Wild Flower Workshop's Barbara Smith married Chris Macfarlane at Kibble Palace before taking a vintage Glasgow bus to their colourful, relaxed Civic House reception
Glasgow florist Barbara Smith put her professional eye for colour to work when she married long-term partner Chris Macfarlane on 28th June 2025. The couple held their ceremony inside the Kibble Palace at Glasgow Botanic Gardens, then travelled with their 40 guests to Civic House near Speirs Wharf for a relaxed reception.
After 20 years together, Barbara and Chris wanted the wedding to feel first and foremost like a celebration of their family – and Barbara's colourful floral designs gave both Glasgow settings a distinctly personal look.
Wedding highlights at a glance
Ceremony venue | Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Reception venue | Civic House, Glasgow
Date | 28th June 2025
Photography | Caro Weiss Photography
Guests | 40
Decor | Bold, colourful florals by Wild Flower Workshop
Ceremony | Humanist ceremony led by Claire Digance
Entertainment | Ceilidh followed by WooHoo Band
A Glasgow Botanic Gardens wedding at Kibble Palace
It feels fitting that a florist would choose one of Glasgow's greenest landmarks for her wedding ceremony. Barbara and Chris exchanged vows inside the Kibble Palace, the landmark Victorian glasshouse at Glasgow Botanic Gardens in the city's West End.
“We booked the Botanics as we loved the idea of being able to revisit it with our family in years to come,” says Barbara.
The couple had already found the setting for the second half of their Glasgow wedding too. Barbara had worked at weddings at Civic House and had been won over by the converted printworks' industrial aesthetic and welcoming team.
“Chris and I both work in design and love modernist architecture, so the blank-canvas nature of this converted printworks allowed us room to get creative with decor.”
Bold wedding flowers at Civic House Glasgow
As the owner of Glasgow florist Wild Flower Workshop, Barbara was in the unusual position of becoming her own wedding client. Her brief? Bold and joyful colour.
“Designing our flowers was a treat and I got to try things I’d wanted to do for a while,” she says.
“I knew I wanted them to be a major part of the decor – flowers can really transform a space and set the tone – but we didn’t have a bottomless budget, so I focused on the areas that made the most impact.”
Rather than repeating the same floral treatment throughout Civic House, Barbara used the flowers to lead guests through its different spaces.
“If everything has the same impact or colour palette everywhere, people stop seeing it,” she explains.
“I used a punchy electric blue to paint several pedestals and a large plywood arch shape that were placed throughout the vestibule, bar and dining room. I also made a large, suspended installation in the dining room, the colours and textures of which were echoed in the table decorations. Because we had sharing plates, flowers on the table were kept minimal, but I made floor-based meadow arrangements for the ends of the tables.”
A family-focused Glasgow wedding after 20 years together
Barbara and Chris met at art school in Edinburgh and had been together for 18 years when Chris and their son and daughter surprised her with a proposal in spring 2023.
“I was pretty gobsmacked – but of course I said yes. For background, 2022 had been a rough year for us as I had to go through treatment for cancer. As soon as I felt well enough to travel, the four of us had a much-needed holiday and it was there on a Malaga roof terrace they asked me to marry them.”
By the time their wedding arrived in summer 2025, the couple had been together for 20 years.
“Getting married then felt perfect for a celebration of our family and a way of saying thank you to all our friends and family for all their support over the years,” says Barbara.
“Our wedding was always a celebration of the four of us.”
That idea carried through to their humanist wedding ceremony. Barbara, Chris and their children walked in together to The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, a family favourite often played on car journeys.
“I also loved watching our kids at the party,” says Barbara.
“Our son is getting to the age when dancing in front of people is very much ‘not cool’. But he and his mates totally threw themselves into the ceilidh. Our nine-year-old daughter is queen of the dance floor! So, there was no lull in celebrations with her around!”
A humanist wedding ceremony at Kibble Palace
The couple chose Claire Digance of Humanist Society Scotland to conduct their ceremony, having seen first-hand how she works with couples.
“I’ve worked with her lots and have witnessed the way she creates such a joyful atmosphere,” says Barbara.
“She’s warm, confident, funny and in no small part irreverent – which felt totally appropriate for us and our guests.”
Barbara and Chris also wrote their own wedding vows.
“That’s not to say it was easy,” she admits. “I mulled it over for quite a while before committing to something pretty succinct. I’m a crier, so knew I wasn’t going to make it through without blubbing.”
A vintage Glasgow bus from the Botanics to Civic House
With two wedding venues in different parts of Glasgow, the couple turned the journey between their ceremony and reception into another memorable part of the day.
An old Glasgow Corporation bus collected Barbara, Chris and their 40 guests from the Botanic Gardens and transported them to Civic House.
“A change of venue could have created a lull in the celebrations, but getting this vintage bus in totally added a ‘magical mystery tour’ element,” says Barbara.
“Chris and I are incredibly fortunate to have all four of our parents still with us and seeing their faces light up when they boarded the type of bus they rode as kids really was wonderful. I know as time passes, Caro’s photographs capturing moments like that will become even more valuable to us.”
Relaxed wedding photography by Caro Weiss
Barbara had admired Glasgow wedding photographer Caro Weiss's work long before entering the wedding industry herself.
“I always appreciated her lightness of touch and natural, unfussy style,” she says.
“She also captures colour so beautifully. I’m lucky enough to work with some amazingly talented photographers but it was only ever going to be Caro as ours.”
Chris had made Barbara promise there would be no wedding setup to tackle on the morning itself. With friends helping to get Civic House ready the previous day, the family was able to enjoy a calm start together.
“Lazy mornings with plenty of coffee are our idea of heaven,” says Barbara.
“Some of our favourite photographs that Caro took are from that part of the day, when we’re relaxing with the kids and being silly. We didn’t want them to be stressed by any part of the day. I honestly didn’t feel any nerves ahead of the wedding; I think the most nerve-wracking point was when I was doing my eyeliner and realised Caro was taking a photograph. Miraculously, I didn’t wobble!”
Wedding planning tips from Wild Flower Workshop's Barbara Smith
- “Follow your own tastes. I’ve talked many clients out of ‘safe’ or traditional design choices and into ones that are reflective of them. I get that you don’t want your wedding to look dated or passé a few years down the line, but decisions made in fear of that can lead to bland and boring looks.”
- “Allow breathing time between each part of the day, as it’ll make things feel relaxed and convivial. Some of my favourite moments were watching people who didn’t know each other before the wedding, chatting, laughing and dancing with each other.”
- “Find a good alterations place. We had several things resized, including Chris’s suit and our daughter’s dress, and it made a huge difference.”
Wedding suppliers
Ceremony venue Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Reception venue Civic House, Glasgow
Photography Caro Weiss Photography
Flowers and venue decor Wild Flower Workshop
Celebrant Claire Digance, Humanist Society Scotland
Wedding dress Alis Le May
Bride's jewellery Lalah Love (aka the groom!)
Hair and makeup Bride did own
Groomswear Paul Smith with Alis Le May bow tie and Grenson shoes
Bridesmaid dresses Boden
Catering Reagan Hallett Catering
Table linen 88 Events
Stationery DIY
Ceilidh Played by a friend
Reception band WooHoo Band
Transport Vintage Bus Glasgow
Gift list Prezola
