This family wedding in an Angus barn was filled with happy tears and laughter as the couple exchanged vows in front of their young daughters
Leah Hanton and Joseph Will, now Mr and Mrs Will
15th July 2023
Venue | Rottal Steading, Angus
Photography | The Capturist
"Joseph and I were in the same year at high school. He was the class clown and went out of his way to annoy me every single day. Suddenly it stopped, and the rest is history. 13 years later we are married with two beautiful daughters, Aria (5) and Freya (2).
Our first wedding planning decision was the venue. I had seen Rottal Steading on social media and couldn’t get the idea of marrying there out of my head. I’d also been swayed by a DIY barn wedding after following another person who was having one on Instagram. When we visited, we were blown away by the setting – it was everything we wanted.
Our wedding for 90 guests (30 more in the evening) cost us around £15k.
We took on loads of wedding-related DIY which was our favourite part of the planning. We made the table plan, table runners, napkins, homemade gin and more.
Joseph and one of his friends make a wooden hexagon that we could hang a neon ‘The Wills’ sign on. Our florist added a beautiful selection of flowers and greenery to it. Other family and friends helped too. We will be forever grateful to them.
I’d wanted our daughters to walk me down the aisle. On the day, our youngest Freya wasn’t feeling the best, so my bridesmaid Lauren carried her down the aisle. Looking back, I really treasure those photos of my wee girl in the arms of my best friend.
Our humanist ceremony was amazing. After Aria walked me down the aisle, Joseph was overcome by emotion and couldn’t stop crying.
I reached out to console him with a cuddle, and he picked me up and squeezed me so tight. It was one of my favourite moments of the day and the pictures of it are brilliant. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room.
We also incorporated a sand ceremony so our girls could be part of it, and now we have the most special keepsake from it.
We have used Chris Simpson, aka The Capturist, before for photos of our daughters, so we couldn’t think of anyone better to be our wedding photographer. We wanted to feel relaxed and for the photos to be as natural as possible. Chris blended right in and totally nailed it. He is brilliant at what he does and we can’t recommend him enough.
The speeches were such a laugh! Joseph asked his best men and various friends dotted around the tables to come up with a few jokes. They had the whole room in stitches. When I look back, it feels like we spent the whole day either laughing or happy crying! It was so nice just seeing everyone enjoy themselves as much as we were.
We decided we didn’t want a formal three-course meal, so opted for a BBQ buffet instead. We ordered loads of meat from our local butcher then enlisted a family friend to prepare it all and make loads of salads.
Everyone helped themselves and have since said how much they enjoyed it. My mum and her partner Vicky work in catering so they made the canapés for our outdoors drinks reception.
One of our highlights of the day was Aria welcoming us into the evening reception. Then later, our youngest Freya was sleepy and wanted a cuddle from her mum. As I sat at one of the tables, she fell asleep in my arms and it allowed me to take it all in – the room, the decor, and everyone just having the best time – and I had the most incredible feeling seeing our special day all going off so perfectly."
Top tip: “Try and enjoy the planning as much as you can. If you feel yourself starting to stress about things, leave it for a few days/weeks and clear your head until you’re ready to start again. Always remember: it’s all just for one day,” says Leah.
Leah + Joseph's wedding highlights by The Capturist
Venue Rottal Steading
Photography and film clips The Capturist
Celebrant Brenda Reid, Humanist Society Scotland
Bride’s dress Lillian West from The Cherished Bride
Bride’s jewellery Pandora tennis bracelet (gift from Joseph in morning)
Makeup Makeup by Kayley
Nails and hair Beautiful Kaos Brechin
Bridesmaid dresses ASOS
Flower girl dresses Next
Mother-of-the-bride outfit Zara and Mango
Mother-of-the-groom outfit Patricia Forbes
Groomswear McCalls
Cake Made by family member
Dessert table Traybakelicious
Catering Family friend, using meat from Bruce Brymers
Florist Sharon’s Flower Studio
Stationery City Press Brechin
Favours and table decor Handmade
Chair and table hire Gordon’s Cater Hire
Saxophonist Kimberly Donnelly, k.d SAX
Rings J. Mitchell & Son Jewellers
Piper Mearns Piper
360° video booth Capture 360 Events
Transport Wisharts Friockheim
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