A pandemic postponement and cancelled suppliers didn’t faze Katy and Thomas – they simply focused on what mattered and made their day exactly the way they wanted without worrying about tradition or fuss
Katy McGrory and Thomas McDonald, now Mr and Mrs McDonald
21st May 2022
Venue | Forbes of Kingennie, Angus
Photography | Siobhan Diamond Photography
"Thomas and I were a year apart at school but complete opposites in terms of character. I was quiet; him not so much. When we met in 2014, Thomas had no idea that we’d went to the same school. Since then, we have travelled the world together and can read each other like a book.
We got engaged in Jamaica in 2018. I had no clue it was coming. Thomas had managed to forget to pack every holiday essential – phone charger, pants, toothbrush – and was unusually cranky. He had however remembered the ring and to ask my parents’ permission before the holiday, so as soon as we got there, he popped the question by getting down on one knee on our hotel balcony. I burst out crying and obviously said yes!
We were open-minded about finding a venue. As soon as we saw Forbes of Kingennie, in the Angus countryside north of Dundee, we had a lightbulb moment and didn’t think anywhere else would compare.
We set the date for July 2020...but we all know what happened next. In the end, we decided to postpone our wedding until 21st May 2022, during which time we welcomed a beautiful daughter, Heidi, to the world.
Throughout the planning process, we focused on the fact that it was about getting married on our own terms and not about traditions. Thomas, for instance, didn’t bother with any groomsmen or ushers as he didn’t want any fuss. I had my sister, Kim, as a bridesmaid and my best friend, Jack, as bridesman. We had a round top table too, as that felt more chilled for after the ceremony.
We were quite unlucky as we had a few suppliers pull out very close to the wedding. It was nothing that my sister Kim – AKA the best bridesmaid/superwoman – couldn’t help me solve though! She got to work to hunt out new available suppliers. If there was ever a profession in ‘rent a bridesmaid’, she’d be number one! She even made our delicious wedding cake.
Neither of us are religious, so we had a personalised humanist ceremony.
I walked down the aisle to ‘The One’ by Kodaline on the arm of my dad, who looked dapper in his tartan trews from Kirk Wynd Highland House.
Celebrant Gillian Stewart from Humanist Society Scotland really encouraged us to make our ceremony our own. We wrote our own vows and kept them secret till the day. They were emotional and we cried – I know how much they meant to both of us. Many of our guests shed a wee tear too.
We wrote some additional vows together for our daughter Heidi and carried her in our arms as part of the ceremony. We spent a lot of time thinking about what we’d say and decided that presenting her with a wee bracelet would be sweet.
However, Heidi was having none of it, so with the spotlight fully on her, she threw away the bracelet, tore Thomas’s buttonhole off and giggled all the way through! Thomas’s mum’s partner, Stuart, sprang into action to fix the flower and retrieve the bracelet. Stuart was such a support for Thomas throughout the whole wedding day which really meant a lot.
Our speeches were great and, again, we broke ‘tradition’ by having both our mums speak. Thomas and my dad also said a few words. Overall, the speeches gave a great sense of who we are, what we were like as kids and how Thomas and I have helped each other evolve into adults.
Choosing my wedding dress was surprisingly easy. I went to Annarose Bridal in Dundee where I tried on 12 dresses. Some I instantly hated, but as soon as I tried on Maggie Sottero’s Carmella gown, I felt confident and could picture myself walking down the aisle wearing it. Thomas decided to treat himself to a smart checked suit and bow tie from Marc Darcy.
We knew we’d be a bit nervous and emotional on our big day, so sought out a photographer who we felt we connected with. We met Siobhan Diamond at a wedding fair, and she instantly put us at ease and made us laugh.
As a result, on the day, we really enjoyed our couple’s photoshoot. I adore our images posing in a field and on the venue’s decking as the sun was setting. Her impromptu pictures, such as the one of Heidi watching me in my dress on the morning of our wedding, are so precious too.
We had 70 guests during the day, with 20 more in the evening. We relished the opportunity to bring our two families and friends all together under one roof. All of them said it was such a great day and was so much fun!
Our DJ played a heap of our favourite tunes (including our first dance to ‘Beautiful Crazy’ by our favourite artist Luke Combs) and the guests loved it. The only thing I would change about our wedding would be to make the day longer – it went by so quickly."
Top tip: “Try not to overthink things. Remember it’s your day and not anyone else’s. We also found it handy creating a list and timeline for when each supplier/item should be paid.”
Venue Forbes of Kingennie
Photography Siobhan Diamond Photography
Celebrant Gillian Stewart, Humanist Society Scotland
Bride’s dress Maggie Sottero from Annarose Bridal
Bride’s accessories Liberty in Love (earrings) and Rainbow Club (shoes)
Bride’s necklace Pandora, a gift from bride's nieces on the day
Bridesmaid dresses ASOS
Flower girl dress Monsoon
Mother-of-the-bride outfit Bear Necessities
Mother-of-the-groom outfit Hobbs
Hair Leah Woods at CreativeHair Ceres
Makeup Luxe Makeup Academy
Groomswear Marc Darcy
Wedding rings Goldsmiths
Cake Made by the bride’s sister
Stationery Stationery by Suzanne (invites); table plan made by the bride
Flowers Olly Bobbins
Venue decor Celebre Weddings and Events
