Laura Sangster and Shane Sutherland
12th August 2022
Venue | Maryculter House Hotel, Aberdeenshire
Photography | Samantha Clyne Photography
“Shane and I had been together for a year before his proposal. We got engaged on Christmas Day in our first house together and even though we went to pick a ring together a few months prior, it was still the best surprise!
We were in lockdown the first few months of our engagement. We are both organised people, so it was frustrating being stuck unable to book or view things initially. We had our hearts set on Maryculter House Hotel as our venue and photographer Samantha Clyne, so knew we had to be quick-off-the-mark to get them booked in.
The Pinterest board was up and running quite quickly. I would say our overall vibe was ‘rustic chic’. We wanted that simple, striking and beautiful aesthetic, without too much fuss. Our vendors got the brief spot on.
We chose Maryculter as the overall look and vibe inside was a perfect fit for our day – and the stunning views of the River Dee topped it off! A non-negotiable for our venue was that it had a neutral-coloured carpet to match with our colour scheme. Other wedding venues we shortlisted had red/purple carpets which were so not our thing. Hats off to Jocelyn and the team at the hotel who were brilliant to work with throughout.
We’d had our eyes on Samantha’s work for months before we got engaged. Her photos looked so relaxed and stunning. I love that our photos tell the story of our day so incredibly well and capture every special moment between us, our guests and bridal party.
The first look in particular is a memory that I’ll keep in my heart forever. I couldn’t wait to see Shane and give him the biggest hug.
I got my dress at Perfect Bridal Rooms in Aberdeen. The team there are incredible and can’t do enough to help and guide you through the process. They even let my maid of honour try on a bridesmaid dress while I tried mine. I had two visits and tried on six dresses and the one I eventually picked was a wildcard Elysee Bridal gown that I instantly fell in love with once I had it on.
The night before the wedding, we had a lovely meal at our venue with our bridal party and family. We also stayed over to save any travelling on the big day itself – this meant that the morning of the wedding was chilled out. Shane and his groomsmen went golfing while the girls and I got ready. The hotel brought up breakfast to us and it was just lovely.
Neither of us were nervous. We were both so ready to get married and couldn’t wait to spend the day together.
The whole ceremony was simply perfect and the highlight of the day. We hoped it could happen outside and it did thanks to the weather we were blessed with. Our friends and family played music for us which was so special and our church pastor, Neil Cameron, conducted our ceremony. He did a fantastic job of making it personal and it was an honour to have him marry us. We had 120 guests at the ceremony and 40 extra in the evening.
My sister-in-law sang ‘How Does a Moment Last Forever’ by Celine Dion from the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack as I walked down the aisle. She was the best.
Our ceremony started at 3pm and the meal was 5pm, so we didn’t want to stuff our guests with too many canapés! We had an amazing four-course meal comprising all our favourite dishes like prawn cocktail, roast chicken and Biscoff cheesecake. We also included a fish course provided by Shane’s family-run workplace. It was a nice touch to include them in our day.
Our table signs and names are one of my favourite details. The top table was named after our favourite Disneyworld ride ‘Tower of Terror’ and the rest after other Disney rides. We also had a wooden wedding sign made that we can’t wait to hang it in our forever home one day. My other favourite keepsake are my Jimmy Choo shoes – I can’t forget to give them a mention!
We had a live band called The North Rig play for us and the dancefloor was full all evening. Our first dance was to ‘Speechless’ by Dan & Shay. We also served sausage and bacon rolls during the dance – and you better believe I was on the dancefloor with my bacon roll in hand!
Looking back, there’s not a thing I’d change about our wedding. The most important thing was for Shane and I to get married and start the rest of our lives together.
Top tip: “Be specific with what you want and don’t be afraid to ask for anything out of the ordinary – your vendors should be willing to help and accommodate you wherever possible. And a heads up for brides in particular: budget for dress alterations. We hadn’t and got quite the shock with that bill!”
Venue Maryculter House Hotel
Photography Samantha Clyne Photography
Officiant Pastor Neil Cameron, Apex Church Peterhead
Bride’s dress, bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dress Perfect Bridal Rooms
Bride’s shoes Jimmy Choo
Hair Allana Bain, FIKA Peterhead
Makeup Casey Strachan MUA
Bride’s nails KBeauty
Groomswear Mitchell Scott
Wedding rings Finnies
Cake Cakerella
Flowers The Flower Shop Peterhead
Venue decor North East Events
Ceremony music Friends and family
Reception band The North Rig
Filmmaker Cloud Company Creative (see highlights in post above)
