, never for a second thinking that they would learn it in such a short space of time. But they did and it was one of the best moments of the night. The song - Sweet Child Of Mine, the version from the film, Captain Fantastic. Again if you haven't heard it check it out! watch the film! Amazing.

Photographer

Maureen, my beautiful soul sister whom I knew from the moment I saw her images of beautiful art was the only photographer for us! Her style, her passion and whole outlook on life touched my heart. Photography, second to the ceremony was most important for us as we knew that once the day was over, stunning images along with our memories, which can be subdued by copious amounts of alcohol at a Scottish wedding! is the only reminder you have left. She was an absolute dream, from the moment we chatted on the phone until the day she arrived at our wedding I somehow just knew that I could place all faith with her that our memories would be captured perfectly. A pure professional, somehow managing to be in 10 places at once, her ninja like ability capturing all we could have wished for. Such a pleasure to work with and a pure artist. For anyone looking for that relaxed approach to wedding photography, seeking to capture the special moments of emotion using natural light and incredible attention and passion to detail, she is the girl for you! Maureen, I will forever be in awe of your talent. thank you.

Final Thoughts

Our day was meaningful, spiritual and filled with so much love. We didn't believe in spending huge amounts of cash to make it beautiful, we simply knew that being surrounded by our special people and adding in little personal touches would fill us all with love on the day. Never did we stray from the importance and meaning of our wedding which was simply to devote ourselves to one another, share and celebrate our love. And to be thankful that we have each other and that we are lucky enough to share it with loved ones. Surround yourself positivity, never forget your meaning of marriage, whatever that may be for you. Love your wedding day and everyday you have together.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Dress Designer: Enzoani | Bridal Boutique: Kudos Bridal | Veil: Richard Designs | Bridal Shoes: Rainbow Club | Groom : Kilt Shop Scotland | Bridesmaids: Sorella Vita | Venue: Fernie Castle | Band: The Invitations!

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