Jennifer Reoch and Jamie Hunter
7th October 2023
Venue | Pollok House, Glasgow
Photography | Eve Conroy Photography
“Jamie and I are both Scottish, but we met while working at an American summer camp in West Virginia. We were friends for a couple of years before getting together as a couple back in Scotland in 2011 and we’ve been together ever since.
After being an item for over 12 years, we didn’t feel in any rush to get married. We ended up engaged for quite a while before the wedding. We didn’t really do any planning for about a year and then finally decided we better get things organised…
We knew we wanted to keep things small, personal and close to where we stay in Glasgow. We are lucky to have so many amazing friends and family, but wanted to keep numbers smaller in size, so invited just our close family and oldest friends. Writing the guest list was really tough – one of the hardest parts of wedding planning, in fact.
We hosted our whole day at Pollok House. It’s one of my favourite places in the whole city; I grew up going for walks with my friends and family around Pollok Park and love it there. The aim was to throw a fun celebration and keep everything relaxed and simple.
As we were getting married in a beautiful old house with lots of detail, we didn’t feel like we needed to do much to decorate. Some of our table decorations were fairylights inside old glass bottles that ended up being a bit of bargain. I popped into a gin bar in Glasgow to ask if they had any empties and they managed to get me a few bottles for free.
We tried to only do or incorporate elements we wanted to, rather than following any perceived ‘rules’. I talk a lot (some might say too much, ha ha) in normal day-to-day life, so felt it was important to make a speech. I was still writing it until quite late on – until the night before the wedding as it turns out – which hadn’t really been the plan!
I must admit I wasn’t all that happy on the morning of my wedding as the weather couldn’t have been any worse! 100% chance of rain with flood warnings, so I was disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to get any outdoor photos at all. Once I got over my weather-related sulk, it was chilled until the last minute, when getting in to my dress took longer than planned. I always think I have more time than I do… typical!
We chose a civil ceremony that was led by registrar John from Glasgow City Council. There wasn’t a traditional aisle setup which set the tone for a relaxed ceremony.
We walked in to ‘Lovely Day’ by Bill Withers performed by my brother Neil on guitar and vocals. Jamie walked down the aisle with his mum, my mum and Jamie’s dad went next, before I finally entered with my dad. It was a wee bit different, but it worked for us.
The ceremony itself was relaxed and simple. Our first kiss as a married couple was special. Watching my super-talented brother and sister sing a mash up of ‘Country Roads’ and ‘Wagon Wheel’ as a nod to where Jamie and I met in West Virginia was also an, unforgettable moment.
We had piano music throughout the drinks reception performed by our friend Romy McCahill. She played an amazing mix of genres, then two of Jamie’s best friends played guitar and sang. They even got everyone playing the kazoo!
The speeches were all punchy and fun. I asked that we each spend no more than five minutes on the speeches. I broke my own rule of course – but you can’t tell a bride to stop speaking on her wedding day. I think I just about got away with it!
I think our guests were most surprised by our piñata wedding cake. It looked like a real cake on the table until we whacked it with a stick! Everyone was delighted to have loads of chocolates and sweets to get stuck in to.
I have had the joy of working with Glasgow bridal boutique Eleganza Sposa for over a decade in my previous role as Miss Scotland. In my modelling work over the years, I have worn a lot of wedding dresses, so was scared I might find it hard to find the perfect one. I needn’t have worried though; the team at Eleganza took my vision and brought it to life beautifully.
We couldn’t resist getting a short highlights reel made of the first part of our wedding day. My amazing friends from Up Next Studios, whom I’d worked with at STV, came along and captured it for me even though they don’t usually do wedding videos.
The reception was just one big party. Our first dance was Michael Bublé’s version of ‘Love’, then I got one of my friends – the brilliant Pretty Ugly Club DJ, Elle Jo – to play all the best tunes. I danced for about four hours straight and was a sweaty mess by the end of it, but very happy!
Top tip: “Even planning a small and simple wedding is a lot of work. I think the best advice I could give would be find pals and family that are willing to help and take them up on their kind offers,” says Jennifer.
Venue Pollok House (not currently taking wedding bookings as undergoing refurbishment) Photography Eve Conroy Photography
Filmmaker Up Next Studios (see highlights above, doesn’t usually offer wedding films)
Registrar Glasgow City Council
Bride’s dress Eleganza Sposa
Hair and makeup Bride did own makeup, with added services supplied by Laura Gray Hair Beauty Bridal
Nails NAF! Salon
Groomswear Jacket and waistcoat custom-made by MacGregor and MacDuff, with tartan trews by Slanj Kilts
Flowers Elaine Minto, Blooms
Stationery Homemade. “My sister made our amazing table plan,” says Jennifer
Favours Tablet
Venue decor Supplied by Pollok House with DIY table decor by the bride
Ceremony music Bride’s brother, Neil Reoch
Drinks reception music Romy McCahill Piano
Additional entertainment Various friends and family
Reception DJ Pretty Ugly Club DJ
