Wedding at Upton Barn, Devon

Jon chose a spectacular setting to propose to Matt: during a visit to Aberdeenshire, they took a day trip to Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness. "Jon found a secluded area of the grounds, overlooking the loch and the castle, and got down on one knee," says Matt. This stunning location was to inspire both the Celtic touches of their wedding day - and their future identity as a couple.

After falling in love with the first venue they visited, Upton Barn and Walled Garden, the look and feel of their wedding started to emerge. "The theme was always going to be a little mixed from the start," explains Jon. "Overall, it matched with the venue, so it was very rustic and relaxed. As we got engaged in Scotland and Matt grew up in Cornwall, we decided to wear kilts with Cornish tartan - we wanted the wedding to stay timeless without too many current trends with the outfits."




Opting for the striking St Piran dress tartan, the couple decided to get ready together for their ceremony in the picturesque walled garden. "We wanted to feel relaxed and comfortable throughout," says Matt. The couple walked down the lavender-lined aisle together to 'Still into You' by Paramore for their intimate ceremony, which featured special readings from Jon's sister and a close friend.

The newly-weds then mingled with guests over Prosecco and canapes before settling at a table topped with rustic pots of rosemary and heather for an emotional set of speeches followed by lamb shank and a trio of desserts.

The evening party kicked off in high energy style thanks to Paddy's Whiskers. "The first dance was a ceilidh dance that involved the whole party. We both wanted to feel comfortable dancing together and wanted others to feel the same," says Jon. "It enabled everyone to have fun and get involved." Paella was served in the garden halfway through the evening to a surprise bagpipe soundtrack. "It was the perfect way to refuel with all the ceilidh dancing!"




Both Jon and Matt now bear the most wonderful keepsake from their day. "We both wanted to have the same surname when we got married," explains Jon. "It was important the surname was significant, so we chose Huntly after the town we were staying in in Scotland when we got engaged. The town council of Huntly found out about this and put an article in the local paper, and sent some Huntly related gifts from Scotland to the wedding."

Photography Paul Keppel paulkeppel.co.uk
Venue Upton Barn and Walled Garden uptonbarn.com
Groom's outfit St Piran's Dress tartan from Cornovi cornish-tartans.co.uk
Catering Devon Catering devoncatering.com
Hermanos Paella hermanospaella.co.uk
Entertainment Paddy's Whiskers paddyswhiskers.co.uk

Copyright Wed magazine 2017