A stunning al fresco wedding with bespoke designer wedding dress at Dalmeny Park House Hotel

 

Hollie and her husband Gordon first met on a night out but didn’t get together until a year later.

Fast forward almost four years and romantic Hollie whisked her man away to Rome as a surprise for his birthday.

But the biggest surprise was on her when Gordon proposed at the Trevi fountain!

“I only told him the night before [we were going] but he was very organised and had a ring at the ready incase a perfect moment popped up!” remembers Hollie.

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The couple originally thought an informal Italian wedding might be on the cards but quickly dismissed that.

“We agreed we wanted our big day at home as it was so important to us to celebrate with all our friends and family,” says Hollie

You’d think working in the wedding industry herself as owner and artistic director of June Brides Glasgow boutique Hollie would find choosing their venue a doddle but it was actually the hardest part.

“We wanted somewhere different,” she says.

“Not too traditional and we were set on an outdoor ceremony.

“We visited a few different venues and none of them had that immediate yes feel.

“However, when we decided to look at Dalmeny they were well underway with their full refurbishment and at our initial meeting we are mostly shown design concepts.

“We agreed very quickly it offered everything we were looking for.”

The couple were originally due to marry in April 2020 but like so many had to postpone twice and eventually said ‘I do’ the following May.

Instead of their original 120 day guests they ended up marrying in front of 30 guests in total, “plus our two furbabies!”

Hollie and Gordon kept their décor very natural and classic with lots of floral elements incorporating ivory blooms, thistles and foliage.

The bride and her mum (and business partner) Carol made eight gorgeous floral urn displays for the ceremony and Gordon – a tree surgeon – cut silver birch slices for the cake stand and centrepieces which Hollie added calligraphy to.

Hollie may have found choosing her venue difficult but working in fashion the dress was simple.

“I knew exactly what I envisioned,” she says.

“During a bridal exhibition where I was choosing our new Demetrios collection for our store, Jimmy and his daughter Eleni who own Demetrios, very kindly offered to design my own bespoke gown!”

It was then off to the brand’s showroom in Milan with mum Carol, (who was also her maw of honour) where lead designer Kevin sketched the perfect gown.

And what a dress! Kevin designed a beautiful, embellished illusion bodice with a soft circle skirt and layers of sequin tulle, metallic floral fabric and 3D floral appliqués.

Hollie finished the look with a bespoke Lusan Mandongus cape. Wow!

As his bride was enjoying the VIP treatment, Gordon headed to Frank’s Gold Room at Kilts 4 U to design his own bespoke kilt outfit, choosing the same tartan his dad had on his own wedding day!

The day before the wedding was lovely and relaxed, with Hollie enjoying a meal with her family at Dalmeny while Gordon went for dinner with his best man and usher.

There was little sleep to be had though and Carol was wide awake at 4am doing the slosh!

“Let’s just say, once my bridesmaid Lynsey arrived the hilarity continued,” smiles the bride.

The morning flew in and it was so much fun Hollie ended up being 45 minutes late to her own ceremony”

By the time she walked down the aisle she just wanted to get to Gordon.

“After all, at this point being late, he might have thought I had done a runner!” she says.

The couple were married in a humanist ceremony by celebrant Lesley Anderson.

They had originally wanted Hollie’s dad to marry them but once they discovered the logistics that involved, they chose Lesley who then let the father-of-the-bride do his thing and tell their story.

“It was such a special moment,” says Hollie.

They incorporated Scottish traditions with a handfasting and drinking from the quaich – champagne for the bride, MD 20/20 for the groom!

Following the ceremony, they enjoyed a drinks reception before a five-course meal.

As there was no dancing allowed beyond the first dance and father, daughter dance Hollie says their evening reception felt like a special intimate dinner party.

As part of his speech Hollie’s dad wrote the couple a poem before handing the mic to maw of honour Carol who hilariously sucked helium to sing one of their songs.

The couple have so many highlights from the day, including sneaking off during dinner to their ceremony space outside for a quiet dance.

And Gordon parking his beloved blue tractor front and centre at Dalmeny was definitely memorable!

Hollie laughs, “At least it matched the bridesmaid dress!”

And being a bridal industry expert, it’s no surprise Hollie has advice for other couples.

“Remember not everything will go exactly as planned,” she says.

“There is something beautiful in the imperfect moments that you could never plan for!

“Some of my favourite moments were the ones we could never have planned.”