Jenna and James had to reschedule their wedding three times and switch from a barn celebration to a stylish party in a Glasgow rooftop bar, but it was totally worth it in the end
Jenna Campbell & James Paterson
19th September 2021
Venue | Red Sky Bar, Radisson Red Glasgow
Photography | Jen Scott Photography
“We got engaged on a wintry trip to Amsterdam. After a long walk to find the ice rink, and then a couple of drinks (and falls!), Jamie got down on one knee. It was super cute: everyone was cheering and I had no clue it was happening!
We had to reschedule our wedding three times and then change venue, all because of Covid. Our final venue, the Red Sky Bar at Radisson Red Glasgow, was smaller than our original one so we had to reduce our guest list. However, Covid did teach me not to splurge on things; I kind of pulled back, and because of that we were able to pay for our guests’ drinks at the wedding, which I value much more now as I think everyone appreciated it.
On the date of our original booked wedding, we had stayed over at Radisson Red Glasgow and loved it. We thought we would chance it and ask if we could have our wedding at the Red Sky Bar. They hadn’t done one before, but I really wanted it to happen and thankfully it did. It has the best views and is absolutely our vibe!
We originally thought we wanted a traditional barn wedding with a live band. What we actually had was a rooftop bar, sunset, DJ and sax player. It was amazing. The tables were named after landmarks in Glasgow (most of which could be seen from the Red Sky Bar); we had a magician; our meal was a buffet of our favourite foods and, unexpectedly, there was a fireworks display at the Armadillo at night. This was because someone had got engaged at the SEC, which was nice!
Our humanist ceremony was light-hearted with lots of laughing. My wee boy wouldn’t walk down the aisle himself – he spotted a balloon and just wanted to play – but I ended up walking down with him and the pictures are so cute! I walked down the aisle to ‘For the Love of a Princess’ (from Braveheart), the bridesmaids’ song was ‘Seasons of Love’ (from Rent) and then Jamie and I chose The Office theme for our exit.
There are a few things I would change, with hindsight. I wish I’d booked a babysitter so my mum could have stayed until the end (she looked after our one-year-old and five-month-old); I wish I’d had a videographer, and I wish I’d worn my Charlotte Mills high heels in pictures and not my trainers.
I also wish I’d had some wedding cake (I totally forgot to have some!). I also would’ve given anything for my late gramps to have been there. A friend gave me a clip-on photo of him for my bouquet, which is my favourite keepsake from the day.
I wore an Enzoani dress from Anne Priscilla Bridal. It was the third dress I tried on, and Anne Priscilla was the second shop I went to. The experience was very personal, which I appreciated as I was five months’ pregnant at the time and felt very self-conscious.
Jamie and the groomsmen wore suits from Marc Darcy. They do matching kids’ suits, which is just adorable! I loved seeing my wee boy in the matching suit to his dad.
All our guests were up for a good time. They were dancing before the meal to Jamie’s playlist and we did a rendition of The Greatest Showman before dinner too (there are lots of musical people in our crowd). The dancefloor was full all night and I feel like it went by too fast. At 10pm, my bridesmaids and I went over to the SEC and when I looked up to our venue I could see everyone partying in the rooftop bar. It’s such a great memory.”
Top tip: “I had no idea how much things cost, so I wish I had researched that a bit more so I had an idea,” says Jenna. “Also, make sure you write everything down. I lost track of what, when and where by the end and it was stressful. I even double-booked things by accident!”
Venue Radisson Red Glasgow
Photography Jen Scott Photography
Celebrant Andy McKirdy, Independent Humanist Ceremonies
Bride’s dress Anne Priscilla Bridal
Hair Colette’s Hair & Makeup
Makeup Eyemeup
Groomswear Marc Darcy
Mother-of-the-bride outfit Reeta Fashions
Mother-of-the-groom outfit JJ’s House
Flowers Bespoke Forever Flowers
Stationery and favours Homemade
Ceiling decor Aurora.Creative.Scotland
Ceremony and drinks reception music Paul Crawford (singer and guitarist)
Saxophonist Davetsax
Magician Billy Reid Magic
