girls carrying lighter versions. Dewar and the groomsmen wore rose and gypsophila buttonholes, and all of our family members had a small buttonhole, too.” When it came to dressing the tables, the couple decided to remember friends and family no longer with them. “We opted for simple milk bottles, filled with artificial roses, peonies and noble leaf sprays, before adding a name tag to each bottle of the friends and family we wished were still here, alongside their framed photograph.” HEART ON MY SLEEVE Louise didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a wedding dress she’d only wear for a few hours. “I went to my local Wed2B store with an open mind, with the dress I chose nothing like what I thought I’d buy!” she says. “It had beautiful lace detail on the train and body, and buttons all the way down the back. The shop assistants both cried when they saw me in it, so I knew it was the one! However, I really wanted sleeves, so I took my gown to an amazing local dressmaker I’ve used multiple times, who added incredibly beautiful organza, bishop-sleeves with cuffed, button up wrist detail. I couldn’t believe how perfect they were and how much of a difference they made, and the comments I had throughout the day were overwhelming.” Louise’s bridesmaids wore sage green dresses to further complement the couple’s scheme. “I initially wanted white, but seeing as my gown was off-white it was impossible to find anything that looked quite right – plus it’s really hard to buy white bridesmaid dresses! In the end I looked on ASOS and found the dresses the girls wore, mixing two different styles together. They both had lovely waist wrap detail, and my bridesmaids all said they were really happy with how the outfits accentuated their shape. Our flower girl dresses were from Next, and featured lovely button and bow details at the back. They looked so cute and said they felt like Princesses for the day!” ALL A KILT-ER Dewar’s dad is Scottish, so it was important for the bride and groom to reflect this on the day. “Dewar loves to wear a kilt at any and every opportunity – and I love to see him in one! – so when we set the date we knew straight away that the male wedding party would wear them,” says Louise. “We hired the kilts from Moss Bros, choosing Douglas Modern tartan as it went well with the bridesmaids’ dresses. They teamed them with dress shirts, waistcoats and jackets, along with bow ties, sock flashes and sporrans. I think they secretly all loved wearing them, even though a couple of the lads were worried about their legs being on show! Our page boys, however, didn’t want to put on a ‘skirt’, so wore navy chino shorts, shirts, tartan bow ties and braces.” The nod to Dewar’s Scottish heritage didn’t end there, with the groom’s parents organising a bagpiper as a surprise for Dewar to keep in with tradition. “The photographer got some amazing shots of Dewar coming out of the manor house to see the bagpiper playing,” continues Louise. “It really added an extra special element for both us and our guests.” HAVE YOUR FAKE AND EAT IT It may come as a huge surprise to read that Louise and Dewar’s wedding cake was completely fake! “Dewar’s sister, Emma, makes cakes for a living, so when we discussed what kind of design we wanted Emma was worried about the cake melting and losing its shape. We weren’t planning on doing the traditional cake-cutting anyway, so she suggested we create a fake cake, instead, with cupcakes for guests to enjoy in the evening. It was a fantastic idea! Our sage green ‘cake’ tied in with the colour scheme and had a silk bow tied around it that trailed down onto the table. It looked beautiful, and no one could believe that it wasn’t real!” The food Louise and Dewar’s friends and family enjoyed was also hugely important to the couple. “As we had a twilight wedding, we decided against a formal wedding breakfast, to go with our laid-back vibe,” says the bride. “We’ve been to multiple weddings in the past, and although the dinners are delicious, they can be a long affair, and we didn’t want to spend such a big chunk of time eating when there was socialising to be done! We decided on a street food van, with our guests enjoying burgers, sausages, skin-on fries and cheesey chips. We had tons of compliments saying how much they loved the food and how it added another element of fun to the day.” 39 REAL WEDDINGS
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