Izzy and Gregor gave their intimate autumn wedding an alternative, rock ’n’ roll edge with loads of indie-inspired touches like leather jackets, tables named after their favourite bands and walking down the aisle to the Stone Roses
Izzy West and Gregor Shaw, now Mr and Mrs Shaw
10th November 2023
Venue | Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Perthshire
Photography | Bear and Butterfly Photography
"Gregor and I met at work. My dad was his boss – awkward! This was a big joke on our wedding day. That and the fact he took me to Greggs for a sausage roll on our first date!
We were together five years before we got engaged, but then it was another three years till the wedding as a new baby (Edie) and the pandemic slowed us down.
Our wedding essentials were the 50 people we love most in the world and a cool place to party. Keeping it intimate was important. We also tried to be as thrifty as possible and managed to do it all for £9,000.
My best mate Kirsty doing my hair and makeup saved some pennies. She knows exactly how I like it so we didn’t even have to do a trial. Our stunning wedding cake was also a bit of a bargain at under £200.
Gregor and I love music and camping, so Loch Tay Highland Lodges in Perthshire seemed like the natural choice.
We had a three-day festival-themed glamping experience where everyone stayed in pods. As we could only get married at Loch Tay in November (they only offer weddings November to March), we tweaked our festival theme to feel more autumnal with lots of ’70s vintage touches.
Our colours were burnt orange, black and bottle green. Tables were named after our favourite artists and their albums.
I had four bridesmaids in total. They picked their own dresses; as long as I had two in burnt orange and two in black, I was relaxed about what they wore. Whitney, my maid of honour, helped with planning as she is a wedding photographer.
She kept me right with all the little details; in fact, most of my suppliers were her suggestions. I have to say a big thanks to my dad too, as he helped us a lot with the whole thing.
Gregor’s best man was his twin brother. Our 14-year-old son was the ringbearer, so that was special. The flower girls were our two-year-old daughter Edie and my best friend’s little one – they wore sparkly disco dresses and Doc Martens.
I found my wedding dress in the first shop we visited, Unbridaled Boutique in Ayr. (Again, one of Whitney’s recommendations.) I wanted something totally different with a vintage feel, but no lace. I ended up choosing a beautiful textured-silk, lantern-sleeved dress.
Whitney gave us insight into wedding photographers too. We wanted someone reliable, chilled out and who we could have a laugh with as Gregor is not a big fan of having his photo taken. Sarah at Bear and Butterfly Photography was all these things and more; she was adventurous, yet captured the intimate vibe so well and was patient with family members and little ones.
We adore the stunning and dramatic shots of us up on Ben Lawers that moody and beautiful November day.
I didn’t expect to feel nervous, but the nerves certainly hit me when I was waiting to walk down the aisle! My dad walked me down to ‘Love Spreads’ by The Stone Roses. It was very rock ’n’ roll.
Our ceremony was beautiful, intimate and playful. Our celebrant Paul Browett from Fuze Ceremonies kept it cheeky and had everyone in knots as we tied the knot. Hearing our friends and family laugh was special, as was having our son hand over the rings.
One of our readings was ‘Everything I Know About Love’ by Dolly Alderton. It’s romantic, humorous and relatable. I also asked my MoH Whitney to read ‘You Deserve a Lover’ by Frida Kahlo which represented our friendship, alongside Gregor and I’s love.
My cousin Lyle was an usher and read a poem for us – he was chaotic and hilarious. We filled our quaich with Buckfast as this was our favourite festival drink before Edie came along!
After the ceremony, we had the wonderful Joyful playing some cosy folk music on his acoustic guitar. He was a lifesaver, as our DJ cancelled the week before, so he extended his set for us. We also made a Spotify playlist for later. Our first dance ended up being to ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy, played by Joyful on his guitar. It was meant to be Noel Gallagher but I couldn’t actually wait to have a dance with Gregor – it was pretty spontaneous!
The kids kept themselves entertained in a little corner we’d set up with a tipi that cost just £15 on Facebook marketplace.
My mum had organised a surprise singing waiter, who performed our favourite indie bangers and got us all doing karaoke. At first I was livid she had organised it, but it was great fun and had everyone involved.
Looking back now, everyone says they loved the food, the scenery and having a mini-break together. The day after the wedding, we put on a huge BBQ at Loch Tay to cure everyone’s hangovers and rented the fire pit. We got the perfect weather for it."
Top tip: "Get a chilled, homely venue and plenty of booze for the guests. A free bar is always a winner and we were fortunate enough to be in a position to do this,” says Izzy. “If you’ve got kids at the wedding, make a kids corner using bits you may already have at home.”
Venue Loch Tay Highland Lodges
Photography Bear and Butterfly Photography
Celebrant Paul Browett, aka The Scottish Celebrant, from Fuze Ceremonies
Bride’s dress and pearl headband Unbridaled Boutique, worn with Dr Marten boots and Vivienne Westwood earrings
Bridesmaid dresses Chose own
Flower girl dresses Next
Hair Kirsty Hipson Hair & Beauty
Makeup Emily Storrie, ES Beauty
Groomswear Slater Menswear
Catering The Boathouse at Loch Tay Highland Lodges
Cake Rabbit Hole Cakes
Flowers and venue decor Flowermug
Stationery Etsy
Favours Aberlour whisky miniatures and rose quartz crystals
Ceremony and reception music Joyful
Looking for an alternative wedding venue like Izzy and Gregor's? Check out our list of unusual and unique wedding venues in Scotland
