Grooms Adam and Stephen’s flamboyantly chic black-tie wedding started with an intimate ceremony that shared their love story, before the guest list quadrupled for an entertainment-filled party of a lifetime!
Adam Hewitson and Stephen White – now Mr and Mr White
15th March 2024
Venue | Carlowrie Castle, near Edinburgh
Photography | Ryan Mimiec Photography
"Stephen and I got together after a mutual friend put us in touch. Stephen had looked in through the window of the hair salon I run in Cambuslang, and after our friend passed on my number, he’d texted me asking ‘Single or taken?’
The following weekend, some friends and I went for drinks in the bar he works in. Stephen took the rest of the night off, we headed in to town and the rest is history...
We were together for three years when he proposed at Christmas at my friend’s house. We initially booked Boclair House, but then changed to Carlowrie Castle. When we started planning, we realised quite quickly that we needed a bigger venue!
We had a vision of an intimate ceremony with only close friends and family, then a big party at night – and that’s exactly how it worked out. We had 42 friends and family staying at the venue with us for two nights. We had 85 people for the ceremony and meal, then 350 in total for the reception.
I do a lot of bridal hair, so I was inspired a lot by weddings I have been a part of. I’m lucky that I’ve gotten to know suppliers, so I already had an idea of who I wanted to have as part of our day. I’ve worked with photographer Ryan Mimiec a lot and I always loved his way with people. Not only is he an amazing photographer, he makes the morning of a wedding fun and relaxed. I wouldn’t have had anyone else capture our wedding; I recommend him to so many people.
We hired Jordana Events and Weddings for our flowers and decor. We wanted to keep things fresh and clean-looking with lots of green and white.
Jordana provided so much more inspiration than that. She advised, for instance, we do the whole thing black tie to keep it looking smart and encouraged us to do something different with the top table. We ended up having a U-shaped one – a long table and two ‘legs’ – which was a brilliant idea.
We hired the whole castle the night before the wedding. We put on a dinner for all our friends and family so we could have some quality time together before the madness started.
The morning of the wedding, I did all my bridesmaids’ hair, so that kept me quite calm as I had to focus.
We all had breakfast together, a few bottles of prosecco and had a wee party to ourselves.
Seeing the girls all ready and getting to spend a few minutes with my auntie and sister were special moments. Stephen spent time with his brothers and friends who had travelled from Thailand and Berlin.
I didn’t feel too nervous until I went in a shower – then it hit me! When we were all ready to walk down the aisle, everyone felt a bit nervous. As soon as the music kicked in, it was the best feeling thinking ‘this is it!’ My mum’s sister, my auntie Laney, walked me down the aisle.
Our humanist ceremony was great. Our celebrant Niki Smith was amazing. We didn’t bother with any rituals so we could focus on our story as a couple. It was full of fun and felt really ‘us’. It was emotional too though, as Stephen’s mum had passed away just three weeks before our big day.
Stephen had his mum’s ashes with him, and had her picture set up beside his bed the night before the wedding. I knew how he was feeling, and when I saw it there next to his bed my heart broke for him – I will always remember it. Both my parents have passed away too, so it was hard not having them there, but we got each other through it.
I had always wanted my parents’ wedding rings melted down to make my wedding ring. The I Do Studio in Uddingston worked magic. It only cost around £200 to have it done, but it’s worth so much more than that to me.
We both wore matching dinner suits that were made to order from Slater Menswear. We went for double-breasted jackets so our ensembles were different from our groomsmen and the other guests. I changed into a white suit jacket at night, also from Slater Menswear.
Our speeches were great. Stephen’s sister went first with a hilarious X-rated speech, then me and my sister spoke. We didn’t set a budget, but we spent totally over what we thought it might be!
We had a lot of amazing entertainment though: Capella String Quartet and The Pickled Piper during the ceremony; the unreal GeO Gospel Choir for our drinks reception (also with open bar); a saxophone performance by Crookysax; Glasgow Piano Man at the end of the drinks reception and through our wedding meal; the 12-piece Soul Establishment from 8:30pm; and slots from DJs Jonny Ruiz from Tartan Entertainment and The Kilted DJ. Our first dance was to ‘To Love Somebody’ by Michael Bolton.
The only slight thing I’d change about our wedding would be to spend more time on the dancefloor enjoying the tunes rather than talking to everyone!"
Top tip: “Don’t forget what getting married is all about. Make sure you’re both happy with your plans, don’t involve others in selecting suppliers and keep your thoughts just between the two of you. People don’t realise that their opinions on your wedding can affect you without even knowing it,” says Adam.
Venue Carlowrie Castle
Photography Ryan Mimiec Photography
Filmmaker Rizzo Films (see highlights above)
Celebrant Niki Smith Celebrant
Groomswear Made to order from Slater Menswear, worn with Dior shoes and Oliver Brown bow ties
Bridesmaid dresses Dessy
Hair AJW Hairdressing (the groom’s salon)
Makeup Louise Coffey Dyet
Flowers and venue decor Jordana Events and Weddings
Cake Kayleigh’s Crumbs
Stationery and personalised candle favours Wedding Artwork by Daria
Wedding rings The I Do Studio
Ceremony music Capella String Quartet and The Pickled Piper
Drinks reception music GeO Gospel Choir and Glasgow Piano Man
Reception music The Soul Establishment Function Band and Tartan Entertainment
Saxophonist Chris Cruickshank, aka Crookysax
DJ The Kilted DJ
Content creators Your Day Unplugged (see reel below) and Cine Socials
Transport Parks of Hamilton
Dog chaperone Chloe’s K9 Kingdom
