How did you find out about Sophia Grace Couture?

I first heard about Sophia Grace Couture a few years ago through a friend who bought her bridesmaid dresses there. After visiting several other bridal shops and feeling like I would never find a dress that I loved I came across them again on Instagram and messaged to book an appointment.

How would you describe your experience at Sophia Grace Couture?

From the moment I followed them on Instagram I just knew it would be the shop that I would find my dress in. From the photos online the styles were exactly what I was looking for and the ladies messaging me were so friendly. When we arrived we were made to feel completely at ease and despite all the Covid restrictions at the time I still felt relaxed. We had the shop to ourselves and were encouraged to just browse and pick up any that I liked. The inside of the shop is just beautiful and so private. Ines knew every dress inside and out and listened to what I liked and disliked, picking out dresses she felt I may like and she gave a kind but honest opinion. There was no hard sell and it was all about me and how I felt. I could have walked out without a dress and not felt guilty at all as I was not pushed for a decision in the slightest.

Tell us about your dress and why you choose your particular gown

The dress I chose was a Madi Lane glitter dress in a latte colour. From the moment I saw it on Sophia Grace’s Instagram I knew it was the one. Getting married between Christmas and New Year I knew I wanted sparkle but I did not want jewels. I also wanted A-line but not too puffy, I did not want strapless and I didn’t want it tight on my tummy! I felt very fussy and like I would never find the one! My dress sparkled the entire day, especially next to the Christmas tree. This is hard to see in photos but will show up beautifully in our wedding video. I loved the colour too and felt it complimented my skin tone as it was not too bright and was perfect for the darker winter days.

What was your inspiration for your wedding? Did you follow a specific theme or colour palette?

I have always LOVED Christmas for as long as I can remember so to be able to get married between Christmas and New Year was a dream come true. I wanted a Winter/Christmas/Rustic theme with warm pinks and blush colours. I was desperate for a Christmas tree to feature in our photos and the tree at Balbirnie is just incredible – I was very lucky!

Did Covid-19 Impact your wedding?

Covid-19 did impact our wedding but possibly for the opposite reason it impacted other peoples! Our wedding was originally booked for 29 December 2022. During the second lockdown in early 2021 we saw that Balbirnie, which was always our venue, was hosting intimate weddings. I mentioned to my (now) husband how lovely they were and he replied ‘they are but I thought you wanted the big party at night?’ I had thought this was what he wanted so after a discussion we decided to see if we could bring the wedding forward, keep it a surprise and only have our immediate family. We missed our families so much during the pandemic and my father in law took ill during this time too. Thankfully he is now fit and healthy but it made us realise how much family meant to us and that having everyone together again would just be amazing. We managed to keep it quiet for the whole 11 months with only a select few friends knowing about our plans. This made it even more special and we sent surprise photos to our friends and family the day after the wedding.

Despite this the run up was still very stressful as there was talk about another lockdown after Christmas 2021. I was so pleased we did not have the big wedding as worrying about a small wedding was hard enough. Plus we had to worry in silence and could not tell anyone as it would’ve been a shame to ruin the surprise when we has kept it quiet for so long!

What made you decide upon your chosen venue?

We decided on Balbirnie after a visit to their open day in late 2020. We had attended a wedding there a few years before and the venue was just stunning and the staff were so lovely. The venue just feels like home. We loved the open fires, the grandeur of the rooms and of course the cocktails! Nothing was too much hassle at all and it was obvious that they were experts at weddings. Their communication was amazing and we literally could not fault them at all.

Tell us about your wedding

Our wedding was a small, intimate wedding with only our immediate family present. It was everything we wanted and more and we wouldn’t change one moment of it. I arrived the day before with my sister Kirsten who was my Maid of Honour and we checked into the Pearl Suite which is just out of this world! My family and Scott’s family arrived later and Scott’s family arranged a mini hen do for me before our meal since I never had an official one. Our wedding was a secret wedding and only a handful of people knew it was happening therefore a proper hen do was out of the question! They had organised for prosecco and had props and games for us all to play. My parents had then arranged a meal in one of Balbirnie’s private dining rooms and we spent the night chatting and looking forward to the following day.

The morning of the wedding was so chilled as it was only my sister, my niece Emily and myself getting our hair and make up done. My parents took our daughter Evie and everyone popped in and out of our room on the morning of the wedding. Nicole Inglis from NC Hair and Megan from @makeupbymeganr arrived around 10am and made my sister and I feel like amazing. We then had time to sit and eat the food Balbirnie brought to the room for us and open the champagne. Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised that I declined the Bridal Brunch and opted for chicken dippers, mini pizzas and potato wedges! It was lovely to have time to sit, eat and raise a glass in our matching pyjamas.

The day was just wonderful. My father in law and brother in law played us down the aisle on their guitars. They played Elvis Pressley – Can’t Help Falling in Love and it was beautiful. Our wedding was full of surprises as my two sister in laws Roisin and Natalie were called to read a poem that my step son Charlie had written for us – much to their surprise! My sister in law Roisin and her girlfriend Linda had travelled all the way from Finland to be there so we had to ensure she had a special part in our day. Our humanist, Lesley, was fabulous. We wrote our own vows all about how we wish to retire by the seaside in a caravan and eat bacon crisps together! My Nana and Scott’s Granny were our witnesses although they did not find this out until they were called up. Thankfully our Mums helped us find out their middle names and all the other information we had to submit to have them on our marriage schedule so we could keep this a surprise for them. This means their names are printed on our marriage certificate forever which we thought was lovely. During the signing of the register Chris and Sean played the guitar again, this time it was Caledonia. My sister in law Sally surprised everyone by singing along to this and her voice was just amazing.

Once the ceremony had finished we had a drinks reception of beers, prosecco and cocktails before getting some photos done outside. This was so relaxed and everyone enjoyed mingling and catching up after 18 months apart.

Our meal was held in the West Room with one big table and everyone around it. Photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding day were placed on the mantelpiece and we had lots of flowers in different vases and bottles on the table. Favours were candles for the woman and miniatures for the men, except for my Dad who was given a can of Tennants! We also had Cancer Research UK badges to show our support for the excellent treatment my father in law received in 2020. My step son Charlie who is 11 wrote the ‘Best Boy’ speech and blew everyone away. There was genuinely not a dry eye in the house and we were all so proud of him.

We then spent the rest of the night dancing and singing in what felt like a proper house party! We just had the most wonderful day and wish we could do it all over again – we would not change a thing!

What was the most memorable moment?

Definitely Charlie’s speech. He wrote it all by himself and it was the funniest and most emotional speech I have ever heard. He discussed how he felt when his Dad first met me and how he was not sure where he fitted in. His speech then discussed how he realised I had enough love to give to him and his Dad as well as talking about how he felt when his little sister Evie arrived. He had tried to make some parts rhyme too which was very sweet – apparently we ‘fit like a glove and he doesn’t even need to give us a shove!’

Do you have any advice for future brides visiting Sophia Grace Couture?

The only piece of advice I could give would be to do it. Don’t waste your time anywhere else as you will find exactly what you are looking for as well as the loveliest staff and shop at Sophia Grace Couture.

Vendors:

Dress from Sophia Grace Couture by Madi Lane

Florist – Poppy Floral Design

Photographer – Lifetime Photography

Wedding Venue - Balbirnie House

Make up – Megan Richards

Hair – N C Hair

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