An intimate civil ceremony in Glasgow and a showstopping Trump Turnberry celebration the following spring

An intimate civil ceremony in Glasgow and a showstopping Trump Turnberry celebration the following spring

Louise Ballantine & Scott Curtis Walter Weir

4th December 2021 (ceremony) and 16th April 2022 (main wedding)

Ceremony venue | 23 Montrose Street, Glasgow
Main wedding venue | Trump Turnberry, Ayrshire
Photography | Craig and Eva Sanders and Kim Morgan Wheeler (Glasgow ceremony)

A bride and groom stand outside and lean in for an intimate moment at sunset

“Scott and I were together for three years pre-engagement. We’d spent a weekend in London and he had been planning to propose at various points unbeknown to me, but the right moment never arose.

We arrived home on the Sunday and decided to go out for dinner. I came out of the shower to discover our Ragdoll x Maine Coone cat, Bella, with a pink ribbon and a ring round her collar with a message from Scott asking to marry me!

We had quite a long engagement. We weren’t in a rush to get married, but then Covid delayed things even further – our wedding was postponed three times! – so it ended up being a five-year wait.

We had an intimate, legal ceremony at 23 Montrose Street in Glasgow in December 2021 in front of just 12 guests. We then went to Dakota Glasgow (my fave hotel in the city), for dinner and drinks. The private dining was exceptional and I was blown away by how organised the events team were.

Our best friend and actor Craig McGinlay performed a non-religious blessing ceremony at Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire the following spring in front of 132 guests. He read stories about both of us and we lit a unity candle. It was so special and we were honoured he could be there to be such an important part of our wedding.

Our wedding look was ethereal, whimsical, romantic and slightly undone. We had so many personal touches that I adored, including organza and flower bracelets that my 86-year-old gran made for every woman at the wedding.

We didn’t set a budget as such. If either of us had written down a total figure we might not have gone through with a big wedding. As we got closer to the date, there were so many things we found we had to buy, a budget would have been out the window by that point anyway.

Booking photographers Craig and Eva Sanders was one of the first things we did when we started planning our wedding. Their soft, romantic fine-art style worked so well with our aesthetic. I’ve worked with Eva for years so knew her and Craig were relaxed and personable – exactly what you need on a wedding day.

I am a makeup artist and run LUX Makeup and Nail Bars in the south side of Glasgow. My job took me to Paris, Barcelona and London and I dress-shopped in all three cities, but found nothing I loved and, to be honest, I wasn’t really enjoying the experience.

I booked an appointment at Opus Couture in West Kilbride. The service was incredible; you will be looked after and made to feel comfortable and special whether you find your dream dress or not.

I worked with the boutique’s manager Susan Lightbody to design and create my perfect dress. Everything was done in-house too. I’m still obsessed with every pearl and bit of lace on it. I bought a second Pronovias dress for dancing in at the reception.

I asked Eden McLeod from my salon to do my makeup. I did some of it myself too, but she knows how I like my makeup, so I completely trusted her. It was lovely having someone look after me on the day for a change.

We didn’t have a top table. Instead, we sat with our closest friends and family facing us in the middle of the room with the rest of guests sat at long tables all around.

Instead of a three-course meal, we created a bespoke menu with the chefs at Turnberry. It had so many different options and everyone could choose what they wanted. We had a dessert area which was out of this world.

The whole day had countless priceless moments. Seeing Scott at the top of the aisle and one of my bridesmaids reading a speech from my other bridesmaid who couldn’t make it from Australia were both emotional points.

On the dancefloor later, my dad and I had an unexpected flash dance to My Girl by The Temptations. At the end of the night, Scott lifted me up during our last dance and spun me round for what seemed like forever.”

Top tip: “I used UKLash’s Lash Growth Serum in the run-up and I’m now a convert. I also treated myself to facials once a month at Jola Aesthetics, which I’d wholeheartedly recommend. Lastly, I had 0.5ml to add volume to my lips and some Botox under my arms (the best tip I can give for staying bone-dry), procedures done by Dr Kaly Jaff.”

Bride’s dresses and veil Opus Couture
Bride’s hair extensions Mesart
Bride’s hair on the day Cameo Bridal Styling
Bride’s nails, brows, lashes and makeup LUX Makeup and Nail Bars; and the bride herself – Louise Ballantine Makeup Artist
Bride’s aesthetics Jola Aesthetics (facials); Dr Kaly Jaff (botox and lip filler)
Bridesmaids’ dresses TH&TH
Mother-of-the-bride outfit Lady G
Groomswear Moss Bros and Tom Ford
Cake Burnside Bakehouse
Flowers Achillea Flower Studio
Aisle runner and candles Purple Willow Weddings
Drinks reception singer Kim Morgan Wheeler
Favours Lindt chocolate bunnies
Reception music The Lockhearts
Wedding film Erin Rose Films 

a bride and her dad walk arm ina rm down an aisel and a groom watches as his bride reads her vows

a bride and groom kiss at the top of an aislea bride and groom look at each other while sitting to sign their marriage certificatea bride wearing a wide-brimmed hat poses on a sofa and a bride and groom pose next to a wedding cara bride and groom look back a the camera whilst climbing stairs and a bride and groom look at each other while walking down stairsA close up of wedding stationery with wedding bands and engagement rings placed on top and a close up of a bride's shoesA bride gets her makeup done and a bride puts the finishing touches on her eye makeup herselfA bridesmaid in a pale purple dress looks at herself in a mirror and a bride puts earrings inA groom fixes his pocket squarea groom and four of his groomsmen walk in the grounds of the wedding venuea wedding ceremony space before the guests arriveA bride stands wearing her dress and veil, seen from behind on the left and from the front on the rightA groom stands at the top of the aisle and a grooms sees his bride and her dad walking down the aisle towards himthe father of the bride kisses his daughter's cheek while the groom and the guests look ona bride and a groom stand at the top of the aisle with a celebrant between themA groom says his vows to his bride, with the celebrant and guests also showna bride and groom take part in a candle lighting ceremonya bride and groom kiss halfway down the aislea bride poses with her bouquet and a bride poses from behind, showing off her veil and train a bride and groom look at each other and embrace, with flower arrangements around thema bride and groom lean in for an intimate moment and a bride and groom walk down the aislea bride poses outside with two bridesmaidsa bride and groom pose for a group photo with four groomsmen and two bridesmaidsa ballroom set up for a wedding meala close up of the table settingsa bride and groom sitting at their wedding meal, with signs saying bride and groom on the backs of their chairs and a bridesmaid giving a speecha bride and groom during the speechesa bride and groom laughing during the speechesa bride looks at the camera whilst a groom looks at her and a bride poses next to an ornate railinga bride and groom lean into a big kiss while their guests hold sparklers above their headsa bride and groom kiss while their friends hold sparklersa bride and groom walk in front of a fountain and a bride and groom dance under a shower of confetti

Tags:
23 Montrose Street, Achillea Flower Studio, Burnside Bakehouse, Cameo Bridal Styling, Craig and Eva Sanders, Eden McLeod, Erin Rose Films, Jola Aesthetics, Kim Morgan Wheeler, Lady G, Lindt, Louise Ballantine, Louise Ballantine Makeup Artist, LUX Makeup and Nail Bars, Mesart, Moss Bros, Opus Couture, Pronovias, Purple Willow Weddings, TH&TH, The Lockhearts, Tom Ford, Trump Turnberry, UKLash