Sophie and Deric went to town with the DIY details for their pretty autumn wedding at Cornhill Castle. They even made all the tablet for their favours themselves – multiple times!
Deric Noble & Sophie Brown
9th September 2021
Venue | Cornhill Castle, Biggar
Photography | Megan Lannigan Photography and Kim Allan Photography
"Deric and I had been together for five years when he asked me to marry him on 24th of August 2020 at Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris.
At that point, Covid still cast an uncertain shadow over weddings, but we decided to plan ahead regardless and hope for the best. Thankfully, restrictions lifted before our wedding, which allowed us to have our full guest list of 120 during the day, with 100 more in the evening.
We decided to have the full day at the Cornhill Castle, near Biggar, as it’s local for us and many of our guests. The stunning setting provided a lot of inspiration, and although we feel we added our own small touches, we let the place speak for itself.
The date we set was exactly 60 years to the day that my maternal grandparents got married! To honour it, I tied my gran’s wedding ring onto my flowers – the perfect something old. I also had a bouquet charm created with all four grandparents’ photos, so I could carry them all down the aisle with me.
Deric had his full outfit made at Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers: a kilt in Highland Mist tartan with Lovat Green Tweed waistcoat and jacket. We hired the same outfit for our best man and both our dads, but with different accessories so that Deric stood out.
I also had a brilliant time dress shopping at Bijoux Bridal in Hamilton. I tried on at least 15 dresses, but every single time, I came back to the first one: an ivory sheath-style dress with an illusion nude lace back. I have never felt more like a princess wearing it and I am absolutely gutted that I will only wear it once!
We DIY’d many aspects of our big day so it reflected us as much as possible. We created our own name places and menu cards and were fortunate to have talented family make our three-tier buttercream cake (Deric’s Gran and Auntie Davina) and provide flowers (my uncle George).
Our favourite detail – and the thing that we spent the most time on – was our homemade favours. We both had to learn how to make tablet; more precisely, how to make it well. This involved a lot of batches, hours in the kitchen and a whole lot of taste tests! Safe to say we almost completely put ourselves off tablet for life, but ultimately we were thrilled with the final results, presented in little personalised bags tied with personalised labels.
Photographer Megan Lannigan is our star supplier. She gave us both so much help and advice and really got involved in the overall vibe of our day. We wanted to keep things candid and natural; no standing around posing for ages.
This is exactly what we got from Megan and our second shooter Kim. They both made us feel so relaxed and at ease in front of the camera, which for two people who don’t class themselves as very photogenic is a big deal. We honestly had the best fun and laughed all day with them.”
Top tip: “Aside from booking the big stuff like the venue and dress early, have your guest list on an excel spreadsheet and colour code! It helps so much for easy editing and keeping track of RSVPs.”
Celebrant Lesley Gray, Independent Humanist Ceremonies
Bride’s dress Bijoux Bridal
Bride’s shoes Lace and Favour
Bridesmaids’ dresses To Be Wed
Makeup Amy at ARK Makeup Artistry
Groomswear Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers
Wedding invites Made Naturally Designs on Etsy
Table names and order of the day stationery Joanne Hall Art
Cake groom’s gran and auntie
Flowers bride’s uncle George
Flower arch Bell’s Florist
Other flowers bride’s uncle
Blossom trees and additional venue decor Couture Chair Covers
Ice cream cart Porrelli Italian Gelato
Ceremony music Spotify playlist
Reception band FYRA, booked via Coast Entertainments
Wedding film Gumshoe Films Ltd.
