Wedding of Ines and Ryan

Our very own stylist Ines married Ryan at the Balmoral hotel on February 18th 2023! Of course she had to choose two dresses from Sophia Grace Couture, and her bridesmaids gowns were also selected from our Evening Wear collection.

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

For my Ceremony dress, I chose Coreena by Calla Blanche, and I changed the straps to those from the Teresa gown, also from Calla Blanche. I’ve always loved A-line gowns, and fell in love with the sweetheart neckline, 3D flowers, and of course, the pockets! I also wore the matching Coreena veil with my ceremony dress.

In the evening I changed into a fully beaded square neck fitted gown by Zavana Bridal. After working in the bridal industry as long as I have, it came as no surprise to anyone that I had two dresses. I changed just before the first dance, and as the evening gown had no train it was much easier to dance in.

For my bridesmaids I chose emerald green sequinned velvet gowns by To The Nines from our eveningwear collection. My bridesmen wore emerald green velvet suit jackets to match.

How did you meet?  Are you happy to tell us about the proposal?

Originally we started speaking on Tinder, and quickly realised from the mutual friends list that Ryan had gone to school with my friend who would later be one of my bridesmaids. The group chat was quickly consulted to confirm that he was ‘a normal,’ and luckily he was confirmed to be normal, so the first date could proceed.

We had been together for just over three years and were still in partial lockdown when Ryan proposed. He and his brother had come up with a plan to get me out of the flat, while they decorated it with balloons and banners. They pulled it off perfectly, as it was a complete surprise! We booked the wedding date for two years exactly after the date we got engaged.

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

As it was a winter wedding, I wanted to keep the colours neutral without feeling too Christmassy. We kept the colours to whites, golds, and dark greens. The boys’ kilts and jackets were also chosen to match the theme without being too samey.

What made you decide upon your chosen venue?

My University ball was at The Balmoral every year, and I completely fell in love with it straight away. We went to view it and didn’t even go to see any other venues as we knew immediately it was the one for us. From start to finish the venue staff were all amazing and super helpful. We went with their recommended florist and venue decoration company, and were so happy with how it all came together.

Tell us about your wedding

We had the same guestlist for the full day, and chose a Humanist celebrant for our ceremony. So many of our guests commented on how funny and personal the ceremony was, and that was exactly what we wanted.

After the ceremony while our guests had their drinks reception Ryan and I were able to go up on the roof for photographs. This not only gave us an incredible view of the city, but also a lovely moment for just the two of us after the ceremony.

We had a string quartet for the ceremony, drinks reception, and wedding breakfast, and then a band for the evening party.

Our band were fantastic and had the dancefloor filled all night. They played a Ceilidh set in the middle which everyone really enjoyed, especially the guests who had travelled in and weren’t from Scotland. We had bacon rolls as our evening buffet, and these also went down a treat.

What was the most memorable moment?

Definitely walking into the ceremony and seeing Ryan at the top of the aisle. All the nerves instantly vanished and I felt completely at ease. We also loved getting to go up on the roof and have a moment to ourselves.

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

Trust your instincts! When you look in the mirror and see yourself as A Bride, that’s when you know.

Vendors:

Bride’s Dresses : Calla Blanche and Zavana Bridal at Sophia Grace Couture
Bridesmaids Dresses: To The Nines at Sophia Grace Couture
Photography & Videography: Del & JayJay
Venue: The Balmoral Hotel 
Florist: Narcissus
Venue Decor: 88 Events
Music: Cairn String Quartet and Studio Wedding Band
Hair & Make up: Laura Sutherland