Caity & Danny’s Scottish Destination Wedding at Cluny Castle

Despite a rainy day, their celebration was magical. They had a personalised ceremony, the perfect rustic autumn colour palette, stunning floral displays and a fun night of dancing!

Caity says…

We shared many special memories from a previous trip to Scotland together, so we knew we wanted it to be there rather than in the US. Once we decided that, we figured if we were going to have a destination wedding, we might make it as much of a fairytale as possible for our guests since they’d be travelling such a long way. We’re both hugely into history and medieval stories, so we were looking for something that would capture the timelessness of the moment. When we saw pictures of Cluny Castle, with those beautiful turrets and the stunning chapel inside, it was everything we were looking for. Seeing it in person was even more breathtaking, especially the little details and decorations throughout each room and how well-maintained and preserved everything was.

It was a very rainy day, but that did not stop us from having the most magical wedding. Our ceremony in the chapel was beautiful, and our humanist celebrant, Mervyn Barr, crafted a personalised ceremony that captured our story. Even though the rain prevented us from taking pictures in front of the castle or on the grounds, the interior rooms, especially the drawing room and the elegant staircase, were gorgeous backdrops for our photos. Our evening meal was held in the courtyard marquee, which was big, open and bright, and we enjoyed a fantastic meal from Hudsons Catering. We ended the night in the cosy Tenants Hall for an intimate and fun night of dancing, led by the excellent DJ Shaun Ahmed from Touch of Class, and a private fireworks display.

My dress and veil were from the Maggie Sottero collection. Danny’s kilt was purchased from McCall’s Highlandwear in Aberdeen. Ben was fantastic—he walked us through everything over Zoom months in advance, was always available for questions, and made sure everything fit perfectly even though we weren’t able to be there in person for a fitting until the day before the wedding.

Since it was an October wedding, we went for a rustic, autumnal vibe. Our colour palette was sage, ivory, and burgundy. We chose the one and only Kim Dalglish, the absolute best to work with. She took our colour palette and theme and came up with the most stunning autumnal floral arrangements that were perfect for the venue. In addition to the bouquets and boutonnieres, there were pew decorations, a gorgeous pillar bouquet for the altar, greenery and candles lining the banquet tables, and a gorgeous arch and garland over the fireplace in Tenant’s Hall for the reception.

Our cake and cake pops were beautifully made by Cakes by Kirsty. The cake was half raspberry vanilla and half chocolate. It was decorated with ivory icing, with our initials stencilled on the front, a black watch tartan ribbon wrapped around the bottom, and handmade antlers on the top. Our guests loved the delicious vanilla and chocolate cake pops, which were displayed on a tiered cake pop stand that Kirsty generously provided. Kirsty was so lovely to work with; her attention to detail was stunning and a highlight for us.

We can’t say enough about Emma Lawson, our brilliant photographer, and our second shooter, Charlotte Kinsella. They were both wonderful to work with from start to finish, making our day special. Danny and I were a bit camera shy and nervous about being in the spotlight, but they made us feel so comfortable and relaxed and captured the emotions we felt on the day. What we love most about Emma and why we chose her in the first place is that she takes more of a photojournalistic approach and manages to capture really special candid shots as often and as well as the fabulous posed ones and the creative style of her photographs capture that timeless vibe we were going for. She is an absolute pro and we felt so lucky to have them both and will cherish the moments they captured forever.

Best part of the day

The most memorable part of our day was probably just dancing in Tenants Hall and celebrating with our friends and family, but our private fireworks display was also pretty spectacular.

From one couple to another…

Know that every little detail may not go as planned; you might have rain or lose your necklace and have to borrow your mother-in-law’s, but at the end of the day, it’s all perfect! Cherish every minute.