This dapper pair knew they wanted to have an intimate wedding away from their Liverpool base, so set their sights on the Scottish capital where they’d got engaged. Their guests didn’t have a clue what was in store, as they kept their plans under wraps
Kenny Kristiansen and Logan Lawson, now Mr and Mr Kristiansen
5th April 2024
Ceremony venue | Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Post-ceremony venue | The Sheep Heid Inn, Edinburgh
Photography | Solen Collet
"Logan and I first met in 2015 through a now-retired social media app called Periscope, but it wasn’t until 2017 that we started dating.
I proposed in November 2021 on a trip to Edinburgh. We took a walk up to the castle, and I asked him to close his eyes whilst I got down on one knee. He opened his eyes, looked at the engagement ring and uttered: “Are you messing?!”
It took us a while to figure out where we wanted to get married. All we knew was that we wanted to do it away from home (Southport), with as few people as possible, somewhere that meant something to us.
We toyed with the idea of Tuscany, but in the end settled on returning to Edinburgh with just 10 guests in tow. We also had an evening reception back in Liverpool with 100+ guests a month later.
With so few joining us in Edinburgh, we wanted to personalise the experience for them, so even though they knew the date, we kept the rest of the itinerary secret! We gifted each guest a small box filled with treats and presents that were all clues towards our big day plans.
We came across photographer Solen Collet online via her other company, The Elopement Society, which organises elopements and small weddings in and around Edinburgh.
We loved that her portfolio was a joyous mix of ‘traditional’ and ‘indie’ shots; her images have tons of personality and tell a story. Solen also became our informal wedding planner helping us with venues and ideas.
Logan and I had one day out together around a shopping outlet to get our suits and had no luck whatsoever. We came across Peter Posh online, then visited a store together that sold the brand. We have always had colours that we associate with one another – green for me and blue for Logan – so opted for tweed suits in those tones.
Discover outfit inspiration for Scottish grooms here
We had our ceremony at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The Chinese Pavilion there swayed us as it’s beautiful and intimate. We’d hoped to marry outside, but the rain meant we had to move to a room inside. Its floor-to-ceiling windows meant we still had views to the gardens at least.
Our celebrant Candice Dillen was amazing in shaping our ceremony. The vows were way more emotional than expected and something we’ll never forget. I teared up very quickly and I think everyone in the room shortly followed. Logan’s vows were particularly moving.
We had moments of our guests chipping in with a comment here or there which we loved!
It was exactly the relaxed atmosphere we hoped for. We didn’t walk down the aisle, but did include some other ceremony traditions: namely a handfasting, a sand ceremony and drinking from the quaich.
The one ‘tradition’ that we never planned for was a first dance as we felt it could be awkward with just 10 people watching. But when Solen suggested we have a sneaky little ‘first dance’ just the two of us (to Paolo Nutini’s ‘Loving You’) in the Chinese Pavilion where we original planned the ceremony, we couldn’t say no. It was a huge highlight!
A robin and a cheeky squirrel visited, which Solen caught on camera – it was like something from a Disney movie.
We had harpist Fiona Rutherford perform some of our favourite pieces of music at key points of the ceremony. We had ‘Ice Dance’ (from Edward Scissorhands) for arrival, ‘The Best’ by Tina Turner before the ceremony kicked off, then ‘Married Life’ (from Up) when we signed the register.
We struggled to settle on an evening venue. We wanted to fill the evening with fun things to do and even contemplated a bar crawl or cocktail class. In the end, we realised there was more value in having a place where people could be comfortable and relax.
When we discovered the old skittle alley at The Sheep Heid Inn, we realised it was ideal. We could have a relaxed, homely meal there, then retreat to the alley at the back of the restaurant for the rest of the night to laugh, sing, dance and bowl.
The best man’s speech – which Ben had responsibility for – was excellent. He had the entire group laughing for over 20 minutes, finishing with rousing applause! It made for a great intro to the evening party.
We reprised our earlier first dance at the skittle alley. Towards the end of the evening, ‘The Best’ by Tina Turner came on (in homage to that iconic scene in Schitt’s Creek), resulting in our whole party spontaneously dancing down the alleys, singing along and just embracing the moment. Summed up the day, really!
What surprised us most about getting married? How much that warm fuzzy feeling sticks with you for days afterwards. Every time we got a glimpse of the rings in the days that followed, we’d exclaim “we’re married!”. We would definitely recommend other couples allowing themselves down time to soak it all up after the wedding!"
Top tip: “Our tip would be a common one: get the venue sorted and the rest should be plain sailing. Make a list (and a shared wedding mailbox) to start ticking off all the bits you need to do. That’s all we did really,” says Kenny.
Ceremony venue Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Wedding meal and skittles The Sheep Heid Inn
Photography Solen Collet
Celebrant Candice Dillen, Humanist Society Scotland
Groomswear Peter Posh
Wedding rings Iain Henderson Design
Flowers Ochre Botanical Studios
Cake (for Liverpool celebration) FIVE
Ceremony music Harpist Fiona Rutherford
Accommodation Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel
