Originally from Lewis, Rhona and Donnie had a 230-strong guest list that were ready to ceilidh and a donated Tesla to transport the bride to the venue
Rhona Martin & Donnie Macleod
14th March 2020
Venue | Leith Theatre, Edinburgh
Photography | John Sinclair Wedding Photography
“Donnie proposed on 6th July 2019, outside our front door. I’d always been annoyed that the name plate said ‘Macleod’ on the door – I’d preferred a ‘Martin/Macleod’ one – so he got down on one knee and suggested we keep it ‘Macleod’ forever.
I booked Leith Theatre four days after the engagement. I told Donnie years ago at a gig there that I was going to get married there, whether it was to him or not! We live just down the road from the Theatre and have enjoyed so many lovely times there. It really was a no-brainer that we got married in our adopted home of Leith.
We’re both from Lewis, so our hearts were set on a ‘big fat Hebridean wedding’. We both have large families and lots of friends and we wanted them all there to celebrate with us. Our guest list was a bit larger than we anticipated (150 during the day, 230 at night), but we decided that as we were doing this once, it was a case of go big or go home.
I used lots of Harris Tweed and Hebridean wool as decorative touches. Donnie’s mum was a weaver and a lot of the wool was from my late grandmother’s house. A dear family friend from the island also offered to make my bouquet out of Harris Tweed and the result was incredible. She did such a beautiful job; there is so much love in every stitch. She included pearls from her own mother’s necklace and brooches from both my late grandmothers. It was a pleasure to carry this down the aisle and even more so to keep forever.
Having experienced humanist ceremonies before, it was an easy decision for us to have one. Fiona Thomas came highly recommended and she did not disappoint. She genuinely cared about knowing all the little details and made the writing process a real pleasure. Our guests commented on how personal and unique the ceremony was.
As we live close by, myself and the bridesmaids thought it would be nice to walk to Leith Theatre. The forecast wasn’t looking great, though, so I decided a few days ahead that we’d get taxis. I work as a paediatric oncology nurse and parents of a young patient of mine heard about my plans. They own a taxi firm in Edinburgh and kindly said they’d sort it out. I was touched by this gesture, but hadn’t expected them to donate their own fancy Tesla cars for the occasion! It was such an emotional moment when Zoë, the mum, turned up on the day to drive me.
Now that the wedding has passed and the flowers have wilted, we have the most beautiful pictures from John Sinclair Wedding Photography to have forever. We’re still not tired of going through them.
My favourite thing about the wedding was that it actually went ahead! Two days before, Ireland had announced its lockdown measures and we were petrified that Scotland would follow suit and everything would be off. Given what happened afterwards, we consider ourselves lucky that we managed to see everyone we love one last time before lockdown set in.”
Top tip: “I swore by spreadsheets; I had a seven-tab masterpiece! It helped focus our budget, keep track of guests and was a database of suppliers, addresses and contact details.”
Venue Leith Theatre, Edinburgh
Photography John Sinclair Wedding Photography
Celebrant Fiona Thomas, Humanist Society Scotland
Catering Spitting Pig
Bride’s dress Crystal Bows
Cake 3D Cakes
Stationery Made by the bride
Venue décor Make Believe Events
Piper Arkleston Piping
Reception band Callanish
Photo booth Instapic Photo Booth
Transport Capital Cars
Hair and makeup Lipstick, Lashes and Locks
