Real Weddings

Jesus Peiro for an elegant wedding at Ednam House – Lauren & Andrew

Katie Byrne

A subtle nod to Easter and a relaxed colour palette with pops of purple were key to this couple’s gorgeous April celebration.

Lauren and Andrew chose to get married at Ednam House, a stunning hotel venue on the Scottish Borders. A relaxed approach to their colour scheme meant that whilst Cadbury-esque purple punctuated the celebration, other shades – ranging from the bold to the pastel – were also enlisted, creating an end result that was as fun as it was stylish.

Handmade details (clock that table plan, for example) and a stunning Jesus Peiro wedding gown are just two of the elements we love the most about this romantic big day – and if you thought that Lauren’s slinky gown couldn’t get any better, reader, we can confirm that it also had pockets!

Read on for the full scoop, courtesy of the bride…

With images by Rosie Davison Photography

Proposal

Lauren says

: We were at home on a random Tuesday night in November 2017. I had just finished a spinning class at the gym (picture it: sweaty face, messy hair, gym attire…) and Andrew got down on one knee in the bedroom! I don’t think I’ve ever been more surprised – I couldn’t quite believe it was happening and kept saying “this isn’t funny” until he pulled the ring box out of his pocket.

Setting

We got married on 20th April 2019. We didn’t want to wait too long but also wanted enough time to save and plan it. We both felt that just shy of 18 months was long enough and so we agreed on April as the month. We chose the day, so it didn’t clash with any birthdays and also made sure it worked for our bridal party (three of my bridesmaids were living out of the country). I had also clocked that this date had been super-hot and sunny over the previous two years. We weren’t aware at the time of booking, but it was also Easter weekend.

Our venue was Ednam House in Kelso. It’s just stunning: the venue is right by the River Tweed and has gorgeous gardens and a beautiful ballroom that could accommodate our numbers. We also liked that we could have our wedding ceremony outside should the weather be good (thankfully, it was amazing) and it allowed our guests a little freedom and meant we weren’t all stuck in one room for the whole day.

Theme

We didn’t have a ‘strict’ colour scheme as such. That said, we used a lot of purple, as well as a mix of bold and pastel shades throughout the details, including our bridesmaid dresses, cake, invitations, flowers and so on.

Dress

I always knew I wanted something a little bit quirky and different, that wouldn’t be totally predictable. I chose the Heritage 927 dress by Jesus Peiro, a stunning A-line silhouette with a sweetheart neckline and small straps. The best bit about it was the subtle polka dot fabric and pockets! It also had a cut-out back and I added a belt for a little bit of bling and to emphasise my waist.

I got my dress and veil from Bridal Wish in Blagdon and couldn’t recommend Wendy more. She has a vast selection of designers and dresses and was very laid-back and informative when I was browsing – especially as I was panicking that it was only seven months to go until the wedding!

Groomsmen

Andrew wore a traditional kilt, in the tartan ‘Spirit of Bannockburn’, with a navy tweed jacket and waistcoat and a contrasting pink tie. It was all hired from David Thomson & Son in Jedburgh.

Bridesmaids

With six bridesmaids altogether, we tried to keep the costs down and bought the ‘maids dresses online from Little Mistress. They all wore a rich Cadbury purple full-length dress, which I felt complemented every single one of them – this was one of the hardest tasks!

Beauty

My hair was done by Ashley Neil Hairdressing and the glam was done by Jodi Lamb Makeup. This was the first time I had ever had my hair and makeup done and they made me feel like a goddess!

Photography

Our pictures were taken by Rosie Davison Photography and I couldn’t recommend her more!

She’s so friendly, approachable and calming. As a couple who are quite uncomfortable in front of the camera, she made us feel so at ease, and we actually enjoyed having the pictures taken. I came across Rosie on Instagram and instantly adored her effortless and candid style. Her photos are so warm and full of love, laughter and emotion – exactly what we wanted from our wedding photos.

Styling

Gail Watson of Border Blooms in Kelso was our florist. I had a gorgeous hand-tied bouquet which included stunning peonies and roses in pastel shades. It also featured lavender; I wanted to somehow include my granny within my bouquet and I love lavender because it reminds me of her.

I created the table centrepieces myself with a small mason jar filled with flowers – the same blooms that were in my bouquet – as well as an empty glass bottle filled with lights and a small jar with Mini Eggs/mini Crème Eggs as a little nod to Easter and my love of chocolate!

My bridesmaids and family helped to set these up the evening before. We also created our table plan using a copper frame, card and ribbon, and it was then decorated with flowers by our florist, Gail.

Cake

The Dessert Diva created our wedding cake. We chose a two-tier cake, one layer of carrot cake and one layer of Victoria sponge, with a modern and colourful design inspired by ‘soulcakeshops’ on Instagram.

Dining

We went for quite a traditional menu and allowed our guests to choose from two options as well as catering to our vegetarian guests to help ensure that everyone enjoyed their meal – I think this is a big part of the day!

For starters, we had chicken liver parfait or twice baked cheese souffle. The main was either Balmoral chicken with buttered mashed potato, grain mustard and whiskey sauce, or traditional roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and a rich jus. The veggie option was goat’s cheese tart with rocket and pine nut salad.

For dessert, there was sticky toffee pudding (with vanilla ice-cream and toffee sauces) or white chocolate cheesecake, raspberry sorbet and fresh raspberries. The food was exceptional, and all our guests raved about it! We had a tasting a few months prior to the wedding and were both blown away by the quality of the food and portion sizes so couldn’t wait to have it again on the day.

Entertainment

Neither of us were crazy about having a live band so we opted for a DJ, which allowed us the freedom to change up the music depending on the mood as well as saving us some money. Our DJ was Michael Noon of Noon Entertainments.

Special touches

We had our nephews bring us our rings during the ceremony which added a personal and loving touch to it. I think they also enjoyed the responsibility and felt a bit special, too!

Thanks to

The team at Ednam House couldn’t have been any more helpful, patient or reassuring. The venue was set perfectly for us, the food was outstanding, and the service was great and so accommodating, even when I was running half an hour late! Their pricing is very reasonable and I absolutely believe it’s worth every penny.

Best bit

I loved every single moment – from the process of getting ready at home with all the girls (and a glass or two of champagne…) to my dad being so proud to walk me down the aisle… seeing Andrew emotional at the end of the aisle and finally getting to marry him, watching everyone outside in the sun and the kids running around together; climbing fences in my dress for the perfect shot! And finally, walking through from the bar to everyone going wild on the dancefloor in the evening – what more can you ask for than your guests to enjoy the day as much as you? Andrew loved the ceremony, as well as having all of our family and friends together in one place. And he definitely enjoyed the rave on the dancefloor at night!

Honeymoon

We delayed our honeymoon until September due to work; this also allowed us to save some more money. We wanted to go somewhere neither of us have been before so we are heading off on the trip of a lifetime to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles for two weeks.

Advice

My top tips for other Brides Up North is to enjoy the process of planning and don’t let other people’s opinions affect your day – in the end, it won’t matter. Most of all, my advice would be to relax and enjoy every moment. Inform your venue and suppliers that any issues on the day should be directed to the bridesmaids or groomsmen and just make the most of it all because it’s going to be the fastest and best day of your life!

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