Nature-Inspired 60s & 70s Vibe Lochside Glen Tanar Wedding

Kate and James are here to share with us their intimate Glen Tanar wedding in the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside in Scotland. Their day was all about nature, with natural elements and a mystical lochside ceremony immersed in the sounds of local wildlife.

They chose the venue as Kate has a strong connection to the setting, I mean what’s better than choosing a venue that already has your heart? Their style was reminiscent of the 60s and 70s, with Kate having a bespoke jumpsuit made by her mother. James meanwhile opted for a waistcoat and chinos combo, didn’t they both look amazing?

For their decor, they had a trio of delicious cakes, naturally shed antlers (including antlers from a reindeer Kate worked with) and fresh flowers including heather. All in all, it was a very meaningful and special celebration of their love.

Scott Arlow Photography, thank you so much for sharing with us these super beautiful images. Enjoy.

Glen Tanar Wedding

The Proposal

We met abroad in Madagascar in 2015. James was working on a marine conservation team. I (Kate) came to camp to volunteer on their forest conservation project. We bonded over our taste in music and by the time I was leaving we were head over heels for each other.

Around 2 months later we met in Edinburgh for a week together, and several months after that James moved to Aberdeen so we could live together while I finished university.

We were together for around 6 and a half years before we got engaged on 25th February 2021, and then engaged for around 2 and a half years before the wedding. We were slowed down a little by COVID restrictions and venue availability in the post-COVID wedding rush.

The Vision

Our main inspiration was nature, and the magic of the Scottish landscape, particularly in late August when there is this vibrancy lent by that last rush of summer and first glimpse of autumn. We used colours and flora taken from the Scottish woods and hills – greenery, purple heather, and highlights of white and red. We wanted to reflect both the location and the season.

We really leaned into local nature as a theme and used both feathers and naturally shed antlers from red deer, roe deer, and reindeer on the tables and in the bouquets. The reindeer antlers were quite meaningful to me as they came from reindeer I have worked with at the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre over the past few years.

We have always felt a type of magic when out in nature and wanted others to have a sense of that too. We tried to embrace the fairytale-like quality of the lochside.

There was also a fair bit of 60s/70s inspiration in our outfits, the music we chose with our band, and my overall look. The 60/70s inspiration ties in well with a nature-forward theme.

It is important to note that all antlers brought by us were naturally shed antlers. No animals were harmed for us to acquire the decorative items we used.

The Styling & Decor

Rather than a traditional wedding cake, we got three beautiful cakes from KJ’s Bothy Bakery – formerly known as Mountain Café (author of the popular Mountain Café Cookbook). KJ is based in Grantown On Spey. They were hummingbird cake (tropical fruit cake), vegan chocolate and raspberry, and a Finnish-style sponge with berries and cream.

I chose cakes to cater to a few dietary restrictions in the wedding party and to reflect me and my partner’s favourite flavours. The berry sponge was another seasonal touch, as late August in Scotland is a great time to forage for wild berries.

We used Rustic Look Aberdeen for chairs in the ballroom and benches for the lochside ceremony.

The Venue

Glen Tanar Lochside (Ceremony) & Ballroom (Reception).

Glen Tanar Estate, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

I (Kate) am from Aboyne, just 5 minutes down the road from the venue. We currently live in South Devon, a long way from my home for me. I wanted to return to Scotland for the wedding and share this beautiful place with all of our loved ones.

I have been visiting Glen Tanar my entire life and have spent countless days exploring the woods and hills there, hill-walking, swimming, mountain biking, and camping. It’s a special place, with some of the area’s best remnants of ancient woodland and local wildlife. We’ve spent many beautiful days there as a couple on summer bike rides and for snowy winter walks, so it has meaning for both of us.

For me, it’s home.

The Ceremony & Music

We both wanted an outdoor ceremony, and the lochside at Glen Tanar provides the perfect backdrop, natural and a little mystical. Many of our guests came from abroad so we wanted to give them a taste of Scotland.

Unfortunately, our harpist (a friend of my mother’s from the local Orchestra, not a paid performer) couldn’t play as the weather was too showery for her to risk having her instrument and music outside. She very kindly offered to play during the drinks reception in the tipi instead.

One of my amazing friends rigged up my Bluetooth speaker and played the song I’d originally asked the harpist to play as I came down the aisle – Annie’s Song by John Denver. Otherwise, there was no music during the ceremony.

It was a shame we didn’t have the lovely harp music we’d intended, but the beauty of an outdoor wedding in Scotland is that in the quiet moments you could hear all the forest noises – birdsong, wind in the pines, the occasional fish breaking the surface of the loch.

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Scott Arlow Photography – a fantastic Aberdeenshire-based photographer. We liked his overall style and focus on natural and candid shots. He’s great at making you feel comfortable in front of the camera.

He really picked up on how we were naturally interacting with our surroundings and captured some shots that are very reflective of our personalities and the essence of our relationship. He’s lovely to work with and we would definitely recommend him.

Your Outfits

My jumpsuit, (we now call it ‘Kate’s jumpsuit’) was lovingly hand-made made by my mother, Claire. I also wore the Annabelle Glitter Top by Stylish Bride Accs, a Ukrainian designer based in Kyiv.

I love expressing myself through my style, but I lean more towards eccentricity and practicality over glamour or grace. I didn’t think it would be so difficult to find something to wear, but I found myself really wanting to achieve that wonderful self-expression that the right outfit can provide. I just didn’t see myself in any of the options I was finding. I also didn’t want to spend too much.

As we focused on other aspects of the wedding, there was a bit of that 60s/70s inspiration going on, and I was listening to a lot of music from that time. I came across a video of a band I’d never heard of – Greta Van Fleet – channelling some amazing 70s energy with the (male) singer wearing this fantastic white jumpsuit. (Funnily enough, they turned out to be a current band, not from the 70s at all. We actually got to see them play live at a festival during our honeymoon!)

It was a real moment of inspiration. I’ve never been very into dresses, so why am I limiting myself to just dresses? I started looking at jumpsuits, top and skirt combinations, and other non-traditional options. I wanted something feminine but with a touch of androgyny. Something light and playful, and to avoid hiding away under a lot of fabric. I did a lot of searching online, but current bridal jumpsuit trends just weren’t hitting the mark – too business-like, or too dress-like.

Eventually, I drew the idea I had on my mind. The basic design combined 70s inspiration with a touch of fairytale. It was a simple sleeveless v-neck jumpsuit with flared legs and a removable top with bell sleeves. I showed the sketches to my mum, who was helping me with my search, just to give her an idea of what I was looking for. After some consideration, she offered to try to make it.

I was a bit surprised by the suggestion and quite reluctant. My mum has always been a good amateur seamstress and has made lovely clothes for me and herself before, but I was very reluctant to put that kind of pressure on her. After some discussion, we decided to give it a go. We quickly realised the concept of the removable top was too much for her to do, but I was lucky and found the lovely Annabelle Top online while my mum worked on the pattern for the jumpsuit.

She did an incredible job and the final jumpsuit was exactly what I’d hoped for. The outfit really captured the way I wanted to feel, and the side of me I wanted to express on the day. Best of all the jumpsuit was incredibly comfortable. I loved having the removable top. I wore it through the ceremony and photo sessions and it really had that fairytale quality to it. But it was also great being able to take it off and just be in this beautiful, fun little jumpsuit and dance around once the band got going. I’m so grateful to my amazing mum for all the work and love she put in to giving me an outfit that truly felt like me on the day.

Putting aside the self-indulgence of it, the right outfit has so much power to give you confidence, to change your experience of a moment from every day to once-in-a-lifetime, and to make you feel seen at your most self-assured by the people around you. That’s what I loved most about my outfit – that I felt like the most confident, most magical version of myself, but very much myself.

Memorable Moments

The whole day was incredible and so special, the knot-tying ceremony was very meaningful to me.

There was a fisherman in a boat on the loch during our ceremony and apparently, he landed a pretty big trout right as we said “I do.” We were too focused on each other to notice, but several guests mentioned it. That seems like a good omen, right?

Advice For Other Couples

My advice would be to ignore any self-doubt you feel, any guilt or self-consciousness at being the centre of attention for a day. You are allowed to celebrate yourselves and your partnership! There is no better time to express – without compromise – who you are and how you love because you are surrounded by people who love you.