Meeting via a dating app in February 2020, Ellie and Liam instantly hit it off before the first Covid lockdown stopped them spending more time together. Recognising that they’d found something special, however, the couple moved in together in May to ensure they kept to the Covid rules. “My friends and family were slightly concerned I was moving in with a stranger from the internet so quickly, but it all worked out with a happy ending!” says Ellie, who got engaged to Liam after he proposed at the top of Arthur’s Seat while the comedy-loving couple attended Edinburgh fringe festival.
Deciding on Ash Barton Estate as the setting for their wedding, a palette of burgundy, gold and brass carried through the details of their relaxed and personality-packed day. “We wanted a casual, fun theme and tried to be as sustainable as possible,” says Ellie.
With Liam’s childhood friend taking the role of celebrant, the ceremony took place in the chapel strewn with fairy lights. “We designed the ceremony to be important and meaningful but not religious,” explains Ellie. “We wrote our own vows and our guests partook in a ring-warming ritual to be part of our union. We also included a German wedding tradition where we sawed through a log to symbolise working together to overcome obstacles – this was a big hit with the guests and a fun spectacle to keep the energy in the room!”
After showering the newlyweds with confetti, everyone gathered in the walled garden for drinks, canapés and a live bird of prey show. “We love bird-watching!”, explains Ellie. “This was followed by my mum playing the guests into dinner with her bagpipes.” In a nod to the couple’s love of travelling, the cuisine had flavour influences from all over the world, including cajun prawns and jerk halloumi, lemongrass and Thai green monkfish and steak with Argentinian chimichurri, while the dessert was a special banoffee pie made with Liam’s late sister's recipe.
Cocktail hour in the gardens allowed guests to enjoy the golden light and rural panoramas before the first dance to an acoustic version of Foo Fighters’ Times Like These. “Foo Fighters were Liam’s sister's favourite band; she sadly passed away when Liam was in his 20s, so this was a chance to make sure she was included in the day and celebrated as an important part of our lives,” explains Ellie. Live band Fever Heat kept the party in full swing, with guests dancing into the small hours.
Looking back, the speeches stand out as a particular highlight for the couple. “Everyone did such an amazing job. They were hilarious and poignant, and I loved seeing our best friends, Liam and my parents, deliver them so flawlessly!” says Ellie, who also reflects on the many personal elements they wove into their day. “I loved the unique bits that we designed as surprises for our guests. These really made our personalities shine through, and we still get people talking about them months later, especially the falconry show, with guests being able to hold a golden eagle, and the wood cutting,” she reminisces.
“My advice is to mix the necessary admin with the fun creative bits,” she says. “And book an on-the-day coordinator! This is a must, so you can truly enjoy the day and not worry about any logistics or supplier management on the day.”
Photography Freeformimages Photography freeformimages.co.uk
Venue Ash Barton Estate ashbarton.com
On-the-day coordination Unity Event Design unityeventdesign.co.uk
Dress Wilderly from Bridal Reloved Wanstead bridalreloved.co.uk/Wanstead
Jumpsuit Rosa Bloom rosabloom.com
Shoes Freya Rose freyarose.com Converse converse.com
Suit Hugo Boss hugoboss.com
Hair & make-up Beauty by Cathy beautybycathy.co.uk
Catering Smoking Embers smokingemberscatering.com
Cheese tower The Mousetrap Cheese Shop mousetrapcheese.co.uk
Flowers The Forgotten Garden theforgottengarden.co.uk
Décor & tableware hire Best.Day.Ever! bestdayeverdevon.co.uk
Entertainment Fever Heat entertainment-nation.co.uk/fever-heat
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