Surrounded by family and friends, James and Kendal tied the knot this spring in a stunning ceremony followed by an epic party! The newly-weds were kind enough to share their wedding journey with us, from outfit planning to their favourite moments from the day. Dive into their wonderful wedding below.
James decided to wear a kilt on his big day and his groomsmen followed suit. As always, we wanted to know why he chose a kilt and why MacGregor and MacDuff specifically. James explained, “I wanted to add some Scottish tradition to our wedding day and thought it would be nice for myself and all my groomsmen to be in kilts. It was quite a nice novelty for our Irish families to see traditional Scottish wedding attires.” We love to hear grooms showcasing their heritage and introducing their guests to outfits and customs they may never have known about before. James went on to say, “I have attended weddings before where the grooms party have been wearing MacGregor and MacDuff kilts. They looked very smart and I also heard very good reviews about the service and available tartans which made my mind up. The location of the hire was also perfect in terms of our wedding venue.”
James and his full wedding party dressed to impress in our Arran Tweed Kilt Outfit and Arran Mist kilts for a seamless match. He let us know how he came to a decision, “There wasn’t much reasoning behind my choice of tartan, but I loved the colours together and knew I wanted to go for the navy jacket. When I had a look on the website, it was the one that stood out most to me.” Our Mist Collection is an excellent choice for any event as these tartans are universal and can be worn by anyone, regardless of your clan or background.
Kendal and James’ wedding day took place at some iconic locations around Glasgow so we asked the couple how they decided on a venue and plan for the day. Kendal and James explained how they planned the perfect day, “The biggest reason for why we chose Glasgow was because we met there 14 years ago when we both went to Uni. We have a lot of great memories of living there and many nights out both individually and when we got together! We also come from two huge Irish families who would all be making the trip over the water to celebrate with us. Glasgow was a middle meeting ground between Ireland and up where we live in Fort William. It was a no brainer that Glasgow was the place we wanted to get married. Oran Mor was an iconic venue that we really loved and they impressed us with their space, decor and food before we picked it (plus the late alcohol license was a bonus for a Scottish/Irish party!). We chose Pollokshaws Burgh Hall for our ceremony which was mainly because they could accommodate our guest numbers, but the actual building itself was beautiful and we were able to make the hall our own with homemade decor and little touches. It all came together perfectly and we are so happy with our choices!”
With outfits being such an integral part of any wedding day, Kendal told us: “We both chose our outfits separately and I kept my dress a surprise for the ceremony…that was quite difficult at times when the dress was hung up in a dress bag right in front of James for the most part of a month beforehand. Luckily it was a successful secret and I think James liked it (I hope!). James chose and tried on his own kilt outfit with his groomsmen which he did a very good job of. I was really impressed with his choice and thought he looked very handsome on the day!”
Nowadays more than ever we find that couples are looking for ways to make their day individual and unique to them. We wondered which wedding traditions James and Kendal decided to keep and which did they throw away? They told us, “To be honest I don’t think we really thought about tradition too much but we probably did follow quite a traditional setup throughout the day. As well as James’ kilt, we included the tying of the knot and the quaich ceremony within our Humanist ceremony which we loved! We kept the tradition of a top table at the reception with both our parents, best man and maid of honour, but we chucked the tradition of families sitting on specific sides at the ceremony…it felt much more comfortable letting people sit where they wanted. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue also made it into the day (we figured my dad could be something old, my wedding dress was something new, I borrowed my sisters flower bouquet pendant from her wedding day and my engagement ring has a blue sapphire stone).” If you're feeling inspired to add a Scottish touch to your day, explore our Handfastings and Quaichs.
One of the most important questions we just had to ask was what was James and Kendal’s favourite part of the day? “The entire day was so enjoyable from start to finish! I think we both really enjoyed our mornings getting ready with our bridal/grooms parties. The ceremony was so relaxed and personal and seeing all our family and friends come together into one room to witness us getting married was an amazing feeling! The dancing towards the end of the night was a massive highlight as everyone was flung around the dancefloor (shout out to our band The Raggaels) and it was a lot of fun! It’s difficult to pick just one part of the day that we found was the best bit, but I suppose we should say the part when we were first announced as husband and wife!! It was just one happy and memorable day.”
Finally, we were eager to hear what advice the newly-weds had for brides and grooms-to-be. They had some great advice, “Don’t fixate or worry about the small things on the run up to the wedding…I was told many times that you don't actually notice or care about things on the day and it was so true! The vendors all know what they are doing with a lot of experience so hand the responsibility over to them and just enjoy the time with your other half and all your family and friends. I would also advise taking a breather in between the ceremony and reception with your new husband/wife as it can be quite overwhelming being pulled left, right and centre for photographs by everyone. It’s probably the most time you’ll spend with them the whole day! Just relax and take it all in as it goes by in a heartbeat.”
A huge thank you to James and Kendal for sharing their special day with us. We wish them every happiness for the future.
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