Scottish groom Declan is planning his wedding to Jonathan at Kimpton Blythswood Square in Glasgow for September 2024 and shares their engagement story and how they have kicked off their plans…
Six months to go! Declan Hattie, who runs Hat & Tie social media management agency, will marry policy and governance writer Jonathan Larkins on 15th September at the iconic five-star Glasgow hotel
April 2024 update
OMG! It’s officially just six months until the Hattie Larkins wedding! Where has the time gone? It’s starting to feel very real – and that’s kind of terrifying!
We have been busy boys on the wedding planning front since our last diary entry. My mum Caroline started the year with a bang and booked into Catherines of Partick as she had spied a potential mother of the groom dress on the boutique’s website. We went along with her, and she picked out two alternative dresses as well as the one she’d already spotted. She tried that one first but didn’t love it on, so it was on to the second dress. It was not at all in the kind of colour she envisioned, but IT WAS THE ONE. In and out in half an hour!
She now has her dress and hat, bought to go with the Jimmy Choos she has been saving for our special day. The team at Catherines of Partick were a joy to deal with and lived up to their highly recommended reputation.
Jonathan and I headed along to The Scottish Wedding Show in February which was jam-packed with suppliers and vendors, and it was here that we bumped into Kirsty of The Flower Shop in Elderslie who had the stand-out display.
After discussions on our ‘baby’s breath’-inspired bouquets for our team of six groomsmaids, we had our date in her diary. She showed us some incredible examples and we instantly fell in love with how she described she’d bring our minimalist vision to life. Very exciting – and another thing ticked off this never-ending list.
It was great seeing Alex, our wedding planner, by her stand at Kimpton Blythswood Square and getting a proper catch-up face to face rather than by email. We are visiting the venue again with our decor guru Gemma at Pretty Little Details very soon to get an idea of what should go where and let her see the hotel too.
My friend Vic Halliday introduced me to Iced By Leah a few months back at an event. “DO NOT book anyone other than Leah for your wedding cake!” she told me. Having tasted Leah’s cake that night, we were wowed – so we have ordered an elegant two-tiered cake with sharp edges and subtle florals.
It will be sliced up on the night alongside the most incredible cheesecake bar from Cheesecake Delights. It is owned by my longest-serving best pal Alicia, who is the mastermind behind the award-winning dessert shop in Lanarkshire. She also just happens to be one of the Groom Squad, as our WhatsApp chat is called. She is going to be using Raffaello and white chocolate to tie in with our black-tie theme.
Our groomsmaid dresses have been the biggest challenge for us. We’ve been sending so many styles to the group chat, and everyone gives the same answer: “Yeah, love that!” It really wasn’t helping matters. So, I decided to book us an appointment at Angelique Lamont in Glasgow. And didn’t Angie know her stuff!
The six girls chose a style each and Jonathan and I sat there observing, like a scene from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Luckily, each and every one of them (including us) pointed to the same dress. They all then took a turn in it and then our girls said the big ‘YES to the DRESS!’ Thank God! With that in the bag, it was off to La Vita for cocktails and lunch to talk about the all-important and upcoming ‘Sten-Do’ to Ibiza in June. There’s a mystery itinerary we haven’t to know about. Dear God, help us…
Next up are… choosing the rings and meeting the celebrant
We still have to choose our rings, so we are going to start looking in the Argyll Arcade. Jonathan’s mum Mandy is on the hunt for her MoG outfit – we can’t wait to see what she finds. We’ll be catching up with our celebrant Mick McCann soon to chat through the order of the ceremony.
It’s all go for us and we have such a busy few months ahead to get into shape for our big day so we feel the best for it. Jonathan is also in rehearsals for his show Kinky Boots, at the King’s Theatre in May. There just isn’t enough time in the day…
December 2023: how Declan and Jonathan met and initial plans
Jonathan and I met in autumn 2014 after we both swiped right. It nearly didn’t happen, though. I only had the basic version of the app, which meant you could only meet people within a ten-mile radius – and Jonathan lived 11 miles away.
I had decided the app wasn’t for me and went to delete it – at which point it prompted me to download the full version for the hefty sum of 79p. I decided to splash out – and the very same day I only met the guy who would turn out to be Mr Right! What are the chances? And what a barg!
We chatted for a few weeks before meeting for lunch in Glasgow’s Merchant City and that was that. We moved into our first place together in 2017, bought our first home in 2018, then sold up and moved into our current place in 2021. This all led to our Instagram account, Hattie Larkins Home, giving us something to focus on during the pandemic.
Lockdown was a test for a lot of people, but we felt it was an opportunity to get creative with decorating and to organise Zoom quizzes with our friends. All that vigorous planning would certainly come in handy for the wedding!
The engagement story
In 2019, when we’d been together for more than five years, I booked a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles (we both love West Hollywood – it’s ‘our’ place) and began secretly liaising with the hotel for months beforehand about how I was going to drop to one knee and ask the most nerve-wracking question of my life.
What happened was this… A poolside table was booked for 6.45pm at the swanky Skybar with panoramic views to catch the sun setting over the City of Angels. With 15 minutes to go, I could see from our room window that there were still human beings frolicking in the pool. This should not have been happening right now!
I remember pacing the room, clutching a bottle of Moët, with Jonathan asking me what the hell was up! Eventually we got to the table in matchy-matchy navy and black outfits, the waiter came over (as arranged) and asked if he could take our photo and… I did it! It was such a lovely set-up, and the sunset was just spectacular that evening.
The planning so far…
We started off thinking we’d marry at a stunning venue in Cyprus, then we changed to New York with fewer guests. But after considering the logistics (and the stress) of getting everyone there at the same time, we settled on the gorgeous Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel, right here at home in Glasgow. It’s all booked for 15th September – a great date for us, as when we wake up the next morning, we’ll be celebrating ten years together.
We took six of our closest girls for brunch to Cocktails & Steaks in Uddingston. We’d made up personalised bags asking ‘Will you be our groomsmaid?’ Thankfully, they all said yes!
Next, we had to sort the entertainment. That’s a biggie for us as we have a musical family. We’re going to have Chelsea from Velvet Noir and Neil from The Copyrights doing an acoustic set. The bagpiper is booked, as is Amarone Music, a sax player and Ace Tribe’s Disco Ball Dancers. It’s going to be all go!
We then had multiple voice notes with the team at Pretty Little Details for our event decor, and it was their white floral arch that sealed the deal. The gorgeous Gemma behind it all is currently planning her own wedding while putting together the dream for everyone else too. That’s a superpower.
Next up is… meeting with Gilt Edged for our kilts
Our outfits. We’re booked in for a chat with Gilt Edged in Glasgow to talk about kilts. We might still go for tuxedos, though. Decisions, decisions… Then it’s the rings, and the all-important decision of finding a celebrant who will be the best fit for us and our intimate, non-traditional ceremony with 45 of our closest friends and family.