Olivia & Jed

When the bride is a photographer herself, you just know that the wedding is going to be a gorgeous one. Olivia and Jed's wedding is stylish and elegant, but also feels contemporary and fresh, with lots of fun details - like the gin bottle centre pieces, the moose motif and a dessert table to end all dessert tables. Images come from Photos By Zoe who has captured the pretty details, people's emotions and the drama of the Scottish manor house venue to perfection.

Our Story

Olivia the Bride: With a Scottish mother, a Norwegian father and friends and family from around the globe, our wedding was always going to be a big celebration - not least because we had decided to get married, but because we were lucky enough to spend the weekend with friends and family from around the world. With total guest list of 58, it was an intimate affair, but with so many of the people who mattered to us most by our sides.

The Venue

We chose Gilmerton House in East Lothian, just half an hour from our home in Edinburgh. This 10 bedroom Georgian country house was the perfect choice, and a truly magical place to celebrate our wedding day. On first visit to Gilmerton, Jed and I both knew it was the right place for us. The house was wonderful, and the incredible staff took care of every element, ensuring that the lead up, and the day, were just perfect. (They even very kindly arranged for some gorgeous weather!)

The Ceremony

Our ceremony was in Athelstaneford Parish Church, a lovely local church just a few minutes away from the venue. With a lovely service by minister Robin Hill, and very special readings from Auntie Pat, and Jed’s sister Jodi, the ceremony was really beautiful and something we will cherish forever.

The Dress

The dress was originally an Alan Hannah gown, but after changing my mind about the cut of the bodice, it was dressmaker Gemma Sargent who really redesigned it until it was almost unrecognisable. As well as some major dress reworking, Gemma created a bespoke lace top with scalloped edging, and a cathedral length veil to match. Worn with a simple pair of Jimmy Choos and some vintage jewellery from both my grandmothers, I have never felt so wonderful in my life.

The Groom

Jed, my husband, wore a traditional kilt with tweed blazer, as did all the ushers - with matching moose print ties, of course.

The Flowers

Our florist, Lydia from Rose and Ammi, decorated both the local church and the house with loose, wild floral arrangements in muted pastels, whites and greys. She draped the fireplaces in garlands of gypsophila and ensured that no surface was without an enormous flower arrangement - after all, what is a wedding without flowers?! Our bouquets were beautiful, as were the buttonholes for the men, studded with Thistles. With an incredible eye for detail, we had no doubt that Lydia would do a beautiful job. Our guests were thrilled to be able to take so many of her gorgeous creations home with them at the end of the weekend.

The Decor

Both being lovers of gin, we opted to decorate our table with different bottles of Scottish gins and various garnishes. Together with some foiled stationery from the lovely ladies at 2Flux and beautiful floral arrangements from Rose & Ammi, the dressed tables were gorgeous and just what I had imagined. (Thanks to our lovely ushers, who spent the morning decorating the table - led by our bridesmaid's husband!)

The Photography

As a photographer myself, wedding photography was one of the most important decisions for us. Luckily, we had been following Photos by Zoe for some time and just loved her work. She was a perfect choice and we were utterly delighted with the end result. Her reportage style was exactly what we were looking for, and her easy going attitude made us feel totally at ease on a day full of such emotion. While we opted against a videographer, we were lucky enough to have booked the Edinburgh Sketcher, a talented local artist, who did 'live sketching' and watercolours for us on the day. We adore our sketches, and they will always be a very special reminder for us both.

The Stationery

As my father is Norwegian, we chose to feature the Norwegian animal, the moose, on all of our stationery. While our wedding invitations were printed by the wonderful team at E.Y.I Love, our 'on the day' printing was done by Edinburgh based, 2Flux. The team at 2Flux were particularly kind, encouraging me to be part of the process every step of the way.

The Food

As a lover of all things sweet, pudding was a must. One of my favourite elements of the day was the incredible dessert table, created by the hugely talented Dominique at Big Bear Bakery. What a find! Based in Glasgow, Dominique's team created a huge selection of miniature delights for us, including chocolate and lemon tarts, macarons and marshmallows. Our cake was hugely indulgent - velvety dark chocolate with a buttercream drip effect icing, dotted with gold leaf and decorated flowers to match our table arrangements. Delicious! Alongside our cake, we had a traditional Norwegian wedding cake called Kransekake, a real delicacy and special treat for our Norwegian guests.

The Entertainment

For our first dance, we chose a song by Honne called 'Warm on a Cold Night', which our wonderful band, The Invitations, interpreted amazingly. (We actually preferred their version, but don't tell Honne that)! Our first dance was swiftly followed by a number of Scottish ceilidh dances, and a night of laughter and dancing.

Thank You's

We couldn't have done it without the help of our wonderful families, friends, ushers and bridesmaids, who truly kept day together. A special mention must go to my wonderful husband, dad and father-in-law, who all made truly incredible toasts and speeches (and ensured everyone in the room had cried at least a few times each before pudding!)