With so many weddings happening this year we started writing blogs about some of our customer's big days. These blogs have been a great way to gain some insight into our customers' experiences. This blog is a similar type of story, but instead of it being about one of our customer's wedding experiences, it’s about mine!
Hi, I’m Dave, I work at MacGregor and MacDuff and I finally got to marry my beautiful bride this past May. My job at MacGregor and MacDuff is to deal with the digital side of the business which includes writing these blogs, so for me, the stories about our customer's weddings were hugely helpful in preparing me for what to expect when my big day finally arrived. Hopefully, this blog will give future brides and grooms a unique perspective and help them plan their perfect day accordingly.
Like so many others, our wedding was originally planned for April 2020 and had to be postponed. All that work, stress and excitement was obliterated when reality struck and we realised that our original date wasn’t going to work. The wedding was moved and postponed a total of 4 times before we managed to get a date that stuck. The time between the first date and the actual wedding ended up being just over two full years which meant everything that had been organised before the first date had to be reorganised for each new date. For the most part, all of our suppliers were very accommodating which made things a little bit easier but I’ll be honest, I’m glad all of that stress is behind us.
When it came to choosing an outfit for my big day, there was never any question about whether I would be wearing a kilt or not, it was more a decision of whether I would go traditional or contemporary. I wanted to buy my wedding outfit because I had always wanted to own a kilt of my own. That meant choosing something that would be appropriate for future events and not just one day. I’ve always loved the classic look of a Prince Charlie. It's smart and would work well for Burns Suppers, but realistically, it was probably too smart for the majority of occasions I would wear a kilt too. A tweed kilt outfit ticked all of the boxes for the wedding and while it may be slightly too casual for a Burns Supper, I could always hire a different jacket for the few occasions I need something more formal. So with a tweed kilt outfit making the final cut, all I had to do was choose which jacket I wanted to buy.
Working at MacGregor and MacDuff for some time before I bought my wedding outfit was great because I got to know all the different highlandwear options inside and out. When it came to choosing which tweed jacket I wanted to buy, I decided to go for a Signature option. I loved so many different elements from different jackets that designing my own, with the help of the very talented MacGregor and MacDuff team, was my best option. I chose a black chevron tweed for the jacket material, a purple paisley pattern for the lining, I chose not to add epaulets but did add a black moleskin collar and finished it off with purple thread for the buttonhole. My personal opinion is that the jacket is sleek and subtle with a discrete touch of flare and matches the Baird tartan. Paired with black accessories the outfit ended up being perfect not only for my wedding day, also for any future occasions that call for a kilt.
I chose to dress my best man and Kirsty’s Dad in a Black Watch kilt with an Argyll jacket as it was the best combination to match my own outfit. My best man is English and had only ever worn a kilt once previously. He has now married a Scot and will probably end up buying his own kilt in the future having enjoyed wearing it so much. For that reason I wanted to gift him a sgian dubh to show my appreciation for him sticking with me through all the wedding stress. I chose the Staghorn Bottle Opener sgian dubh as it's something a little different and I knew he would love opening bottles with it. I also bought him a hip flask and had it engraved with a special message as I feel every best man needs to be equipped with a tipple to help keep the nerves at bay. Both gifts are something that he can use again and hopefully when he does, he will think back to the fun we had on my wedding day.
I’ve written a few blogs now about handfasting ceremonies and I've always considered it a nice addition to a wedding. It somehow links Scotland's ancient past to your new future as a married couple. Kirsty felt the same so we decided to incorporate it into our humanist ceremony. For the handfasting tartans, I chose to have one made from the same Baird tartan as my kilt and the other to be made from Black Watch tartan. With Kirsty’s Dad wearing Black Watch, each handfasting ribbon was meant to represent each side of our family. During the ceremony, our celebrant read out a description of what the handfasting ceremony symbolised and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire day.
At a point during the evening celebrations, I remember thinking about some of the past blogs I had written about other couples' experiences and wondering how their experiences matched up to the one I was having right then. The one thing that I kept thinking was “Wow, it really does go by so quickly”, which was something that was mentioned by every couple we spoke to. One moment it was morning and I was getting ready and then before I knew it, Loch Lomond was being played. As short as the day felt, it ended up being the best day ever and thankfully we have the photos to remember it.
If I was to give future couples some advice, I would have to start by suggesting they make sure they are organised. Luckily for us, my wife is great at organising things. Although there were loads of bumps in the road, when things needed sorted, they were easily dealt with because we were so organised. MacGregor and MacDuff’s wedding party coordinators were also amazing at helping me organise and stay on top of what needed to be done for not only my outfit, but also the ones I was hiring. It’s worth noting that this service wasn’t given to me because I work there, this is what they do for all grooms who hire and buy from us for their wedding day. Take your time and enjoy the small things. Ask your friends to take as many photos as they can and try not to worry if everyone else is having fun, as long as you two are, nothing else matters.
As an employee as well as a customer of MacGregor and MacDuff, I have to recommend them wholeheartedly. From designing my Signature Jacket to the wedding coordinators dealing with the logistics, I feel very grateful to have had MacGregor and MacDuff behind me during the run up to our wedding. If you are looking to start your wedding journey, I highly recommend either booking a virtual appointment or visiting one of our stores to see how MacGregor and MacDuff can help make your dream wedding a reality.
Photographers: Forza Photography