Follow the wedding plans of PR director Laura and her fiancé Darren, who got engaged in Santorini in 2024. Though the couple had to put their plans on pause for Laura's cancer treatment, they're now looking ahead to their Carlowrie Castle wedding
Darren proposed to Laura in Santorini in 2024
June 2026 update – after the pause button, it’s full steam ahead
Wedding planning is often described as a whirlwind, but ours came to a complete standstill for a while.
When Darren and I got engaged, we threw ourselves into planning straight away and the only venue we visited was Carlowrie Castle. I still remember that day so clearly – it was sunny and we both had that moment of, ‘This is it!’
Carlowrie Castle was the first and only venue the couple visited – it was an immediate win!
Then life shifted a little, and our plans had to take a back seat as I was diagnosed with breast cancer last August. Our wedding date moved back by six months while I went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
One thing I’ve learned is that while wedding planning is about looking ahead, life sometimes needs you to focus on just getting through the present. Finding that balance has been the biggest adjustment.
During treatment, I chose to cold cap in the hope of keeping my hair. It wasn’t easy – long hours in the chair and the daily reality of watching my hair change. There were moments I’d sit thinking, ‘I can’t believe this is my life right now’.
But whatever hair I kept, it gave me options for what I could do at the wedding. I’m grateful I persevered now.
Laura decided to wear a cold cap when undergoing chemo to avoid her hair falling out
Finding my wedding dress after treatment
My wedding dress journey changed too. I had a beautiful dress pre-diagnosis, but with all the changes, I ended up with a new dress post-treatment that I felt more comfortable in.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel by the time I got married, so I’ve gone with a timeless classic from Aimee Bridal Couture.
My mum and auntie came with me to try it on and, when I came out of the dressing room in it, we all got emotional.
For the first time in a while, I felt like a bride again.
We picked up the dress recently and made a day of it – jewellery shopping in Argyll Arcade followed by lunch at The Ivy.
It felt like a proper turning point, like things were moving forward. There have been a lot of unknowns over the past year, but also some positive shifts. I’m now spending less time in hospitals and more time focusing on the future.
Laura and Darren made a day of wedding dress shopping, completing the trip with lunch and jewellery shopping
Planning our Scottish castle wedding
Darren has been brilliant through it all. He’s very clear on what he feels are the important wedding details – he wanted it to feel really Scottish from the start, so the castle was an easy win.
He’s also very invested in a live band and, most importantly, the wine selection. I’m not entirely convinced he knows every other detail of the planning, but he’s definitely nailed those key decisions!
Music is a big part of the day for me, so I’ve been intentional about choosing ceremony songs that mean something to us, rather than just ticking boxes.
We’ve supported each other through everything, and the wedding has given us something to focus on together again.
Most recently, we’ve booked our honeymoon to Bora Bora – it felt like the perfect ‘after everything’ trip.
With just three months to go until our wedding, I feel excited (although slightly nervous) and very ready to finally get married. It has been quite a journey to get here, but it will make the moment feel even more meaningful.
Cancer may have changed our timeline, but it never changed the plan: to marry the person I love and celebrate with the people who matter most.
Standing together this September will feel like the best celebration. I can’t wait.
Carlowrie Castle felt like the perfect place for this pair's Scottish wedding
What’s next?
We still need to choose our flowers and final colour scheme, decide on our cake and have all the important beauty appointments.
After putting so much planning on hold during treatment, it feels wonderful to finally focus on the fun details again!
September 2026 update – the final countdown to our Carlowrie Castle wedding
After more than two years of planning, it’s hard to believe we’re now so close to our wedding. For such a long time, there always seemed to be another cancer milestone to reach before we could get to this point. Now, there’s very little left between us and the big day.
I think it really hit me when Darren went away to Prague on his stag – I realised that the wedding isn’t some far-off, surreal plan anymore. When suppliers started asking for timings and details, I thought, “Oh my goodness, we actually need to know this stuff now!”
Getting my wedding hair back after chemotherapy
One of the biggest moments for me has been getting my hair back. I’d lost a lot of hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer, and I recently had a mesh hair integration fitted. When the hairdresser finally turned the mirror around, I genuinely couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Suddenly, there I was with long hair again. Everyone keeps telling me, “You look like Laura again.” The amazing thing is, I can finally say that I feel like Laura again, too.
It’s given me a little piece of myself back just in time for the wedding, and I’m so grateful for that. My wedding hairstylist Stacey Deane and makeup artist Rachel Louise have both been amazing.
Wedding cake, flowers and autumn styling at Carlowrie Castle
Meanwhile, the big day itself is all coming together. We’ve had our tasting session at Liggy’s Cakes, which was as enjoyable as you’d imagine. We were tempted by some amazing flavours, but in the end kept coming back to classic Victoria sponge.
We’re working with Vicky’s Flowers on the bouquets and centrepieces and these are taking shape too, with deep reds, burgundy and autumnal oranges. I love the idea of the flowers tying in with the red ivy we’re hoping will be covering the walls of Carlowrie Castle.
Laura and Darren at Carlowrie Castle, their venue near Edinburgh, where they’ll marry this autumn
Writing our wedding ceremony together
We’ve had good conversations with Velvet Noir (our band) and Ricky Baillie (our photographer) too. Darren and I have been writing the ceremony together – that’s probably been one of my favourite parts. We’ve only been together for three years, but when we sat down and looked back at everything we’ve been through, it was quite incredible. We’ve already had a pretty good trial run at the “in sickness and in health” part, so hopefully the actual marriage bit should be easy from here!
The wedding moments I'm looking forward to most
Among all the final decisions and little details, there’s one moment I keep coming back to: walking down the aisle and seeing Darren at the other end. That’s the moment I’ve pictured throughout this entire process. After everything that has happened, getting to see him and finally know that this is our day will mean everything.
My parents will be a huge part of that too. They’re my best friends, so I’ve deliberately set aside an hour before the ceremony just for the three of us. My mum went through breast cancer herself five years ago, so there’ll be something very special about us getting to share this moment together as a family.
I’m also incredibly excited my two best friends from America will be here. They are coming over with their partners for the wedding and I can’t wait to see them.
What’s next?
My final dress collection, our last venue meeting, my hen weekend at Gleneagles and the very exciting job of planning our honeymoon! After two years of planning, changing dates and putting things on hold, I can finally say it: we’re nearly there.
