Sammy and Dale didn’t venture far to get married. Their romantic, homespun big day involved them pitching a marquee in a neighbour’s field and filling it with plants and flowers
Sammy Walker & Dale Clancy
22nd July 2022
Venue | Lewinshope, Scottish Borders
Photography | Natalie Martin Photography
“After 5-and-a-half years together, Dale proposed to me in the middle of the first lockdown. We had set out for a sunrise walk on 13th June 2020 and were at the top of the hill that overlooks our house, when Dale set a ring box amongst a cairn and got down on one knee. It really was the biggest and best surprise! He also had a full day of treats organised back at our favourite spot: home. It really is a day I wish I could relive.
On our walk back down, we passed the only venue we’d consider: Lewinshope. It sits in a stunning setting near Selkirk with plenty of space to pitch a marquee and offered luxury self-catering accommodation for all of our bridal party. Owners Johnny and Lulu are dear friends of ours. They went over and above and truly made our day more magical than we could have ever dreamed.
We chose the utterly amazing Andrew. D. Scott to lead our ceremony. He’s the best celebrant in Scotland – as voted for by us! We first met Andrew on Zoom and were invited up to his lovely little café in Kinross where we had lunch, a chat and really got to know one another. He left no stone unturned in his mission to put together what was an unforgettable ceremony.
To begin with, we had no clue as to what we thought our marquee styling would look like. We picked some colours and from there on, everything just seemed to take shape. I think the pressure of having a definite, clear picture in my head would have been too much if something wasn’t quite right. Keeping an open mind helped us in the long run.
The aim was for a summery, romantic, floral-filled wedding with lots of soft tones and a fun, relaxed atmosphere. I drew inspiration from following a lot of our suppliers on social media. Pinterest was my best friend too!
A good friend, Susan, guided me on how best to plant, feed and water lots of bedding plants to ensure we had the homegrown, floral look we were after. We placed the potted plants on an old horse cart supplied by Lewinshope. It really added drama on the approach to the venue. Even better, it was cost-effective and eco-friendly.
Food was an important factor in our plans and Cooks & Co. Catering was amazing. Everyone commented on how beautiful the meal was – I think some of our 142 guests even asked for the recipes.
Our favourite keepsake without question is our wooden guest board that we now treasure. My bridesmaid, Sophie and her husband, Alex, arranged the most beautiful piece of oak to be carved with ‘Mr and Mrs Clancy’ and the date of our wedding. Sophie went round all of our guests making sure everyone signed it.
I run my own beauty business in the Yarrow Valley, The Beauty Yard. I use skincare brand Gatineau in the salon, so I decided to individually wrap one of their lip balms with a little label that said ‘lips are the fingerprints of love’. It felt personal and not something I’d seen before.
We wanted to feel comfortable in front of our photographer and I think our pictures genuinely show how at ease we felt with Natalie Martin. I truly mean it when I say from the moment she arrived on the morning of our wedding, my nerves disappeared. I suddenly felt relaxed and excited for the day ahead.”
Top tip “The one thing we are glad we did months in advance was our table plan. We left it out for months and swapped people and moved them about if we felt the need, until we were happy.”
Venue Lewinshope
Photography Natalie Martin Photography
Celebrant Andrew D. Scott Celebrant Services
Bride’s dress and bridesmaids’ dresses Sophia Grace Couture
Hair Signature Hair by Kirstie
Makeup Nikki Marshall Makeup Artist
Nails The Beauty Room by Heather Waddell
Groomswear David Thomson
Cake Ruby and Pearl Cake Art
Catering Cooks & Co. Catering
Bar All the Best Bars and Catering
Flowers The Flower Bee
Stationery Origami Fox
Favours The Beauty Yard
Marquee Green Field Marquees
Lighting and generators Arkwright Generators
Table linen and napkins Get Knotted
Candles Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
Placename vinyl Designed by Cocolite
Engagement and wedding rings Laings
Ceremony and reception music Corra Music
Wedding film Inspire Video Production
