Teresa McLaughlin & Scott Fairgrieve
28th July 2019
Venues | University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel and Crossbasket Castle, Lanarkshire Photography | Forever Timeless Photography
“Scott and I have been friends since we were 14, but we actually got together at 17. After eight years as a couple, Scott proposed at Ballageich Hill, where we’d often go to make plans for the future whilst walking our Westie, Hamish. Originally, we had planned for three years between wedding and engagement. Thankfully we changed our minds and decided to bring it forward by a year. Given the subsequent pandemic, we’re so glad we made this decision, as it meant we were able to share our celebration with all our family and friends.
More than anything, we wanted our wedding to be relaxed. It was important to us that we had a celebration full of laughs and plenty of love, with as little stress as possible. However, I’ve always wanted to be a princess for a day, so a castle was definitely high up the list.
Of course, a fairytale wedding needs a gown worthy of royalty. I found mine with help from the team at Bijoux Bridal in Hamilton, my one-stop bridal shop. I knew as soon as I entered the store I didn’t have to go anywhere else. The team were incredible and did everything they could to make it a wonderful experience.
We planned to follow the tradition of not seeing each other the morning of the wedding. However, this didn’t exactly go to plan: Scott called me in a panic as he couldn’t find his shirt back at home!
I graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2016, so we were able to hold our Catholic ceremony in the University’s chapel. The service was officiated by Father Patrick Hennessy, who was my local parish priest as a child. We didn’t get married until the late afternoon, and so everyone attending our ceremony joined us for the reception.
Crossbasket Castle was the first and last reception venue we visited. We both fell in love with the location straight away, and it was the site of one of my favourite highlights of the day: a surprise appearance from Hamish, who had a tartan collar to match Scott’s kilt!
Music was crucial for us. I walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon, and my sister sang to everyone during the ceremony. Many of our guests commented on the music provided by wedding band Cassien: their repertoire was definitely suited to all ages and musical tastes, meaning the dancefloor was always busy.
Our big day was filled with personal touches. Scott chose a tartan with a connection to his grandmother’s maiden name, and our tables were named after hills in Scotland. Scott’s mum was responsible for our flowers and venue decor, and did a fantastic job. We also couldn’t resist a confetti balloon pop during our first dance – there’s no shame in being a little extra on your big day!
Our transport from Glasgow Luxury Transfer was our biggest bargain. Not only did they give us a fantastic deal on two Mercedes Vianos and a Mercedes S-Class to chauffeur the wedding party, they also decorated the cars to match our flowers. The customer service and attention to detail were second to none.
Forever Timeless Photography did an amazing job of discreetly capturing genuine and unstaged moments. They made being photographed feel fun and totally effortless, and were so good at calming everyone’s nerves. They also provide family photography, so we hired them again recently to take pictures of our baby boy featuring the tartan from Scott’s kilt. That was very special. (Scroll to the bottom to see the adorable results.)
Looking back, we wouldn’t change anything about our wedding. It was a very meaningful day for us and our families.”
Top tip: “Choose a reputable photographer with good reviews. Once the wedding was over, our photographs allowed us to relive all the special moments from the day. An engagement shoot is also a lovely idea, as it allows you to practice for the camera before the big day.”
Bride’s dress Justin Alexander at Bijoux Bridal
Bridesmaids’ dresses TFNC London
Groomswear A. Crawford and Son
Wedding jewellery Blue Nile
Stationery Bella Collection
Reception music Cassien
Hair and makeup The Aisle
Transport Glasgow Luxury Transfer
Filmmaker Busby Video
Teresa and Scott – Highlights from Mike Ward on Vimeo.