Chelsea McDonald & Daniel Stewart
10th November 2018
Venue | Carrick Castle Estate, Argyll
Photography | Darren Mitchell Photography
“Daniel proposed under the largest Christmas tree in Berlin during December 2016. We initially booked a typical ‘big wedding’ for March 2020 at a much grander venue in Renfrewshire.
However, when our son Logan was born in June 2018 with a heart condition, our whole lives changed. He had open heart surgery at just six weeks old, and with the prospect of more operations over the next two years, we had to reassess our plans. Consequently, we decided to get married much sooner.
We discovered Carrick Castle Estate and fell in love with it and the peaceful Argyll surroundings. At its Lodge, we could have our 12 closest family and friends together under one roof for a full ‘wedding weekend’. After spending the first 14 weeks of Logan’s life in hospital, it was such an antidote and an idyllic escape. It was so special.
We chose a humanist ceremony as we wanted the day to be as personal as possible and represent us both as a couple. It meant we were very involved in the finer details of formulating it. Our celebrant, Hugh McGuiness, was fantastic at making sure the service was exactly as we wanted.
We worked with him to tell the story of our journey and how we came to be standing at the top of the aisle that day. We also wrote our own vows which was a nice touch. The three speeches were also a highlight. They were so touching and sentimental that everyone was in tears!
I knew from even before we were engaged that I wanted Darren Mitchell to be our photographer. I’ve followed his work for years and always been impressed by how dramatic his work looks. Living in Scotland, I’m well aware that even marrying in July does not guarantee the weather. In fact, Darren’s photos taken in the rain are among my favourites. Come drizzle, hail or shine, I had faith that Darren would be able to capture our day perfectly.”
Top tip: “Sit back and think about how you want your wedding to be before you book anything as things can easily get out of hand. Our choice to downsize from a ‘big wedding’ to the Lodge was the best decision we made.”
Dress David’s Bridal
Bridesmaids’ dresses ASOS
Groomswear MacGregor and MacDuff
Rings James Porter and Son
Celebrant Hugh McGuiness
Catering GBM Catering
Flowers Murrays Florist
Hair Hair by Natalie
Makeup Michelle Allison Makeup
