Home is where the heart is – and the party! Bride Holly reminisces about her and Daniel’s pretty-in-pink wedding that was held in her parents’ garden and how it reached new heights...quite literally!
Holly Fraser and Daniel Hutton, now Mr and Mrs Hutton
20th April 2024
Venues | local church and the bride’s family home near Loch Lomond
Photography | PJ Phillips Photography
"Daniel and I’s story began at school. From there, we bonded over our love of adventure, road trips, and exploring new places. After seven years together – during which we changed jobs and careers multiple times, renovated three properties, and travelled extensively – we finally got engaged!
The proposal happened in September 2022 in Pollença, Mallorca, where we’d had our first holiday together seven years previously. It was a complete shock; I had no idea.
Nailing down our venue was the first decision we made. After considering several different locations, it became clear that we wanted a blank canvas to throw one giant party in and nowhere compared to my parents’ garden in Balmaha near Loch Lomond. And when I say big, I mean it: we had 195 guests all day, with 30 more in the evening.
We struggled to find a company that was able to supply the style of sailcloth marquee that we wanted. (None of the Scottish companies we approached were open for the season.) I found Shades Canvas in Leeds and they managed to make our marquee dreams a reality.
The sides of the marquee could be lifted, showcasing Loch Lomond on one side and Conic Hill on the other.
We wanted to bring the beauty of spring indoors, so my parents gathered silver birch branches from their garden and tied them to the poles inside the marquee. Our florist, Willows Edge, worked wonders with the vibrant pink cherry blossom-inspired colour palette we’d chosen.
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We love anything personalised. For our drinks reception in my parents’ polytunnel, Rusty’s Piano Bar played and served my favourite strawberry take on an Aperol Spritz and I made shot skis to represent our wild times on the slopes during many a drunken ski holiday. They both went down a storm.
Our good friend Spencer made the canvas ‘The Huttons’ banner displayed behind our wedding cake, and I created our welcome signs. Daniel’s a vehicle wrangler in film and TV, so he handled the cars and even had the back wheel of one of the Land Rover Defenders inscribed with our wedding date.
Our simple yet delicious menu featured our favourite foods including roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and my mum’s famous broccoli cheese. Sharing roast dinners family-style brings everyone together, so we got some of our guests involved...We placed stickers under certain people’s plates, which signified that they had to go into the kitchen.
There, they’d be asked to put on a chef’s hat and apron, then carve and serve the meat. Sitting watching this unfold from the top table was hilarious and chaotic at the same time.
We rented all our glassware, cutlery and crockery – but the wrong ones appeared the day before the wedding! Fortunately, I had every single correspondence with the company on an email chain and they managed to send up the correct items in the nick of time. They were coming from London, so it was a stressful moment!
The morning of the wedding, one of our wedding guests got dropped off by helicopter. The pilot offered to take the bridesmaids and I up for a quick bird’s-eye view of the marquee. I still can’t believe I went up in pin curls and pyjamas. It felt surreal.
My dad’s vintage car broke down while we were on the way to the church! One of the groomsmen eventually rescued us in his very reliable Land Rover Defender. I turned up 20 minutes late despite leaving home early! That said, I felt relaxed as it was the first time I’d been able to catch a breath all morning.
My dad walked me down the aisle. When we got to the altar, he said, “What do I do now?” despite us doing a rehearsal the night before. Everyone thought it was funny.
Our Christian ceremony led by Rev. Iain Miller at our local church in Milton of Buchanan was beautifully brief. We asked our friend Franqui to read ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’ by Dr. Seuss. We love this reading as it reminds us of life in general; lots of twists and turns, ups and downs.
I had a clear vision for my dress. I wanted it to be backless with buttons; have a slit in the skirt; be versatile for the evening – and it had to have pockets! I also had a particular type of fabric in mind.
I visited six different dress shops, but nothing met my criteria. I then sent bespoke bridal designer Abigail Westrup Design my moodboard and it was a collaborative process from there... I got to choose every detail, down to the very last stitch. In the end, my dress was everything I had dreamed of and more, and the fit was perfect.
Our first dance was a blend of ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ into ‘She’s Electric’. We had an hour of ceilidh music (a big hit amongst our international friends and family), then a live band who played songs that were requested when people RSVP’d. There was a great mix.
Everything fell into place. We felt relaxed the whole day which is apparent from our amazing wedding photos.
We got to spend as much time with our guests as possible thanks to our photographer Patrick (aka PJ Phillips Photography) who nailed all our candid shots earlier in the day. We must’ve watched our teaser video from Knoxland Films about 1,000 times! That’s been such a nice way to relive the day."
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Top tip: "Set up a dedicated email address for wedding planning. We didn’t, and soon found sifting through many emails became a bit of a pain,” says Holly. “I would invest your money in the big things. Small things add up and these aren’t necessarily what your guests will remember.”
Holly and Daniel's teaser film by Knoxland Films
Reception venue Marquee at family home
Marquee Shades Canvas (Leeds)
Ceremony venue Buchanan Church, Milton of Buchanan
Photography PJ Phillips Photography
Filmmaker Knoxland Films (see teaser above)
Wedding dress Abigail Westrup Bridal
Bridal accessories Loeffler Randall shoes; Lily & Roo earrings; mum’s opal bracelet
Bridesmaid dresses Ghost, Mango and BIBA
Flower girl dresses Ted Baker
Hair Sian Hair
Makeup Stephanie Ferry Makeup Artist
Nails Kiki Nails
Groomswear MacGregor and MacDuff
Engagement ring Tom Coll Jewellery
Catering The Oak Tree Inn
Cake Liggy’s Cake Company
Flowers and decor Willows Edge
Drinks reception music Rusty’s Piano Bar
Reception music Liquid Spirit and Kim Wheeler, Wheeler Music
Chippy van Strathearn Food Co.
Transport Vehicle Scotland
Luxury loos Honeywagon Co.
Photobooth Blur Productions
