Planning Diaries: updates from our bride-to-be and makeup artist Kirsty Martin

Bridal and celebrity makeup artist Kirsty Martin and photographer Sam Kennedy are on a high after a dreamy engagement  

July 2026 update – newly engaged

Sam proposed to me earlier this year, on 2nd February – and it was the best night of my life. My suspicions were raised a few days earlier – he was definitely acting funny! Plus, we’ve been together for almost five years and own a house together.

It happened at The Collector’s Hall in Glasgow, which is a very special place to me as I’ve worked there a lot and know the amazing staff.

I started sobbing before I even walked into the room!

It was beautifully decorated with candles and roses by Lucienne Luxe. Sam even had singer Natalie James singing our favourite songs!

Discover more about new luxury city-centre venue, The Collector's Hall

It was the most romantic moment and something I will never forget. 

We’ve now celebrated our engagement with a party – we wanted to enjoy this moment with our family and friends before rushing into wedding planning. It was lovely to get everyone together to celebrate some good news. 

Lucienne Luxe was in charge of decor again as we wanted to recreate our proposal at the party with the roses and candles.

Bakes By Gem made us a cake and Chris Hardie played the sax and got everyone dancing.

Our next step is to find a venue we love and then set a date. I’ve been lucky enough to work at the majority of Scottish venues so I think we’re heading more towards marrying abroad.

Find your perfect Scottish wedding venue

That said, we haven’t ruled out a wedding in Scotland – it’s just that Sam and I want somewhere that’s special to us. 

I’m now really looking forward to this next part and officially starting to plan the wedding.

There are so many decisions to make, though, and I can imagine the pressure to make ‘the right choice’ could get quite overwhelming.

We have to remember this wedding is what we want.

What's next?

At the moment, we’re thinking the end of 2027 or April/May 2028 as a wedding date in order to give ourselves a full two years to plan. It will hopefully mean we won’t stress as much and actually enjoy the process. We’ll see what happens, but I can’t wait to get married and start a family with Sam. 

August 2026 update – taking a giant leap

After weeks of searching, emailing and viewing many places, we have finally found our dream venue and set a date: April 2028.

We didn’t want to wait two years to tie the knot, but it does give us enough time to plan and save for our big day.

I’m also glad I get to enjoy engaged life for a while before becoming a wife!

We found the venue search very hard. That’s partly because I wanted to get married somewhere I hadn’t worked before, so that it would feel really special and not like a job. 

Country house wedding inspiration at Gosford House

Our original idea was to have the wedding abroad, and we came close to booking a place in the south of France.

We had video calls with a venue there and did a lot of research. But there were hidden costs, and travel was looking a bit tricky as there weren’t many direct flights from Scotland.

I just didn’t want any extra hassle.

I also realised I liked the idea of being able to book the Scottish suppliers I work with every week, so we’d feel comfortable and confident on our special day.

So, it was back to looking in the UK. Sam is English so we hadn’t ruled out finding somewhere down south.

We’d looked at a beautiful venue in the Lake District (it was actually where Molly Mae’s sister Zoe got married), but its bridal suite was a little on the small side.

The small print: why you should read your wedding venue's T&Cs

As an MUA, I knew I would need space in the morning with my bridal party to get ready. 

We finally landed on our chosen venue in North Yorkshire, Middleton Lodge Estate.

I actually first came across it from a videographer on TikTok and instantly fell in love. I knew it was the vibe Sam and I wanted, so when we viewed it.

We booked it right away.

The room inside where we’ll host the ceremony is beautiful and the outdoors option is just as stunning. The beautiful rustic vibes with the incredible gardens just sold it for us.

What's next?

We’re going to look at booking the suppliers we want on our big day. This is what really excites me as I’ve had a good idea of who I’d like for a while – they’ll help our day run so smoothly. T minus 20 months until we get married!