Fairytale white orchid wedding at Lochside House Hotel

Despite some stress in the run up, everything fell into place beautifully at Sophie and Alan’s impeccably styled Ayrshire wedding, where abundant white orchids and roses were the order of the day

a bride and groom standing nose to nose basking in a golden sunset with green landscape and lake in background

Sophie Robertson (now Robertson Tyre) and Alan Tyre

16th May 2024

Venue | Lochside House Hotel, Spa and Lodges, Ayrshire
Photography | Craig and Eva Sanders Photography

"Alan and I met 11 years ago when I was working at the Corinthian Club in Glasgow and he was security. We spoke all night but didn’t get each other’s names. With the help of colleagues, we eventually got back in touch and went on a date – and life’s been amazing ever since!

Alan took me on a surprise trip to Santorini where he proposed at sunset. He got the ring made and designed (with input from my mum) whilst we were all on a family holiday in Dubai. It was 18 months from engagement to wedding.

Lochside House Hotel was the first venue I called. We also looked at Cameron House, Trump Turnberry and Lodge on Loch Lomond. At that point, I was told it would be over two years to wait for the date we wanted at Lochside, so we joined a waiting list.

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I cried when I got the call to say we got the date we wanted even though we’d been fourth on the list – it all fell into place!

We didn’t set a budget as such, but looking back, I would really recommend other couples look at finances first, as it is all too easy to get carried away. We were taken aback by how expensive everything was, and how fast you have to make decisions on vendors as every supplier is so sought after.

One supplier I didn’t have to worry about securing was my talented little sister, Celine Robertson Makeup! She’s a bridal specialist and I couldn’t have anyone but her do my makeup on the day.

I have followed photographers Craig and Eva Sanders’ Instagram for years. I was gutted when I realised they were going to be out of reach for our budget, but my family managed to book them as a wedding present for us! They were amazing on the day and made us feel so at ease.

I found it hard to make time for wedding planning as I’d just taken on a bigger job. I had some free time at the weekends, but the reality of that wasn’t great, as trying to get meetings on a Saturday or Sunday with a lot of vendors was a no go. Kirsty at Lochside was a real help with any stresses or issues – that lady is an incredible asset to the venue.

We wanted a smaller, intimate wedding. We had 72 guests during the day with a further 15 at night. The aesthetic for the day was white and champagne with lots of orchids and candles.

a close-up portrait of a bride holding a white bouquet of flowers and wearing a veil on left. A round table at Lochside House Hotel decorated for a wedding dinner with tall white rose centrepiece on right

a wedding welcome sign with gold script font and small white flower arrangement and candles in jars on left. A room set for a wedding ceremony with plush oval backed chairs, white carpet aisle and tall white rose and gypsophila flower arrangements on mirrored plinths on right

a wedding table setting with wine glasses on left. A white lustre wedding cake with white flower decor and gold letter monogram on right

a long table set for a wedding with lush white flower garland running along the front of it with floating candles in glass vases on floor in front of it (left). Champagne flutes filled with white orchids and small tea lights surrounded by white flowers on a table on right

I must’ve tried on over 30 wedding dresses at various boutiques.

I went through a period of worrying that I wasn’t going to find one, then my sister spotted a gown she thought I might like on Eleganza Sposa’s Instagram. I booked an appointment, tried it on, and fell in love straight away!

I got a heart-shaped piece of my mum’s wedding dress stitched into mine and pinned my late gran’s brooch on top of that. I also wore a ruby ring (my birthstone) that was a gift from my parents to mark the occasion.

I booked a dressing service for the morning of the wedding to help us all get into our gowns. Lindsay from Don’t Stress the Dress was an absolute godsend. I would’ve forgotten so many things if it wasn’t for her. I deal badly with stress and was worried that anxiety would take over during the morning prep, but my suppliers, mum, sister and best friend made it an amazing morning!

The ceremony was relaxed and personal. Our celebrant Tasha really got to know us and our story and spun it into a wonderful ceremony. Our reading was from ‘The Chaos of Stars’ novel by Kiersten White. The wording resonated with us: “In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.”

We had Capella String Quartet and live artist What Hannah Does to keep people occupied during our drinks reception. The music vibe was a bit ‘Bridgerton’ – modern with a classic twist. The live artist went down a storm with our guests and they all got to take home a picture.

We also got everyone flower seeds as favours. The idea being that every year, around the time of your wedding, the flowers will bloom and act as a reminder of your special day.

We got lucky with the weather. It looked grey initially, but it got really bright and sunny when the ceremony finished. We got some incredible photos bathed in golden light.

Our guests raved about the delicious four-course meal we had and the fireworks at the end of the night. The speeches my dad and Alan made will stay with me forever. We wouldn’t change a thing about our big day; every single moment was perfect and ran unbelievably smoothly.

Top tip: “Ask your bridal boutique about the cost of dress alterations as they can be expensive. I hadn’t expected that mine would cost over £600,” says Sophie.