Camilla Leslie & Laura Sherwood
16th June 2018
Venue | The beach at Kilvaree and Ardfern Motorhome Park, Argyll
Photography | Bill Baillie Photography
“We knew that we wanted the wedding to be held somewhere in our home village. Camilla was born and raised in Ardfern, which meant she was regularly at various festival-type gatherings, so she was keen to bring some of her childhood memories back to life.
We chose to get married along the road from where we live in a beautiful location, Kilvaree.
It wasn’t clear whether the beach ceremony we’d planned would be able to go ahead until the actual day, so we had a contingency plan involving an old graveyard further up the hill. Once again, the sun shone just in time, so we secured our first choice!
A humanist ceremony was ideal for us as the ethos sits well with our views and beliefs. It allowed us to write our own vows and structure them around what’s important to us and our partnership. We were also lucky to have Annie Loughlin, a friend and humanist celebrant who lives nearby, so there was no question who would marry us.
There was very little tradition throughout the day itself. We had a quaich to finalise the ceremony when we came back from the beach as a symbolic means of joining our two households, but overall we were keen to ditch tradition and had our families walk us down the aisle (or, more accurately, track!) as opposed to just our fathers.
The reception was held at Ardfern Motorhome Park, which is owned by dear friends. It was lovely and flat, and overlooks Craignish Loch. We were after a festival vibe as for us it was about putting on a brilliant party so we could celebrate with loved ones.
The community was our star supplier. We were blessed by the people of Ardfern, who contributed in so many different ways. We requested that guests ‘bring a dish’ which made up the majority of the feast. We were loaned a yurt and a marquee, and collected pallets so Camilla’s dad and his pals could craft a stage. Friends provided the bar, and others helped with cleaning and decorating.
“A drunken conversation down the pub with a local friend and artist resulted in a shout-out to the village for their smalls to be delivered to a basket outside the village shop. They then ended up as knicker bunting – a phenomenal 30m garland from our community!”
Top tip: “Don’t listen to anyone else – do what you want. Many people doubted what we were planning as it wasn’t the norm, but now they have experienced it, they report that it was the best wedding they have ever been to. Looking back, there’s nothing we would change – we love the photos and memories (and the knicker bunting, of course!).”
Camilla’s dress Kirsteen Wythe
Laura’s suit Walker Slater
Jewellery Blair and Sheridan
Celebrant Annie Loughlin at Humanist Society Scotland
Tipis Timber & Canvas
Cake Baked by a friend
Flowers Local artist Francis Dewery made ceramic petals from everyone’s fingerprints before firing and wiring them to create a ‘bouquet’
Bar The Lord of the Isles
Entertainment All About the Cake and The Lush Puppies
