Emily & Steve: Romance, Family and Fireworks at Cluny Castle

We knew the moment we drove up the tree-lined driveway and the castle came into view — this was the one. It was utterly magical; we had goosebumps before we even stepped inside. And when we discovered it was called Cluny Castle — the same name as my primary school — it felt like fate.

The castle made the most spectacular backdrop to our day, and everything ran so smoothly. Some of our elderly guests are still talking about the VIP treatment they received, being driven by Cosmo himself in a little mini-cart to save them the short walk.

If we could do it all again, we absolutely would!

The Wedding Day

The celebrations began the night before with a cocktail party in Tennant’s Hall — complete with mini fish and chips — the perfect start to our wedding weekend.

We chose an October wedding because we both love the warmth of autumnal colours, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. It poured the day before and after, but our day was crisp, golden and beautiful — exactly as we’d hoped.

My 95-year-old Granny was able to join us, which made the day even more special. The ceremony went without a hitch, and afterwards, I surprised Steve with a performance by the Peter Culter & District Pipe Band. I joined them on the violin to play his favourite song — it was such a joyful moment.

We hosted our reception in a marquee overlooking the castle for our 135 guests — always with that magical view in sight. We’d taken dance lessons for our first dance, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and snuck behind the marquee a few times during the day to practise — little moments of calm and laughter we’ll never forget.

The night ended perfectly with fireworks lighting up the sky above the castle.

The day was filled with so many personal details; matchboxes reading Steve and Emily: a perfect match, Harris gin bottles turned into candles (since we’d soon be Mr and Mrs Harris!), personalised cocktail stirrers, and Christmas tree slices from my family home used as charger plates. Photos of our dog featured on the table numbers and sweet bags, and guests took home handmade Harris Tweed Christmas tree favours and personalised name places.

We both love timeless, classic style. Steve wore a traditional Highland kilt outfit in Modern Munro tartan, while I chose the elegant Camilla gown by Sassi Holford, paired with a waterfall veil edged in satin and a simple tiara. Understated and beautiful.

The bridesmaids wore TH&TH dresses, called Camilla, in three complementary shades — terracotta, emerald green and raspberry red — perfectly tying in with our autumnal Scottish palette.

Our theme was Romantic Autumn. We built a scrapbook early on with our colour palette — rich greens, raspberry reds and warm rust tones — and spent months cutting out inspiration. We wanted it to feel cosy and romantic without being overly orange.

We used Hay’s Flowers – they were highly recommended! Sticking to the theme, we didn’t want overly orange colours, but instead opted for deep reds, greens, and white. The bouquets had deep purple hydrangeas and roses, and mine had beautifully draping Amaranthus. We had a flower hoop in the marquee, an asymmetrical pillar for the chapel and lots of buds on the tables.

My friend, Great British Bake Off contestant Mark Lutton, made our cake — a lovely personal touch as we’d watched the show together when we first started dating. The three tiers included chocolate and salted caramel, white chocolate and raspberry, and classic vanilla with raspberry jam.

For catering, we chose Kate’s Bespoke Catering, who kindly used my Granny’s recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding — and we printed the recipe on the back of everyone’s menu as a keepsake.

Our photographers, Willow & Wilde, had captured my best friend’s wedding a few years earlier, and we fell in love with their style. They were wonderful — and came with a Wilde Bride content creator who gave us amazing behind-the-scenes footage the very next day.

Our videographer, Dean Johnstone, whom we met at a Cluny Castle Open Day, quickly became part of the family. He was such a joy to have around — calm, kind, and so talented.

The ceremony. It was everything we had dreamed of — magical, emotional and completely perfect. The chapel, the music, the atmosphere… it captured everything we’d hoped our day would be.

Our biggest advice? Enjoy the planning process. We poured a lot of love into the details — the favours, the small touches — and it was so rewarding to see it all come together. The little things really do matter, and doing them together made the journey just as special as the day itself.