Military wedding with Scottish-inspired palette and stunt plane display

Grace Ann Crowley & Greg Jonathan Harley

7th September 2019

Venue | The Cruin, Loch Lomond
Photography | Ross Alexander Photography

bride-and-groom-on-banks-of-loch-lomond

“Greg and I met in 2014 whilst serving on RAF reserve units and we got together as a couple mid-2015. Two years later, we were going for a walk at The Cruin on the banks of Loch Lomond. Greg had previously contacted the team there to see if they had anyone available to take a picture as he proposed, which they kindly agreed to and Lisa was in position next to the pier when we arrived.

I think we both knew we wanted to get married there because it had special meaning for us – there was never any question of our day being anywhere else.

Greg received his Isle of Skye kilt as a 21st birthday gift a couple of years before and he decided that that was what he would wear. We then based the whole colour scheme for the wedding around the tartan.

In terms of style, we wanted the look to match the landscape. My dress was soft like the waters of the Loch and Greg’s kilt matched the Scottish hills and heather.

Other than that, we just wanted our wedding to reflect us as people. Our centrepieces featured our favourite whisky and gins, we had a guard of honour made up of Greg’s friends from the RAF, and a stunt plane display, as we both love flying and aviation.

I think we were really lucky and really didn’t encounter any logistical issues during our wedding planning. In all honesty, I think the only real ‘problem’ was my worrying. I ended up seeing a therapist prior to the wedding, which was really important for me; I have no problem mentioning this – mental health is important and should be spoken about.

I think my major issue was that I was so worried about being worried. What no one told me was that nerves are normal. Feel them! Embrace them! And none of it, literally nothing, can ruin your day.

Always talk to someone about any stresses you’re having, and never feel bad about feeling that way.”

Top tip: “One of the biggest things that helped with planning was producing a Gantt chart. I’m a bit of a compulsive planner and a lot of people made jokes about my chart, but it was actually really useful. It allowed me to plan every hour of the day, show how long each supplier was going to be around for and highlight any gaps or overlaps between suppliers and entertainment.”

Bride’s dress Ronald Joyce at Confetti & Lace
Headpiece Erica Koesler at Elegance by Roya
Shoes Charlotte Mills
Rings Hatton Jewellery
Bridesmaids’ dresses Wtoo at Ivory Pinks
Groomswear Hector Russell
Groomsmens’ outfits hired from Houston Kiltmakers
Celebrant Marion McGunnigle
Venue decor All Dressed Up
Cake Rosewood Cakes
Flowers Floral Menagerie
Stationery Katie Frances Art
Favours donations to Kidney Research UK, the RAF Benevolent Fund and the Otters and Butterflies Sanctuary
Filmmaker Eleven Six Films
Entertainment The Jiggers, magicians Billy Reid and Elliot Bibby, and Caricatures by Edd Travers
Stunt plane display Mark Jeffries
Photobooth Cee Cee Entertainments
Gift list Prezola
Hair and makeup Get it Glam

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