{"id":250965,"date":"2019-03-22T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T07:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=250965"},"modified":"2024-10-09T12:01:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T11:01:17","slug":"ggs-yard-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/ggs-yard-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun & Rustic Coastal Chic Weekender Barn Wedding in Powder Blue Hues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GG\u2019s<\/p>\n

Settle in lovely readers, because you are going to want to soak up every little detail and the beautiful captures by the incredible Amy Lou Photography<\/a> here today! In fact, I’d also get your pinning fingers at the ready as there is so much lovely inspiration sure to inspire your own barn weddings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WWW readers Katie and Tony were hitched on the 18th August 2018 at GG\u2019s Yard<\/a> in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland<\/a>. They held a whole weekend at the beautiful coastal location and guests really were treated to a proper getaway. The feel to their day was both rustic and pretty, part in thanks to the fabulous florals (think lush bouquets in pink and blues) alongside wooden and craft paper touches.<\/p>\n

These two are totally upping the wedding style stakes, with Tony donning a navy blue suit and grey waistcoat for a smart contrast and Katie choosing a fit and flare gown with off shoulder lace straps. Beautiful<\/em>! I also adore the vibrant powder blue hue to the bridesmaids’ dresses, which really suit the theme of the whole celebration. Enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"Welcome<\/p>\n\n

\"Wooden \"Table<\/p>\n\n

\"Favour<\/p>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

The proposal was a complete surprise! We were living in New Zealand at the time and were home for Christmas. Every year my dad\u2019s side of the family go to the Isle of Arran for New Year and Tony and I went across for a couple of days before we flew back. I thought Tony was acting really strangely on the trip and I kept getting annoyed that he was trying to get me on my own when we were away with family. I had no idea it was because he\u2019d been carrying the ring around waiting for the right moment. We had been a beautiful walk along the coast and climbed to the top of a big fallen rock that day but we were followed straight up by my brother and sisters\u2019 so he chickened out. In the end Tony proposed when we got back to the holiday cottage where he called me through to the bedroom and he was down on one knee. I had absolutely no idea he was planning on proposing and was completely taken back but so excited. It\u2019s such a lovely little bubble that you are in after it ?.<\/p>\n

\"Hair \"GG\u2019s<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t think either of us had ever really given any thought to planning a wedding before, so we didn\u2019t really know where to begin. As we are from different places, Ayrshire and Northumberland, we both agreed that we would like to plan the wedding to be at a separate location where all the guests had to travel and make a weekend of it. We decided against the more traditional style of venues pretty early on as we didn\u2019t really feel that was our style and instead focused our search on barn style venues so that we could go for a rustic and natural feel.<\/p>\n

\"Floral<\/p>\n

The Planning Process<\/h3>\n

We were living in New Zealand before getting engaged and only moved back to the UK 4 months before the wedding, so the majority of our planning was done online!<\/p>\n

We took a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and had boards saved for all the different things; colour schemes, flowers, d\u00e9cor, suits, hair and makeup. I also loved looking through wedding websites and Instagram pages taking inspiration from real weddings.<\/p>\n

In terms of booking suppliers \u2013 we had a lot of skype calls. It wasn\u2019t too difficult, and everyone was really happy to help and take the time out to speak to us.<\/p>\n

I think the biggest difficulty in the planning process was realising how indecisive we are!! I felt like I had to check every option before I booked which made so much more work for us when we could have just gone with our gut. Also, I had no idea how organised other people are! We got married 18 months after getting engaged and found that a lot of suppliers we got in touch with were booked up way in advance.<\/p>\n

\"Floral<\/p>\n

Budget<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s just say, we blew it!<\/p>\n

\"Bardot \"Barn\"Bardot \"Modern \"Bardot<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

We decided against the more traditional style of venues pretty early on as we didn\u2019t really feel that was our style and instead focused our search on barn style venues so that we could go for a rustic and natural feel. There were a few that caught our eye but whether it was location, availability or catering for our numbers we couldn\u2019t narrow it down to \u2018the one\u2019. Eventually we stumbled across a website for GG\u2019s Yard but couldn\u2019t understand why there was no gallery of the venue itself. It turned out that the venue was still in construction! Vicki and Duncan (the owners) had a successful outdoor activity company and decided to renovate some old farm buildings and create a wedding venue.<\/p>\n

We arranged a skype call and Vicki talked us through the mood board and plans for the venue and we took a leap of faith and decided to book up as it sounded like exactly what we were after. Six months later we were back in the UK for a visit and took a trip across to see the venue in person for the first time and we were in hard hats on a construction site, but it didn\u2019t put us off, we could still tell it was going to be amazing.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t disappoint. The exposed brickwork, high ceilings with gorgeous beam details and the view out across the sea are incredible. Vicki\u2019s attention to detail for all the styling and finishing touches at the venue were what really set it apart; from the individually themed sea view snugs for accommodation to the whisky room for the guys and the bridal suite for the girls to get ready, it was all perfect.<\/p>\n

\"Table<\/p>\n

Beauty<\/h3>\n

Getting ready on the wedding morning was honestly one of the highlights of the day, it was so much fun, and we laughed all morning. My makeup artist Aine and hairdresser Lisa were so amazingly talented and also both so lovely, it was like having friends round to help you get ready \u2013 which was so good to take my mind off the nerves!<\/p>\n

\"Bouquet<\/p>\n

Your Outfits & Accessories<\/h3>\n

My dress was the first one I tried on! (Which I\u2019m not going to lie, I was a little bit sad about because it was so fun trying the different styles on! Ha.) It was a San Patrick dress from a little bridal boutique near home, Opus Couture. One of my bridesmaids actually sent me a picture of it the night before we were going dress shopping saying I\u2019ve just seen this on the website and I think it would be perfect for you. I had seen so many beautiful Enzoani dresses online and this was a perfect mix of all the styles I had liked, elegant, contemporary with some beautiful lace detailing and the most amazing train!! I tried on quite a few different styles, but they just didn\u2019t compare, I had to have it!<\/p>\n

I love, loved, cathedral length veils but I didn\u2019t want to take away from my train, so I opted for a plain white fingertip length veil.<\/p>\n

My headpiece was a last-minute decision as after having my hair trial I felt something was missing and I wanted to add a bit more sparkle. I went for a Richard Designs side tiara on a headband.<\/p>\n

\"Bouquet<\/p>\n

Groomsmen<\/h3>\n

Tony is from Northumberland and I am Scottish, and after many efforts of persuasion I realised early on that a kilt wasn\u2019t going to happen. The suits were Ben Sherman from Debenhams. The groomsmen and best man all had the matching 3-piece dark navy suit and light grey tie and Tony had the same suit with a light grey waistcoat and navy tie.<\/p>\n

My dad and my brother both wore kilts which we tried our best to match with the suits (in hindsight it would have been easier to pick the kilt first as you have much more choice for suits!). We opted for a grey jacket and kilt in a tartan which had hints of blue in.<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"GG\u2019s \"Bardot \"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s<\/p>\n

The Readings & Music<\/h3>\n

During the ceremony and before the meal we had an amazing harpist (she is actually my sister\u2019s teacher). We picked a mix of classic and modern wedding music for during the ceremony and then let Jessica pick the rest:<\/p>\n

Wedding Entrance \u2013 Ludovico Einaudi – I Giorni<\/p>\n

Signing the register \u2013 George Harrison \u2013 My Sweet Lord<\/p>\n

Leaving the ceremony \u2013 Jason Mraz \u2013 I\u2019m Yours<\/p>\n

Our band was The Skylarks and they were incredible, the dancefloor was full the whole night and the guys were so lovely.<\/p>\n

\"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s \"Ceremony \"Confetti\"Naked<\/p>\n

The Cake<\/h3>\n

My step mum made the cake for us! I loved the look of the naked cakes but begrudged paying loads of money for something so.. well, naked! The cake was delicious and looked great! A great way to save some pennies if anyone in the family is a good baker\u2026<\/p>\n

\"White \"White<\/p>\n

Your Photographer<\/h3>\n

The amazing Amy Lou!<\/p>\n

Choosing the right photographer and the style of wedding photographs was something that was really important to us. We wanted to have natural shots which captured the day as it was and not just all posed photos. Our friends had recently got married and when I saw their photos I knew I needed to have the same photographer.<\/p>\n

From the offset Amy was so friendly and chatty, from facetiming to get to know her before we booked, to a pre-wedding catch up to discuss the plans for the day, she was easy to approach and knew how to capture images exactly as we wanted. On the day itself she was so much fun to work with and made us feel at ease when getting our couple shots.<\/p>\n

\"Kraft \"Wooden<\/p>\n

Your Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

We didn\u2019t originally plan to have a videographer as we weren\u2019t sure we could justify the cost and we were probably a little bit sceptical on how often we would actually watch the video, but I am SO glad we did go for it in the end, it was worth every penny. The day goes by so quickly and is honestly like a dream, you can\u2019t take it all in!<\/p>\n

As we booked last minute I put a request out for recommendations on a bridal Facebook group and Geewhiz were recommended by another videographer. They are a married couple, Allister and Elaine and are two of the friendliest, chattiest people ever. The edit is amazing, they\u2019ve captured the atmosphere of the day perfectly and we now have an amazing video to look back on to be able to relive the day and see happy everyone is.<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n

The Details & D\u00e9cor<\/h3>\n

I love things crafty so the d\u00e9cor part was so much fun. I tried to do as much by myself as I could, which meant A LOT of trips to Country Baskets and Hobbycraft – did you even plan a wedding if you don\u2019t own a glue gun by the end?<\/p>\n

I bought log slices and made the centrepieces by buying jars and vases from Country Baskets, Hobbycraft, adding some ribbons and string and then letting the florist do the rest!<\/p>\n

We ordered our save the dates online but then I couldn\u2019t find any invitations that I liked so I made them, the menus and the table plan myself. I found a floral print I liked online, created a template in word and sent it to the local printers \u2013 it worked out much cheaper than ordering online! My one tip on this though would be \u2013 keep it simple! We had some lace and ribbon round the invitation which I had to stitch and it really did look lovely but.. while it was fun for the first few, sewing a production line of 100 was not! haha<\/p>\n

I think one of my favourite parts of the d\u00e9cor was the light up letters we went for, I hadn\u2019t seen anything like them anywhere else and they totally suited the style of the venue \u2013 these were from Total Entertainment.<\/p>\n

Best buy for the guests was definitely the baskets of flip flops, I was worried I\u2019d gone a bit OTT and got too many but they all went and meant everyone was comfy and that the dancefloor was full all night!<\/p>\n

\"Table<\/p>\n

Bridesmaids<\/h3>\n

I had four bridesmaids, two friends and my two little sisters who are 13 and 17. I knew I wanted everyone to be in the same dress and loved the colour dusty blue which we settled on early on for the theme for the wedding.<\/p>\n

The girls tried on loads of different styles of dresses from high street shops and bridal shops, I totally didn\u2019t appreciate how difficult it would be to find one which suited everyone especially with such a big age gap between the bridesmaids.<\/p>\n

We finally got the dresses from Hobbs. I loved the colour and it was the first dress which suited everyone really well and that they all liked. I actually bought the dresses more than once as I had just bought them all and was about to have them altered when I saw that they had gone on sale \u2013 so I returned them and bought them again to save some money!<\/p>\n

\"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s \"Blue \"Bouquet<\/p>\n

The Flowers<\/h3>\n

Belles and Thistles <3<\/p>\n

Our flowers were one of my favourite things about the day. Our florist was the in-house florist at GGs, Maybelle (Belles and Thistles) and she was incredible. I basically showed some inspiration I\u2019d saved, and she created the most beautiful bouquets and table arrangement with dusty blue flowers with pops of pink. I left the centrepiece flowers completely up to her and I couldn\u2019t have been happier they were gorgeous and filled all everyone\u2019s houses for the weeks after the wedding!<\/p>\n

\"Bouquet \"Blue \"Groom \"Groom \"Groom<\/p>\n

The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

One word.. Maldives.<\/p>\n

Total perfection and complete relaxation after the manic year of wedding planning. We had talked of going travelling and doing a bit of an adventure honeymoon but after the wedding we both just wanted to chill out and enjoy some time together. We stayed at Meeru, which is one of the bigger islands and had plenty of activities to keep us entertained. It was romantic, relaxing and completely luxurious \u2013 wish we could do it all again. <3<\/p>\n

\"Bardot \"GG\u2019s \"Bardot<\/p>\n

Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n

The night before the wedding we had booked \u2018The Hut on the Hill\u2019 at GGs Yard and had a BBQ for all of the wedding party. It was a pretty miserable day when we arrived (classic Scottish summer) and when we were bundled into Landrovers to be taken up to the top of the hill I could tell everyone was wondering what the hell I\u2019d signed them up for. It was an incredible hut with a fire pit INSIDE and the most amazing views looking out over the hills and sea. Food, fun, laughs, lots of prosecco and a late-night hot tub party \u2013 it was the perfect warm up to the big day!<\/p>\n

We had a humanist ceremony and one of my favourite parts of the day was during the ceremony when we both gave three reasons why we loved each other and one thing which really gets on our nerves. This was the celebrant\u2019s idea and we didn\u2019t share what we had written about each other, so we heard it for the first time during the ceremony. It was a bit a fun but also a really great way to add a little personal touch.<\/p>\n

Another highlight was taking a moment together later on in the night to just look out at everyone on the dancefloor \u2013 it\u2019s not often you have everyone you love all in one place and no matter what you plan for your day that is the best thing about it!<\/p>\n

\"GG\u2019s \"Bardot\"GG\u2019s \"Bardot \"GG\u2019s \"Groom\"Groom \"GG\u2019s\"GG\u2019s \"GG\u2019s\"GG\u2019s<\/p>\n

Advice For Other Couples<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t sweat the small stuff!! Planning a wedding can be VERY stressful especially the closer it gets to the day but honestly everyone is there to share the day with you both and doesn\u2019t care about the details half as much as you do, so enjoy the planning rather than letting it stress you out.<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s clich\u00e9 but it really is the best day ever. Take a moment to be alone together and just enjoy watching everyone having fun ?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry about the speeches, you don\u2019t have to be funny or witty (well maybe one or two little puns\u2026), speak from the heart and it\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n

\"GG\u2019s<\/p>\n

Credit Where Credit Is Due<\/h5>\n
\n
\n

Photographer
\nAmy Lou Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Venue
\nGG\u2019s Yard<\/a><\/p>\n

Humanist
\nJohn Foley<\/p>\n

Videographer
\nGeewhiz Wedding Films<\/p>\n

Hair
\nLisa Ivonne<\/a><\/p>\n

Makeup \u2013 Bridal Party
\nSalon Belissimo<\/a> (Aine)<\/p>\n

Makeup \u2013 MOB & MOB
\nThe Hub Hair and Beauty<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Light Up Letters
\nTotal Entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n

Band
\nThe Skylarks<\/p>\n

Harpist
\nJessica Burton<\/a><\/p>\n

Flowers
\nBelles and Thistles<\/a><\/p>\n

Dress
\nOpus Couture<\/a><\/p>\n

Kilts
\nHoustons Paisley<\/a><\/p>\n

Piper
\nKevin McNulty<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Huge thanks goes to Katie and Tony and their photographer Amy for sharing with us their totally beautiful wedding story. What an honour! xo Lou<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Settle in lovely readers, because you are going to want to soak up every little detail and the beautiful captures by the incredible Amy Lou Photography here today! In fact, I’d also get your pinning fingers at the ready as there is so much lovely inspiration sure to inspire your own barn weddings. WWW readers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[234,38,6229,5774,214,519],"class_list":["post-250965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pretty-wedding","category-real-weddings","tag-barn-wedding","tag-blue-wedding-ideas","tag-ggs-yard-wedding","tag-our-readers","tag-scotland-wedding","tag-summer-wedding-ideas"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":250995,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/whimsical-cdn.wedissimo.com\/2019\/03\/GG\u2019s-Yard-Wedding-Amy-Lou-Photography-30-300x450.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}