From a barn finished with refined rustic flourishes, to an elegant white and gold theme at a lochside venue, we hear how two couples nailed their wedding style with a little help from the pros
When Dorothy and Alasdair Fraser married at The Cow Shed Crail, they chose Vintage Gathering to style their day
“Our venue was a beautiful rustic steading and we wanted the decor to complement and enhance the space,” Dorothy tells us. “We both really love vintage styling with traditional touches, but our ideas became clearer and more refined with the help of Vintage Gathering.”
The couple are full of praise for Hannah and David at the Fife-based decor company: they were personable and flexible, gave valuable advice when Dorothy and Alasdair weren’t sure what they wanted, and were on hand to sort out any issues. “We felt they were genuinely invested and this made us feel calm and reassured for the big day,” recalls the bride.
Vintage Gathering had a wealth of props to bring the blank canvas to life: trestle tables, matching peacock chairs, a greenery wall with a neon sign and greenery arch, antique furniture, brass candlesticks, glass bottles holding flowers, eucalyptus and Scottish wildflower bouquets, and Persian rugs and runners. The guests were blown away when they saw the evening reception set-up.
One top tip from Dorothy and Alasdair is not to worry about how everything will come together. “We had loads of friends and family standing by, ready to help get everything in place, but we didn’t need them because Hannah and David had completely transformed the venue!”
Gemma and Shaun Holt married at Lodge on Loch Lomond, with Enlighten My Day doing the decor
“I wanted soft, simple and romantic decor with a neutral colour scheme,” Gemma tells us. “I pictured foliage and white flowers, lots of fairylights and candles, and touches of gold to warm the space up – and Selena at Enlighten My Day was able to bring all of that to life, as well as suggesting some more ideas to add the wow factor.”
Start by finding out if your venue has any restrictions in place, advises Gemma. For example, can you use any supplier? Is there anything you aren’t allowed, like a naked flame? Then you can come up with ideas or ways around it to achieve your look. “The challenge we encountered was that our venue had restrictions in place that meant we couldn’t cover the ceilings or hang wall draping unless we went with the preferred decor supplier,” she says. “Selena assured me that a freestanding backdrop from Enlighten My Day would have the same effect. Nevertheless, I was worried right up until the day before the wedding – I shouldn’t have bothered, because it looked brilliant!”
The bride praises the company for being creative, friendly and good value for money. “They gave us great ideas on how we could reuse our ceremony decor in the evening – it helped us keep the costs down,” adds Gemma. The couple hired the aisle runner, chair sashes, tulle backdrop with fairylights, centrepieces and candelabras and a foliage arch with a neon sign. “The whole room was just so beautiful. It came together perfectly and was even better than I could have imagined,” she smiles.