Glen Clova Hotel was the perfect setting to bring to life Stacey and Arthur’s magical, vintage vision. Having visited Glen Clova many times as a little girl, Stacey knew this would be the dream location for their special day, with its stunning landscape & abundance of flora and wildlife.
How did you two meet?
We met in a bar in Aberdeen while out with friends, although we spoke for over a year before we finally agreed on a first date!
What inspired your wedding plans?
Visiting Glen Clova many times as a little girl with grandparents, I always loved the surroundings and many memories were made. I knew Glen Clova was the perfect venue with its stunning landscape with an abundance of flora and wildlife.
I have always liked vintage and rustic/natural inspired themes and elements, and knew I could fulfil my visions and dreams at Glen Clova. When Arthur first saw Glen Clova his reaction was ‘ WOW, the scenery is amazing and there could be no other place to capture our special day’. We both fell in love instantly when we saw the kirk and its quirkiness inside to hold our ceremony.
When I initially started the planning stages of our wedding I came across the blog, which gave me inspiration to follow my vision and some of my suppliers already featured on your blog which filled me with extra confidence after seeing creations by them.
Tell us about your venue…
Glen Clova Hotel is set in tranquil surroundings with the breathtaking scenery of Glen Clova and Glen Doll. We felt very relaxed and stress free as the staff looked after us from the planning stage (including a postponement due to the pandemic) and right through to our special day.
Our wedding coordinator was amazing, allowing us to make many changes and to fulfil our vision giving us the day we dreamed of. Everything we wished for – Glen Clova made it happen!
We love your outfits! Tell us more…
I tried one or two dresses in between lockdowns, but felt due to restrictions the experience was not what I expected. I put my search on hold for a while and then came across Mette at Freja Designer Dressmaking in Edinburgh. I had a vision of my dream dress and sent Mette several images of different dress styles. I knew from my first visit after my initial consultation that she could design and capture my vision. Mette designed for me a romantic, vintage inspired dress in polka dot tulle with satin details and 3D lace with the palest of pink petals. It was absolutely the dress of my dreams and so easy to wear throughout the whole day.
I had vintage-inspired ivory lace shoes with a strap and satin button. A locket was added into my bouquet which was my granny’s. Arthur added an engraved pocket watch to his Highland outfit.
Arthur wore traditional Highland dress in the weathered McKenzie tartan, rustic brown tweed jacket and plaid fitted well with our countryside setting.
Your photos are gorgeous!
When we found Barry and saw how he captured every moment we knew we wanted him to be our photographer. Barry is so friendly and puts you at ease, he really took time getting to know us and went above and beyond to capture our special moments from the day.
He was fantastic with guests and our photos are so natural, giving us exactly what we had hoped for. We love the way the photos tell the story of our magical day.
From our first interaction with our filmmaker Colin, he put us at ease and went out of his way to make us feel special. Colin captured the stunning scenery at Glen Clova perfectly, and showed every detail of our special day, even the vibrant colours in my floral arrangements and the detail in my dress. The video is very natural, capturing guests expressions and reactions of our day.
What was your first dance song?
Acoustic version of Madness – ‘It must be love’. This was the first concert we went to together
Our band, The Scoundrels, were amazing, a mixture of traditional and modern music with a celtic edge, keeping everyone on the dance floor all night – they were part of the party! Gerry and the band were so friendly and really delivered a fantastic night for everyone.
We surprised our guests with an appearance from The Red Hot Chili Pipers! Our well kept secret and an amazing surprise to everyone, the dance floor was buzzing!
Did you manage to stick to your budget?
We went slightly over our budget but well worth it as we had an amazing day!
Any advice?
Stick with your vision and dreams, and capture every special moment.
Honeymoon or minimoon?
Honeymoon – a 14 day cruise in the Mediterranean getting the opportunity to explore charming and ancient big cities and quiet islands, making many happy memories.
What’s the one moment you will always remember?
Reading our handwritten vows to each other during our ceremony was a very special moment! We also loved seeing our guests faces when the Red Hot Chili Pipers made an appearance! It was overwhelming.
