“In the evening, we hired a cèilidh band called The Jacobites to travel down from Edinburgh to play for us,” continues Jess. “It was a massive hit with everyone. The band got everyone up and dancing, bringing a fun and lighthearted energy to the night. The Scottish guests knew the dances and the Welsh didn’t, but that didn’t matter; everyone just got stuck in and it was amazing! By the end of the night, everyone was smiling, sweating and loving every minute of it.” MEMORABLE MOMENTS “It was important to us that Celtic traditions were incorporated throughout the day, with Sam being Welsh and me being Scottish,” explains the bride. “After the legal part of the ceremony, my brother Angus stood up and commenced with the quaich and handfasting using Cooper & Black watch tartan. The quaich, a two-handled loving cup, is an ancient Scottish tradition that seals the bond between two people and marks the blending of two families. It symbolises the love and trust between us as we allow each other to drink whisky from it. A family friend played the bagpipes for us during the ceremony and as tradition, we ‘paid the piper’ by sharing the whisky from our quaich with him. My brother and his partner gifted us our wedding quaich with an engraving from the Robert Burns poem A Red, Red Rose.” HONEYMOON “We didn’t go on our honeymoon straight after the wedding because we had rented a large country house for the wedding and wanted to enjoy time with our family,” says Jess. “It also meant we had something to look forward to. We have planned a 10-day trip to Croatia, staying in Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik.” JESS AND SAM’S ADVICE “Our top tip for any couple about to get married is to do everything as early as you can,” shares Jess. “There are a lot of things to do leading up to the wedding, so the more time you spend planning beforehand, the easier it will be.” 39 REAL WEDDINGS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=