Planning Diaries bride marries in lavish fairytale wedding at Carlowrie Castle

Lauren Bell and Scott Kenmure, now Mr and Mrs Kenmure

29th June 2024

Venue | Carlowrie Castle, near Edinburgh
Photography | Derek Christie Photography

Let’s start with some numbers: 2,149 days together, 727 days engaged, 11 venues visited, nine dresses tried, eight cake flavours sampled and five entries in our Planning Diaries series – all before one stunning celebration at Carlowrie Castle!

These were just some of the figures printed in the wedding newspaper Lauren and Scott put together to hand out to guests as a memento of their special day. It was held at a charming venue on the fringes of Edinburgh that the bride had fallen head over heels with on her first visit.

“Carlowrie was the first place we went to see, and we absolutely loved it. But we decided to visit ten others just to get a feel for what we wanted,” remembers Lauren. “But, honestly, nothing could live up to Carlowrie – it was always going to be the one for us.”

The bride, a self-confessed lover of weddings, also knew exactly which suppliers she wanted to work with. “I think I emailed Pam Doc Hair and Jordana Events & Weddings before I had even confirmed my booking at the venue!” she laughs. “I always had this vision of a classy, sleek day that was something of a crossover between Gossip Girl and the Met Gala, and I knew these two suppliers would be the dream team in helping bring this to life.”

The couple fancied a big party with their nearest and dearest, so invited 150 guests for the day, with a further 35 joining the fun at night. “We just wanted everyone to have a really good time,” says the bride. “A wedding can be a long day, so I made sure there was always something going on. So we had a band, a DJ and a saxophonist, as well as fireworks and sparklers. It was really special.”

The event started with the humanist ceremony (complete with a string quartet), officiated by Tim Maguire. It was full of touching moments that the bride confides are some of her favourite memories of the day.

“Scott and I wrote our vows in secret and both of us ended them in the same way – we have a private joke where we say the word ‘mushroom’ and we both actually said it during the vows!” laughs the bride. 

“We paid tribute to Scott’s late dad too. He was a whisky collector, so we took a bottle from his collection to drink from the quaich. We also had an Irish blessing, translated from Gaelic – that was a really special touch.”

Before heading into the marquee to feast on a delicious meal of haggis, steak and crème brûlée, washed down with Whispering Angel rosé (“I asked the venue to order this in as it’s my favourite, so it was on the tables along with white and red wine”), guests were treated to an ice-cream van boasting ten flavours, all selected by the couple.

“We really had such a focus on personalising every little detail,” the bride explains. “The table names were all of our favourite places, we had our initials on the champagne flutes, and we gave our cake its own moment, cutting it before the dessert was served.”

Despite every aspect of the wedding being meticulously planned, Scott still managed to surprise his bride with a few thoughtful gestures on the day. “He got me a new engagement ring which he gave me on the morning of the wedding,” Lauren remembers. “And as a wedding gift he gave me the wine that’s drunk at the wedding in The Parent Trap – it’s my favourite film, and I was delighted.”

Lauren’s careful plans, together with the help of her six bridesmaids and a top team of suppliers, meant the morning of the wedding went without a hitch. “We stayed at the castle the night before and had a rehearsal. Then the girls and I went to South Queensferry for dinner and champagne,” remembers the bride.

"There was no room for error in the morning, but I was so chill because everything had been planned to a T."

“We had two makeup artists on the go, plus Pam, as well as Fairytale Fittings who steamed all the dresses and got everyone ready. I really can’t recommend Pam enough – she ran the entire morning and even stayed until I was walking down the aisle.”

As well as enlisting the help of indispensable suppliers on the day, there was another top team who’d gone above and beyond for the wedding: Bothwell bridal boutique Ivory Pinks. “They are absolutely amazing. I got my looks (both by Pronovias) from them. The first was more traditional, while the second was a sparkly gown. I had four fittings in total and was in the shop two days before the wedding as they wanted to hand-finish some final stitches. They did more than I could have imagined.”

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With so much to juggle (including flying over to Northern Ireland multiple times for Lauren’s mum’s dress fittings at Newry-based designer Shauna Fay), Lauren devised her own method for keeping on top of planning decisions. “I found spreadsheets too stressful, so I had a notepad where I’d put everything down, then I could add new items when they came up and cross off tasks as they were done. Sundays also sort of became the wedding planning day – it was helpful to dedicate this time to getting things sorted.” 

And she has another tip up her sleeve: “When we were doing our table plan and trying to figure out who would sit where, we made it easier for ourselves by using post-it notes on paper plates!”

Despite a few minor hitches (one Jimmy Choo heel snapped minutes into the day and – eek – her veil caught fire during the ceremony!), things proceeded smoothly, and it seems all the planning paid off.

Read all about Lauren and Scott's wedding planning journey

“I knew from the beginning that I wanted us to have fireworks, but I kept this a surprise from our guests,” she laughs. “It really felt like something from Disney! The photographs of the fireworks are absolutely stunning. When they were finished, everyone headed back inside where there were trays of Jägerbombs waiting. Then the dancing started. The sax player and DJ kicked everything off, and everyone was on the floor raving with the light-up foam batons that we’d bought (my biggest bargain!).”

It has been several months now since they tied the knot, but the couple are keeping the honeymoon celebrations alive by jetting off to multiple destinations this year: “We’ve been to Dubai, Portugal and Donegal, and have Tenerife and Nice on the cards.” They’re also planning to incorporate some of their stationery, photographs and keepsakes into their home decor.

Lauren recalls so many people telling her that the day would be over in a flash, but says she feels “beyond content” with how everything played out. “Honestly, I really felt so present, and I loved absolutely every element of our day,” she smiles. 

“It was so nice: we really gave it our all and did things exactly as we wanted. I don’t feel it went by too quickly – we enjoyed every bit of it and we really do have the best memories. I wouldn’t change a thing – even if we did go wildly over-budget…”

Top tip: “Make sure you know what you’re getting from your suppliers. I would really urge you to take up any consultations or trials that you’re offered. Having a set brief helps avoid any issues, and giving suppliers a heads-up on situations in advance also makes such a difference.”

Venue Carlowrie Castle, near Edinburgh 
Celebrant Tim Maguire Humanist Celebrant
Photography Derek Christie Photography
Filmmaker TLC Media Wedding Films
Content creator I Do Content Creations
Bride’s dresses Both Pronovias from Ivory Pinks Bridal
Bride’s shoes Jimmy Choo heels, Gucci flats
Hair Pam Doc Hair 
Makeup Murray Owens and Stacey Toner
Jewellery Earrings from Harvey Nichols, bracelet ‘something borrowed’ from bride’s aunt
Groomswear MacGregor and MacDuff
Bridesmaid dresses Sophia Grace Couture
Flower girl dress Next
Mother of the bride’s outfit Shauna Fay dress with Bespoke by Roslyn hat 
Mother of the groom’s outfit Veromia from Catwalk
Cake Sprinkles on Top 
Flowers and decor Jordana Events & Weddings
Stationery Eden Rose Design Studio
Engagement/wedding rings Laings
Ceremony music Capella String Quartet 
Reception DJ Paddy Gordon
Reception band Sneaky Treacle 
Saxophonist Gav on Sax
Photobooth The Boho Bus
Live wedding artist What Hannah Does
Fireworks 21CC Group
Morning dressers Fairytale Fittings and Get Kilted
Transport Carrs Loch Lomond and JMB Coaches