A beautiful autumnal wedding at The Trades Hall, Glasgow

 

Lisa is by her own admission “quite an organised person” so when Frankie and her wedding plans were disrupted by the pandemic, she felt the toll.

“The uncertainty and numerous plan A’s, B’s and C’s were the hardest thing for me,” she says. “It definitely kept me up at night.”

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The couple first got chatting in the queue for the bar in Edinburgh’s Three Sisters and after nearly three years of dating Frankie proposed at the Isles of
Glencoe Hotel in Ballachulish during a weekend away.

With their families coming from different sides of the country they set out to find a venue that everyone could get to easily.

“Once we saw the Grand Hall in The Trades Hall [of Glasgow] with its beautiful ceiling and chandelier we were sold!” remembers the bride.

“The venue is also a registered charity with any profits made from events used to support charitable purposes which was the cherry on top.”

This caring couple went one step further, forgoing favours to make a donation to the Simon Foundation, which supports those affected by homelessness in Glasgow and the Central Belt.

Frankie and Lisa originally booked their wedding for October 2020 but then thanks to the pandemic pushed back to the following May when they had a “quick flirtation” with a spring colour scheme.

When they eventually settled on their September 2021 date it was back to their beloved autumnal tones with rich oranges and golds.

Lisa says neither of them are known for their DIY skills so avoided handmade details but also felt they didn’t want to detract from the venue’s ornate and classic décor.

Instead, they asked their florist By Betty Bluebell to create a stunning fresh flower garland for the staircase, while LBS Event Design & Wedding Planners made the venue look “truly fabulous!”

Lisa was one of those lucky brides who manages to find her dream dress in the only boutique she tries.

She’d done her research and headed for Emma Roy of Edinburgh, knowing they carried a wide choice of Maggie Sottero gowns.

She favoured an A-line cut but tried on every other style just to be sure before hitting upon her beautiful ‘Charlene’ gown with its tulle skirt, slit and Swarovski details.

With so many changes Lisa says when it came to planning, the pandemic pushed her to her limits.

“The constant watching of case numbers and restrictions and planning the same wedding over and over again was time consuming and exhausting and I struggled to relax and wind down,” she says.

However, the night before the big day she could finally chill, knowing everything was going ahead, and spent a lovely evening with her bridesmaids eating pizza and drinking prosecco at the Native Hotel.

Then, running on hardly any sleep, she had a brilliant wedding morning getting pampered with her best friends and her mum before making her way to the wedding in a Glasgow wedding taxi.

Walking down the aisle to The Skye Boat Song Lisa was surprisingly calm.

“I had a small ‘oh my gosh’ moment when I arrived at the venue and felt myself getting overwhelmed that this day was finally happening,” she says.

“However, my bridesmaids rallied round and after that I was calm.

“The groom was definitely the more nervous of the two of us!”

The couple married in a Humanist ceremony, conducted by George Smith of Fuze Ceremonies, as they wanted it to be inclusive of all faiths.

“George has a lovely manner and tone and everyone commented on how personal our service was,” remembers Lisa.

They incorporated a hand fasting and drinking from the quaich in their ceremony and, both being nervous about public speaking, opted for the “short legal vows” – “We wanted to get the party started!”

Following the ceremony they entertained their guests with music by John Rankin – Glasgow Piano Man who played throughout their amazing three-course meal.

And the speeches were particularly funny as both Frankie and his best man ended up telling the exact same story.

“It was good to hear from different perspectives,” laughs Lisa.

“We really feel so relieved and grateful that we were able to get married and now we can finally start focusing on what the future holds,” smiles Lisa.