Kate Donovan & Sean McAllister
14th July 2018
Venue | Forbes of Kingennie, Tayside
Photography | Ali Jay Photography
“Sean popped the question on 23rd February and we married on 14th July. We dreamed of a summer wedding and 2019 seemed too long to wait, so in the end it was a short engagement.
Finding a venue was definitely the trickiest part. We had clear views on what we didn’t want, but not so much what we did. As we had friends and family coming from all over Scotland, we opted for somewhere that was relatively easy for everyone to travel to. The deal was sealed when we visited Forbes of Kingennie, near Dundee. It offered lodges on-site for getting ready in the morning, and we could hold the ceremony and the reception in one place.
We chose to have a civil ceremony. Led by registrar Lyndsey Swankie, it was beautiful, light-hearted and poignant. Seeing as it was a warm afternoon, we made our vows with the ceremony doors wide open, overlooking the lake in the background.
We decided to have a traditional quaich ceremony as part of our service too. Sean’s dad had worked in the whisky industry for over 40 years, but sadly passed away the year before the wedding. Including this ritual, allowed him to be part of the day which meant a lot to both of us.
We have a bunch of talented pals, so we tried to incorporate them into the day as much as possible. In fact, one of our friends did a reading of a poem she’d written herself especially for the occasion. It was completely unexpected and we were touched.
In retrospect, the only thing I would change is starting a little earlier to lengthen the experience. We had a 2.30pm service and the day just flew by.”
Top tip: “Have a clear vision of what is important to you both at the beginning and stick to it. Planning and decision-making can get quite overwhelming, so try not to get carried away adding ‘extras’ that you don’t really need!”
Dress Perfect Bridal Rooms
Bridesmaids’ dresses Quiz
Groomswear Slanj Kilts
Celebrant Lyndsey Swankie from Angus Council
Cake Gorgeously Sweet Cake Emporium
Flowers Forget Me Not
Stationery Papier
Venue decor Celebre Weddings & Events
Favours Yankee Candles and Prostate Cancer UK pins
Entertainment Heavy Feathers
Transport JP Mini Coaches
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