A Romantic, Handcrafted Calligraphy & Pretty Glass Bottles Real Wedding: Suzie & Scott

Lovers of handcrafted weddings will fall madly in love with today’s dreamy romantic offering. Suzie & Scott had a stunningly pretty wedding decorated with lots of calligraphy signs, lovely glass bottles, copper details and beautiful blooms.

Craig & Eva Sanders were on hand to capture the whole day that took place in a spectacular ruined church – the Dunglass Estate in Scotland.

With the groom in a traditional Scottish kilt, the bride in a fairy-tale-esq Suzanne Neville gown and a gorgeous mix and match bridesmaid ensemble, this is one wedding you will absolutely adore!

Words by Suzie. Images by Craig & Eva Sanders.

My dress is Savoy by Suzanne Neville, but I actually think it chose me! It was true love and became my constant ‘calm’ throughout some of the wedding planning crazy.

I bought my dreamy dress from Rachel Scott Couture in Edinburgh; Rachel made my wedding dress experience beautiful and very simple  from start to finish.

Suzie meets Savoy! It’s an exciting little story and one I will forever be grateful to all involved.

Savoy actually found me very unexpectedly when we were still living in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. My gorgeous friend Alex who works in bridal introduced me one sunny afternoon when I decided to visit her and have a little appointment by myself to clear my head… Enter new dilemma!… We were in the middle of moving back to Scotland; purchasing a dress and flying down for fittings was going to be impossible, so I decided I had to keep looking.

Savoy wasn’t actually stocked in any store in Scotland near me and when I called Rachel to make an appointment, I was honest and explained; she simply said no problem!!! I loved going with my mother to see Savoy, for her the first time. Rachel dealt directly with London Suzanne Neville and together they traveled Savoy up and down whenever we needed her in the six months I had until our wedding day. We customized the waist and had Suzanne Neville add extra length to the silk ribbon belt in order to be able to tie a beautiful bow on the back.

Everytime I put the sample on, until my own dress arrived, I felt like a real life Belle! I loved the fabric, the dramatic skirt with fine fluting detail and the way it moved so elegantly across the floor with me.

Scott and I wanted dresses and colours to complement the girls and not the other way around. My Sister and the girls were so good to when planning and I wanted to make them all happy and comfortable.

My sister found a dress that she loved and it suited her perfectly! It was from Coast. I loved the styling of it and the colours were perfect. Soft, romantic, not overpowering! We shopped around and finally decided on 3 other After Six Dresses that I bought from thegirlmegastore.

The fabric moved beautifully on all of them which was one criteria I knew I wanted to compliment my own dress. When the girls tried ‘the’ dress on and we finally decided, I wanted to make them that bit more personal and I bought complimenting ribbons for the waistline of each.

For my wedding flowers I wanted to combine romantic tones in ranunculus, peonies, anemones, the season was slightly early for some of these I think but Rachael (as did all my Rachel’s involved) made it happen!

I found her quietly showing the most fabulous display at yet another Glasgow wedding collective exhibit. Her flowers were beautifully complimenting the most exquisite copper rose bowl – I was hooked of course.

She was calm and beaming as I rambled on about hunting antique frames, hanging lanterns and giant glass bottles filled with white flower heads! Scott and I met her a few weeks later for coffee and she was already sketching out her proposals! Rachel helped set up out venue on the Friday and was back bright and early completing her work on the Saturday morning.

Walking up to the Church, and then down the aisle with my father was such a special moment.

Sarah played ‘Igorni’ as I walked down the aisle towards Scott. ‘Tale as old as Time’, whilst we signed the register and ‘Have I Told you Lately’ as we walked away as man and wife.

It was easy to decide that I wanted Craig and Eva to be our photographers. What worried me was they wouldn’t be available! I think I smiled for days when they said yes.

We are honestly blown away by our wedding pictures! For us, they tell a story; our day captured in small moments that evoke feelings we experienced, glances we shared and happiness we witnessed! It all comes flooding back in waves of emotion every time we look at them. For that, Scott and I are forever grateful.

I collect glass bottles and use them as quirky decor in our home. I knew they would look fabulous scattered in the Kirk and marquee, filled with simple but dramatic flower heads! I spent months collecting Bell jars for loose pillar candles, sourcing an aisle that would run 33m! and painting Ball jars for the bridesmaid bouquets and other loose flowers.

It’s here I must mention my father! I love my father so dearly, and I probably get some of my creativity from him! In my eyes there’s nothing he can’t do, but perhaps on reflection, it’s that there’s nothing he won’t do, for me.

He was my right hand man helping me bring my crazy imagination to life. Dad walked countless antique markets with me to find the perfect frame as a backdrop to the wedding ceremony! Sourcing glass spheres to complement my hanging lanterns! He even broke up the garden shed to make me a rustic wooden swing and also the signage for the guest arriving!

In whatever other spare time I found (yes, I do work full time) I went to a calligraphy course to help me work out a design and make our invitations! Font and calligraphy then became a big part of the day! I became confident enough to hand paint the signs and used chalk pens to create a large welcome sign that we displayed on an Easel!

Scott supported me like crazy! and reminded me at times of madness that although he knew it mattered to me, that these details didn’t matter to him, that he just wanted to marry me! Of course I did know this and he is right; ­what matters is your life together and the one that you both are about to enter into.

In my head, I was simply crafting to make our day personal to Scott and I and also a bit special for everyone else.

Scott and I actually made our own sloe gin! (which we complemented with store bought whisky!) We ordered sloe berries and ingredients 6 months before the wedding. It was really good fun; my dad used to make damson wine and so we had a lot of the required equipment!

I ordered lots of little bottles from ebay and then designed our own tags, many evening were spent cutting them out and tying bows to them with pretty grey thread!

Our cake maker. Wait for it… Her name is also Rachel! And she is part of Three Sisters Bake, Quarriers Village.

(It was also my birthday on our wedding day, and my best friend and bridesmaid Ally created the most beautiful little birthday cake canopy’s for me that were served during the drinks reception).

Scott and I both wanted a simple wedding cake, white and fun! Criteria? To taste amazing of course! The bottom tier was Lemon and Lavender, and our top tier was Raspberry and Coconut.

We didn’t actually firm up what the cake might look like till the week before our wedding, but I really appreciated this about Rachel, she never put the pressure on me to choose in advance! There’s so many decisions you have to make and it was nice to have our indecisiveness really actually Ok!?

Our florist and Rachel ended up with free rein on the cake; they worked together positing flowers and detailed copper cherries to accent our styling on the morning of the wedding. They both told me later they stayed to watch me walk up to the church with my father and the girls!

I really wouldn’t have had it any other way as Scott and I trusted all our suppliers and had actually formed really nice relationships with them.

My most memorable moments that day were both walking up to the church with my father and the girls after the most lovely little morning getting ready together, and then walking out of the Church with Scott, just married!!!! We had a sip of champagne and Scott whispered a few funny words to me.

Scott tells me his most memorable moment was when he stole a glimpse of me coming down the aisle, and when I finally arrived to stand with him and he could really just see ‘me’.

Later that day it was actually all the little moments we stole away together to take a moment to appreciate everyone and everything happening around us! For instance it was so lovely when we were together with Eva at the blossom tree. Those pictures mean so much to us.

Cariss, the lead singer of our band made a bespoke recording of our first dance for us to keep. It was her own rendition of Bobby Dylan’s Girl from the North country combined with Fleetwood Macs ‘ Everywhere.

My advice to future brides and grooms planning their wedding day? Enjoy it! All of it, each stage of planning and each decision is special but make sure you make them together.

The details are important but they don’t define your day! Or your happiness!  You can plan and plan but ultimately you can not predict the actions of others and so if something goes wrong you have to simply relax and let the day happen around you.

Wedding’s are truly full of love and laughter and I really hope for everyone, a happily ever after!!

wedding credits / photographer: craig and eva sanders / wedding venue: dunglass estate / brides dress: suzanne neville via rachel scott couture / brides veil: rachel scott accessories brides headpiece: rene walrus / grooms kilt: macgregor and macduff kilt makers / brides shoes: badgley mischka via les troissoeurs / grooms shoes: / bridesmaid dresses: coast & the girl megastore / bridesmaid shoes: carvela / hair & makeup: bespoke bridal hair by robyn donald / florist: hedgerow florist / wedding cake: three sisters bake / catering: hickory food

View the Gallery