Rachael and Michael didn’t let their change of plans and ideas phase them, they went ahead and made sure they were happy with their wedding day choices. I so love their seaside setting at Orocco Pier, Edinburgh and their choice of pink and blue colour scheme.

Rachael donned a Sottero and Midgley lace dress with lace edged veil and converse while Michael went for a suit by Reiss which he teamed with a pink bow tie. So stylish, so chic.

Thanks so much to Sam Williamson for sharing her gorgeous photographs with us today.

 

The Proposal… While 3 months pregnant with our daughter Charlotte, Michael whisked me away to one of my favourite places – Edinburgh’s annual Christmas Market and Winter Wonderland. After a lovely day of Christmas shopping, drinking hot chocolates and feasting on chocolate covered strawberries, Michael suggested a turn on the ferris wheel. On the final turn of the wheel, we stopped at the very top, with panoramic views across the city and the beautiful Christmas decorations in all their glory. While taking this in, I turned around to see Michael, ring box in hand, and it was then that he asked me to marry him. Extra brownie points considering he’s not the biggest fan of heights!

The Vision for the Day… At first we had decided on a vintage, rustic look for the day – think whimsical garden wedding. But the more involved I got in the planning process, I realised this just wasn’t going to work at all, and decided to embrace the location for our big day, which was beside the seaside. From there it evolved into a retro, ice-cream inspired day taking in our colour scheme of pastel pinks, blues and creams. The change in vision did mean a lot of headaches with changing our arrangements, from bridesmaids dresses (I had already bought some to accommodate the original theme) to flowers to colours, but it was worth it in the end.

The Planning Process… We wanted the process of planning our wedding to be as stress-free as possible, and we’re very lucky that our families were great with helping out on that side of things. The most important, key factor for the day for us was that it reflected both of us as individuals as well as a couple. Once we had settled on our retro, ice cream theme, the planning became a lot easier as we had a clear focus of what we wanted and how to achieve it.

Budget… £11,000

The Venue… Orocco Pier, South Queensferry.

The Dress + Accessories… I wore a Sottero & Midgley fit and flare dress, with fitted bodice and a full lace overlay that featured little crystals and pearls all over. The dress had a long train, and I wore it with a soft, double-layer veil with lace edging. My shoes were white converse pumps.

Finding the Dress… I found my dress in the second shop I visited, Emma Roy of Edinburgh. The girls in the store were fantastic – in particular, Kerri. She picked out my dress for me, and while it was the shape I was looking for I originally had reservations as it seemed a bit too ‘sparkly’ for my liking. But as soon as I tried it on, I knew that it was ‘the one’ without a shadow of a doubt.

Groom’s Attire… Michael wore a gorgeous 3-piece petrol blue suit from Reiss, complete with dusky pink bow tie and pocket square. It complemented his quirky personal style perfectly, and later in the evening he swapped his bow tie for an ice-cream patterned one to reflect the theme of the day!

The Readings + Music… Our readings were read by my Aunt, Fiona, and my chief bridesmaid, Clair-Marie. Fiona read ‘To Love is Not to Possess’ by James Kavanagh and Clair-Marie made us laugh with a reading of Pam Ayres’ ‘Yes I’ll Marry You’. We are very grateful to both of them for reading for us, it was a very special part of our ceremony. I walked down the aisle to ‘Concerning Hobbits’ (The Shire Song) from The Lord of the Rings, as the trilogy make up my three favourite films of all time. For signing the register we had ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz, ‘God Only Knows’ by the Beach Boys, and ‘Precious Love’ by James Morrison. Our first dance was to ‘I Won’t Give Up’ by Jason Mraz.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… My three lovely bridesmaids were my chief bridesmaid and best friend, Clair-Marie, my little sister, Eva, and Michael’s sister, Caileigh. The girls wore gorgeous navy lace dresses, and as chief bridesmaid Clair-Marie wore a longer version with slight fishtail that complemented my dress perfectly. They each carried a bouquet of pink hydrangea and wore dusky pink vintage-inspired shoes.

The Flowers… Our gorgeous flowers were created by Amy Annand (Amy Annand Flowers), and she was fantastic when we needed to change our brief from wild, rustic flowers to our new theme which was much more structured. She created large domes of pastel-coloured hydrangea for our centrepieces, with surrounding little vases of roses, pretty gypsophila and more hydrangea. The effect was exactly what we were looking for, and fitted with the ice-cream/seaside design perfectly with their domed shape and soft colours.

The Cake… Our cake was created by a family friend, Lucy Nicholson (Lucy’s Cakes), and was absolutely spectacular. We discussed a few ideas but as I wasn’t 100% on exactly what I wanted, I welcomed her creative input and she surpassed herself with the final result. The cake was a mix of our pastel colours, with the middle theme representing a beach hut with stripes, and each other tier featured lace and pearls to tie in with my dress. The cake itself was a Victoria sponge, and has received so many compliments since the big day.

Your Photographer… Our photographer, Sam Williamson, is an old friend of mine and I have admired her work for a long time. As soon as we started wedding preparations I knew I had to ask her, and prayed that she’d be available! Luckily for us, she was and I am so glad and grateful for that. Sam did an incredible job, and put in so much work on the day – she truly went above and beyond. When we received the photos from her, I couldn’t believe it. They were exactly what we had in our minds when we approached her, she has captured the day perfectly and the style fits with the overall feel and look we wanted.

The Details + Decor… The small details were important to both of us, as we felt that it was in these we could truly add in our own personal touches. It was very important to me to wear my Converse shoes, and my daughter Charlotte wore the same. We wanted everything to tie in together subtly, and we reflected this in as much as we possibly could. This extended to our menu, as our evening buffet featured fish and chips from a retro newspaper cone, and ice cream served from a gorgeous vintage ice cream trike.

The Honeymoon… A romantic mini-moon to Paris, staying in a beautiful boutique hotel.

Memorable Moments… There are so many moments I could choose from, but one of the stand-out points for me was seeing Michael’s face for the first time while walking down the aisle. It was an incredibly special moment and I think made us both realise exactly what the day was all about. But in all honesty, just having a fantastic day with all of our family and friends meant that the day as a whole was amazing for both of us.

Advice for Other Couples… Make sure you take some time to think about the overall theme that you’d like to achieve for your day; I rushed in with my first thoughts without really thinking it through. When I ended up changing my mind, it cost us both time and money trying to make the changes. It’s so easy to get caught up in the first throes of wedding planning, when everything is exciting and new, but just take some time to have a look through your options. Pinterest was a fantastic source for us when coming up with ideas, it was an invaluable resource. Also, if your family and friends want to help out… Let them! We wouldn’t have had the amazing day that we did without the input of our nearest and dearest.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Flowers – Amy Annand Flowers

Cake – Lucy’s Cakes by Lucy Nicholson

Dress – Sottero & Midgley @ Emma Roy of Edinburgh

Suits – Reiss

Photography – Sam at Green Wedding Photography

Hair – Shiona Bain @ Zuri Boutique

Makeup – Pam Wilson Beauty

Bridesmaids’ dresses – Ariella @ Jenners Edinburgh

Venue – Orocco Pier

Invitations – Vistaprint

Favours – Green & Blacks

Ice cream trike – Miss Pepperday’s Tricycle Treats

 

Utterly beautiful.

Thanks so much to Rachael and Michael for sharing their lovely wedding with us today XOXO Lou