Jayme and Nathan Malarky
31st October 2022
Venue | South Queensferry registry office and The Hawes Inn
Photography | Photos with Paige
“Nathan and I were together for four years before he popped the question on a secluded beach in Luss, Loch Lomond, in July 2022. Our first decision was deciding where we should get married, and we chose South Queensferry as it’s one of our favourite places to go. We thought October would provide the perfect backdrop and pictures for our autumnal wedding.
We had our non-religious ceremony in the South Queensferry registry office, then headed to The Hawes Inn for a meal with our guests. We only had a small wedding with 19 people (including us) on the day for both the ceremony and the meal. We had a party with the rest of our family and friends in December and this was a nice excuse to get dressed up in our wedding clothes for the second time!
Nathan was originally going to wear a suit but chose a kilt and I had originally thought my dress would be something white and lace. I actually bought another dress, but didn’t like it so decided to choose something else. The one I ended up with was black which was beautiful. It was originally advertised as a prom dress but it was made to measure for me.
Our main aim was to host a small, intimate wedding with a touch of spookiness since it was Halloween. Pinterest was always my go to for inspiration, and we came up with some good ideas ourselves too. My favourite detail from our wedding was the autumnal theme throughout the day and how it all came together so well.
When we were planning our big day, we took the approach of ‘let’s make it about what we want’ instead of trying to make others happy. We chose everything ourselves, even down to the little labels on the Love Hearts sweets we had as favours (these had our names on them!). We kept the traditions of staying apart the night before the wedding and Nathan had never seen my dress. Our first look was at the bottom of the aisle.
We both wanted someone who could take candid photos of us. I was really nervous about getting my pictures taken but Nathan is a natural in front of the camera, so we looked around for ages to find a photographer. We couldn’t find one we both liked until we came across Paige. She captured the day exactly like we imagined.
My favourite keepsake from the day is my bouquet: this had my dad’s wedding ring attached to it as he is no longer with us. I paid tributes to him throughout the day by keeping a seat for him and my sister made him a button hole that would have matched my mum’s outfit. We put his pictures by our guestbook to watch over it, and I wore the Dr Martens I got for my 21st which was the last present I received from him. Nate got me a pendant to wear, and even though my dad couldn’t walk me down the aisle, he would still be there with me for it.
For our meal, everyone sat at one big table due to the small numbers, and we mixed our families so everyone could chat. We ditched speeches on the day. Before the wedding, we went to The Hawes Inn to sample their menu and picked our favourite dishes (I’m vegetarian so I chose this option) including vegan panang curry for mains, arancini to start and chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.
The thing that surprised me most was how nervous I was before the wedding (even though I know we both love each other and would be turning up!). I kept crying and no one would look at me in case I set them off too.
We wrote each other letters to read on the morning of the wedding which was nice, but my favourite part of the ceremony was seeing Nathan as I walked down the aisle with my mum. Looking back, I think we would have liked to have woken up together on the morning of the wedding, then we could have went our separate ways after we had breakfast together.
We loved our wedding, and guests enjoyed how nice a day it was. It was exactly like how people would have pictured Nate and I’s big day to be.
Top tip: “Don’t overthink your day and definitely get a partner who will agree to anything you show them. It helped having the same tastes, and we used the app Bridebook to keep track of all our progress.”
Wedding dress Stacees
Shoes and accessories amethyst hair pins from Etsy, bride and groom both wore Dr Martens, pendant necklace from Etsy, bride and groom’s earrings both Etsy
Rings both handmade from Etsy by small businesses
Bridesmaids dresses Ever-Pretty
Mother of the bride outfit Ever-Pretty
Groomswear JH Kilt Hire
Cake homemade red velvet cake by bride’s sister Morgan
Menu The Hawes Inn with personalised menus from Zazzle
Flowers bride’s sister Morgan made them using blooms from the flower market
Stationery Zazzle
Favours dinosaur and bee pin badges from Cancer Research and personalised Love Hearts sweets from Etsy
Venue décor candles and candle stick holders from IKEA, velvet pumpkins and dried fruit from Hobbycraft
Engagement/wedding rings all handmade from small business on Etsy
Transport Elite Central Travel
Hair, makeup and nails Nails by Jasmine at The Beauty Lounge, Hair by Elle Hair and Beauty, Ross Carter Barber Shop for groom’s haircut
