Aimee and Mark’s ‘Romantic, Organic and Cosy’ Candles and Foliage Filled Scottish Wedding by Lena and Patrick

Happy Monday everyone and how are you all? Did you have a good weekend? Many of you reading this may be in the midst of what you feel is a wedding nightmare having to rearrange your spring or Summer wedding to later in the year, or even next year. You may have dreamed of a Summer wedding and now be having an Autumn or Winter wedding. Well I wanted to share today’s wedding with you because it is a stunning super cosy Autumn wedding and if I were to get married in Autumn, this is what I would want my wedding to look like. It’s full of candles, fairy lights, greenery, amazing decor and has a really cosy and romantic feeling to it. It goes to show that Autumn is now the season to rock when it comes to weddings. Aimee and Mark did a fantastic job creating such an amazing day, big thanks to Lena and Patrick for these gorgeous photos.

The most surreal, cosy and majestic day. The best party either of us have ever been to

Aimee and Mark were married on 5^th October 2019 at The CowShed, Crail, near St.Andrews in Scotland. ‘Where we live there are a lot of castles, manor houses and hotels which are very popular for weddings. Mark and I wanted to steer away from the status quo and make our wedding as personal as possible. We live in a converted Steading in the countryside next to the sea and when we found The Cowshed during our research (which is a converted cowshed in the countryside next to the sea) we fell in love. It was the first and only place we viewed. It was airy and open but still managed to give that cosy rustic feel when inside. Not to mention it was 100% bare which allowed us to do exactly what we wanted to it. We had 90 guests, we gave ourselves two years from engagement to wedding however the majority of the planning was done in a year.’

How they met 
We have been together for just over ten years. We met when we were both 23, sober, in a terrible nightclub in Aberdeen on the 2^nd January. Haven’t been apart since.

The proposal
Mark and I like weekends away, we usually go to Edinburgh but also love the highlands. We both fancied a weekend away in November 2017 and were looking at options. I thought we were doing this together but Mark had already planned everything. He showed me a website for ‘Fonab Castle’, a beautiful place in Pitlochery, which I instantly fell in love. We drove up on a Friday morning and checked out our loch side cabin, it was out of this world. We went out for a walk along the loch and into Pitlochery but on the way back it started to rain, I hadn’t known at the time but Mark had wanted to propose to there. When we got back to our cabin, we sat out on the sheltered balcony having a drink and listening to music, I had no idea what was to come and Mark was definitely a bit ‘off’.
After going to the spa for a while and then getting ready for dinner Mark said to me, ‘Oh, before we go to dinner, I have something for you’, and as I turned around he was on one knee. It was very lovely and a bit of a blur and I basically cartwheeled into the restaurant as I was on such a high.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We definitely splurged on the booze and food. I’m not sure we saved anywhere haha! Having my mother in law do the cake and maid of honour do the flowers was a HUGE saving but also so special as they are two massive parts of a lot of weddings. We were over the moon with both and saved the pennies so we really lucked out there.

How did you choose your photographer?
My husband and I weren’t sold on the idea of having a videographer at the wedding so it was a top priority for both of us that we got a photographer that could really capture the mood and feel of the entire day while telling the story start to finish.
After LOADS of research into every single photographer in Scotland I came across Lena Sabala. Mark and I were both immediately in love with her style. The way in which she could capture moments so beautifully. Her work is uncontrived, natural and simply stunning. It was a no brainer and lucky for us Lena and her partner (in love and work) Patrick, were free on our wedding date. It was meant to be and we couldn’t be happier with their work.

The dress 
Brides Dress was by Daughters of Simone. Shoes were Steve Madden. Necklace from borrowed from my mum.

The suit and bridesmaids
The groom whore full kilt attire with a sash in the ‘Rubislaw Tartan’. The bridesmaids wore a skirt and top combo from an independent Irish store called Folkster.

Theme or colour scheme
The overall theme was ‘Romantic, organic and cosy’. We had wildflowers, foliage out of my mums garden, hundreds of candles and ivy backdrops. The hula hoops in the ceremony room and dinning room were laced with real greenery and hanging votive candles (thank you 3 Tiers for making these for me!) We wanted a very cosy, romantic and enchanted feeling and it certainly worked out well.

Flowers 
We didn’t have any flowers as centre pieces or decoration per se, it was mostly foliage. My bouquet though, well take a look at the photos…stunning!

Decoration 
The decorations consisted mainly of candles and foliage. My two favourite things.

Food 
For the canape we had mini tacos with mini margaritas, chilli and lime crab cakes and beef sliders.
For starters we had an option of: Coconut, Sweet potato and chilli soup or a camembert tart.
For main we had either Grilled Seabass with chive and lemon potato cake, buttered spinach and lemon and chilli hollandaise. Aberdeen Angus feather blade of beef with dauphinoise potatoes, glazed carrots and tender broccoli with a pickled shallot salad. We also had a red pepper and pesto wellington as the veggie option.
For dessert we had a his and her duo of desserts which were; Sticky toffee pudding, mini toffee apple and spiced ice cream and apple panna cotta with a spiced pumpkin brittle.

Wedding cake
The wedding cake was made by the mother of the Groom. We had four tiers that were all different flavours. Coconut, Carrot, Spiced Pumpkin and Victoria Sponge. It was a naked cake to tie in with the natural theme and decorated by my Maid of Honour with the same flowers that were in my bouquet.

Entertainment
For the ceremony and reception, we had Aberdeen signer Myke Black. Our wedding band was the amazing Los Perros. I couldn’t recommend either enough.

Who supplied the stationery?
The lovely Vicky that owns her own business called Paperoo.

Personal touches
The main piece that I did myself was the table plan. Over the year I had collected a ridiculous amount of reclaimed glass vases. I specifically wanted them to be bulbous as I just love the look of them. I wrote the table plan on them and then put them on an A Frame and had them filled with whimsical pampas, fairy lights, candles and all things enchanting. I know have a house full of vases much to my husband’s annoyance. There is always room for pretty things.
The entire reception room was filled with scented candles that I had picked up over the year too. Very autumnal scents like white pumpkin and some nice Tobacco and more of the deeper masculine scents. I have always loved the feel that candlelight brings and into the evening it was just perfect, especially with the scents flowing through the venue.
The place setting also had a small personal touch with rosemary from my mums garden tied with twine around the napkins.

Special moments 
Hearing the reasons my husband loves me while at the altar. Having my 94 Grandma there.

Advice for other couples
If you are having a ‘do it yourself’ wedding, BE ORGANISED. Give yourself as much time as possible to set up the venue, it WILL take twice as long as you anticipate. Accept help from as many people as you can (and trust).
Trust your suppliers, it’s what they do.
Enjoy it, it will likely be the only time in your life that you are going to have all those people in one room together and they are all there for you and your partner. That is pretty special!

Biggest surprise 
That nothing (that I know of) went wrong! Ha ha no but honestly, just how smoothly everything went and how it was exactly how I had envisioned it to be for the previous two years. I wish I had stressed less but hey, that’s what brides do.

Supplier Shout Outs

• Photographer: www.lenasabala.com
• Caterer: www.bespoke-catering.com
• Band: www.coastentertainments.co.uk/band/los-perros
• Venue: www.thecowshedcrail.co.uk
• Stationary: www.paperoo.co.uk
• Myke Black: www.mykeblackmusic.com
• Wedding Venue Dressers/Prop hire: www.3tierscreative.co.uk
• Prop Hire: www.vintage-gathering.co.uk
• Wedding Car: www.viewfromtheslowlane.com
• Make-up: www.annabelnortonmua.com/about
• Wedding Dress Designer: www.daughtersofsimone.com
• Wedding Dress Shop: www.ivorygrace.co.uk
• Grooms Outfit: www.millsomandmain.com

For more information about Lena and Patrick’s work go to

lenasabala.com / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM & INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST / TWITTER / 07828203000

We’re based in Glasgow. I’m Polish, Patrick is Lebanese. We are storytellers, our goal is to let our couples relive their wedding day every time they watch their wedding photos.
We love to show details and tell about the day, place, season, weather, guests and tiny moments. We love candid photos and real emotions, so our photography is always honest and true.