When couples everywhere were postponing their weddings because of Covid, this couple made the difficult decision to bring theirs forward so the mother of the bride could be there to see her daughter marry
Ashleigh Mcilveney & Jordan Mccall
10th July 2021
Venue | Boclair House, Bearsden, Glasgow
Photography | Biggar Picture Photography
“Jordan and I got engaged after three years together, on 29th February 2020. Our plane had landed on the famous beach runway at Barra and he popped the question in front of all our fellow passengers!
Our big day was originally scheduled for 2022. However, my mother was sadly given a diagnosis of terminal cancer, so we had to pull the nuptials forward by a year. Mum didn’t want us to sacrifice the day we hoped for, so we held off planning until the guidelines had eased enough to allow us to invite loved ones.
It definitely wasn’t the best time to organise a wedding. However, everyone made it so special for us, and we’ll forever be grateful for their help in making it happen. I will say I was tempted to go overboard when my mum said, “What Ashleigh wants, Ashleigh gets!” I have four brothers, so I was the only bride in the family they were going to be able to do this for. We didn’t even set a budget as we’d lost half the time we should have had to save up for the day.
My mum and I went to visit a few venues, and we both fell in love with Boclair House. They only had one Saturday left for the whole year, which had just become available the day before, so it felt like it was meant to be. The venue is stunning, the grounds are gorgeous, and the Great Gatsby-style decor matched the look of our original wedding. We had eight weeks until the big day from booking, so everyone was at action stations from there on in!
My dress was by Vera Wang at David’s Bridal. I felt like a princess in it. I’d gone shopping with my mum and gran and tried on a handful of gowns – but I just knew that it was the one. My gran very kindly bought it for me. She also passed on a ring my grandad had given her – that was my something old. For my something borrowed, I wore my mum’s pearl and diamond earrings.
The bridesmaids all picked their own dresses to match the pink colour scheme. I wanted them to be comfortable, and they all have very different body shapes, so it would have been hard to find something to suit everyone. Thankfully they all picked beautiful gowns that worked together.
Jordan knows me too well and made me promise I wouldn’t be late for our wedding. For the first time in my life, I arrived early – and he was still standing outside drinking a beer when the car pulled up. I don’t think he’s ever run as fast as he did then to get to the top of the aisle!
Our celebrant was Norrie Flowers from Independent Humanist Ceremonies. He is such a happy, cheery man and his personality made our ceremony relaxed and personal. He also included all of our guests in the proceedings – he is fantastic at what he does.
We added a few traditions to the service. We used some ribbon to perform a handfasting, and our rings were passed around all the guests to let them make a good luck wish for us.
I searched for photographers online and came across Allan at Biggar Picture Photography. His work was brilliant and prices very reasonable. He captured all the special moments of our day, and the results are tremendous. It was very difficult for us to narrow down the highlights for the album.
Our first dance was Stand By Me by Skylar Grey, but Harry and Meghan stole it from us so we used a different version.
It still feels funny calling Jordan my husband. Every day since the wedding I’ve woken up to a text from him reading, ‘Good morning wifey’ – it’s just as exciting getting them now as it was the first time I opened it. The day was absolutely perfect, and, in many ways, it was great that my mum was able to enjoy herself too. We are just looking forward to our future together now.”
Top tip: “Write lists. Tick off everything as you go so you don’t forget anything. I used lists to keep planning under control and it meant I could always see what still needed to be done. Also, try to enjoy the planning rather than letting it become a burden. Remember it’s your day, so don’t worry about what anyone else may think or want – you won’t please everyone.”
Venue Boclair House, Bearsden, Glasgow
Photography Biggar Picture Photography
Celebrant Norrie Flowers, Independent Humanist Ceremonies
Bride’s dress Vera Wang at David’s Bridal
Flower girls’ dresses Next
Groomswear MacGregor and MacDuff
Cake Special Days Cakes
Flowers Marlene’s Flowers
Transport Premier Carriage
Hair Marie Boyle at Nu Me
Makeup Nicole Holms
