When Adrian and Rebecca fulfilled their lifelong dream of buying a croft, he popped the question and they set about planning their chilled-out wedding at their new Highland home
Adrian Burton & Rebecca Goddard
May 2021
Venue | the couple’s croft in the Highlands
Photography | Karen Thorburn Photography
“Adrian and I had been together for 11 years when he finally popped the question on the day we fulfilled our dream of purchasing our very own croft. The idea was always to get married on the croft and make the most of the views, but there was a fair amount of work to be done first. Between that and the pandemic, it ended up being three years later that we eventually tied the knot.
Covid-19 meant we had fewer guests, but we planned what we could and, in the end, the restrictions eased enough for us to have our absolute nearest and dearest with us on the day. We are already planning ‘the bash we didn’t have’ sometime over the next 12 months.
We are both foodies, so we booked Donnie Macleod Event Catering as soon as we’d set the date. Donnie’s company caters for estate/stalking meets as well as weddings, so after Adrian attended a day on the hill where they were catering, he wouldn’t consider anybody else for the food.
The moment we met Eve Baillie of Handcrafted Ceremonies, we knew she was the person to marry us. We wanted something meaningful and personal to us as a couple and we got that by the bucket load!
My extraordinary mum sadly passed away a couple of months before the wedding. It was important that we still felt she was with us and Eve was great at helping with that. We also were conscious about keeping things upbeat and a celebration of love – exactly what my mum would have wanted.
In terms of the wedding styling, ‘rustic Highland croft’ was what we were after. We didn’t want anything mass-produced and we sourced everything from local suppliers where possible. I discovered many talented people on Instagram, including our wonderful florist Bothy Blooms and cake maker Little Croft Bakery. Many have ended up becoming friends since.
Our friend OceanArtsByClaire is one of the most talented people ever and created all of our stationery for us.
The team from Highland Stretch Tents who provided our awesome stretch tent were brilliant. They were so flexible with our changing needs (due to smaller numbers) and worked so hard on ensuring our venue was just right.
We wanted a photographer we felt comfortable with, who would take the time to get to know us and understand what we wanted from the pictures. Karen was everything we could’ve hope for and more. Our photos are brilliant and we are forever grateful to her.
The non-essential items we couldn’t resist? I treated myself to a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes to say ‘I do’ in, while Adrian found a fantastic seamstress, Allana Costume, to make him a waistcoat with a map of our croft on the back. It’s such a special keepsake.
My hair and makeup team were outstanding. My only stipulation was that I wanted to look like myself and Sam Whitby (makeup) and Suzanne McMahon (hair) did just that: I felt so beautiful.
We ended the night dancing outside on the grass, like wild kids of the night, just as the sun had set. It was hilarious, impromptu and just perfect. We wanted our wedding to be laid-back and authentic which is exactly what we had – we wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”
Top tip: “Apart from spreadsheets galore, I’d suggest couples remember that, at the end of the day, it comes down to getting married – the rest is just added fun/fluff. Concentrate on the people you want more than anything to be there and you’ve already won.”
Venue the couple’s croft in the Highlands
Photography Karen Thorburn Photography
Bride’s dress Stella York
Bride’s shoes Jimmy Choo
Groom’s waistcoat Allana Costume
Stretch tent Highland Stretch Tents
Catering Donnie Macleod Event Catering
Celebrant Eve Baillie, Handcrafted Ceremonies
Stationery OceanArtsByClaire
Cake Little Croft Bakery
Flowers Bothy Blooms
Hair Suzanne McMahon
Makeup Sam Whitby
