Planning a wedding for 200 in a blank-canvas byre is no mean feat. Bride Caitlin spills the beans about marrying her best friend and staying sane while planning the biggest, most important party of their lives
Caitlin Wark Clements and Callum McKail Galloway
17th September 2022
Venue | Kinkell Byre, Fife
Photography | Tamar Hope Photography
“Callum and I had been together for eight years when we got engaged. He proposed at Brodick Castle on the island of Arran – a special place for me and my family. We were tucked away from everyone else having a picnic next to a beautiful hydrangea bush. He proposed with a gorgeous ring that he designed with my mum and the amazing team at jewellers Blair and Sheridan in Glasgow.
We got engaged in 2019 and booked a venue and planned to marry in 2021. Because of Covid, we moved our wedding by a whole year and luckily didn’t lose a single supplier.
Our first wedding task was to write out our guest list. We knew it would be big, almost 200 in fact, and that would dictate the venue.
Our friends had told us about Kinkell Byre and as soon as we visited, we sat in the car and both said: ‘this is it’. It was exactly what we wanted, could hold all our guests all day and the team were so lovely from the very first meeting.
We wanted a really fun, chilled wedding that was just a big party. While a blank-canvas venue allowed us the freedom to create our own wedding vision, we soon realised that even a ‘laid-back party’ wedding vibe takes a lot of work…
We kept a constant to-do list running on our phones and any time there were problems we’d chat them through and ask family and friends for advice. I was working in London at the time, so Callum and I having a shared calendar where we could book in tastings/flower meetings/venue visits on certain weekends back in Scotland really helped us keep in top of things and meant that we could tick a lot off in one go.
We also started our running order early. My best friend married three weeks earlier so we used hers as a starting point. That can help show you what you’re missing and what you need to fit in.
We hired out the whole of Morton of Pitmilly resort for accommodation. Having the families stay in one place worked really well in terms of logistics. One coach took them all to the venue and then we knew that no family members were left behind! Callum and the ushers stayed there the night before the wedding too.
Meanwhile, my mum, bridesmaids and I stayed in one of the manors at Fairmont St Andrews. We exchanged gifts and they gave me a beautiful, monogrammed robe with my new initials and a photo album that made me cry! We made dinner, had some drinks and danced to ABBA – I couldn’t have asked for a better night!
As soon as I found bridesmaid dresses in Zara in a beautiful dark forest green, I knew that I wanted that to be our colour theme throughout, accented with a touch of gold. We ordered monogrammed blankets in the colours from TBCo to drape over the sofas at Kinkell. They are now in our new home.
We also had a C&C neon sign and C&C tote bags made. We now take the bags everywhere and the sign is in our kitchen – we’re big into reusing!
Our ceremony was relaxed and funny – just as we wanted it! I walked down the aisle to ‘Loch Lomond’ played on piano and violin by two members of the WooHoo Band, who did our music throughout – and they were brilliant. Our celebrant Susan Mathieson made us feel so at ease – and helped keep us organised. We kept our ceremony really personal – making fun of ourselves and each other in the process as we always do.
My brother, James, read ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns and we included a handfasting and a traditional Scots blessing. Our favourite moment was exiting as husband and wife to the sound of Avicii’s ‘Levels’ on the piano (a song that reminds us of starting out dating back in 2011) which had all our guests dancing!
We wanted to keep the food casual, and Pantry Events did a brilliant job. We served charcuterie boards, tacos and doughnuts – it all went down really well (and fast!).
We loved husband-and-wife team Tamar Hope and Matt Willoughby’s photo and video styles. We were instantly drawn to their amazing work when we saw it on Instagram. After we had our first conversation with them, we knew we wanted them to be our photographer and videographer because they were just so lovely.
Our first dance was one of our favourite parts of the wedding. By that point, WooHoo Band were performing as a nine-piece and played a slow version of The Proclaimers’ ‘500 Miles’ – a nod to the long-distance nature of a lot of our relationship. As the wedding party joined us on the floor, the tempo picked up, before all the guests were on the floor with us jumping around!
We heard so many other couples say their wedding was one of the best days of their lives. Until we experienced getting married and partying with all our loved ones, I don’t know if we fully believed that! Having everyone we love in one room together, including three of our grandparents, was unforgettable. My 88-year-old granny Norah stayed right until the end!
Top tip: “Lean on people! Our suppliers were all so brilliant, kind and helpful and we wouldn’t have had an amazing day without them. Also celebrate all the little moments and milestones – from picking your cake to collecting your wedding rings – as it will all go by so quickly.”
Venue and furniture hire Kinkell Byre
Photography Tamar Hope Photography
Filmmaker Matt Willoughby Film (scroll onto see)
Celebrant Susan Mathieson, Celebrate People
Bride’s dress All Who Wander from Angelica Bridal
Bride’s shoes Dior
Bride’s headpiece Arianna Bespoke from Liberty in Love
Bridesmaid dresses Zara
Hair Claire Adamson Bridal Hair
Makeup Make Up With Katie Mac
Groomswear Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers
Engagement and wedding rings Blair and Sheridan
Cake A Bonnie Wee Cake
Flowers Ruby Flowers
Catering Pantry Events
Pizza truck Mangiamo
Save the dates and invitations Paperless Post
On-the-day stationery Abbie Bunton, TTKS’s resident designer!
Favours Whisky and gin, the latter made at Sip Antics
Lighting i-Light Productions
Additional furniture hire Virginia’s Vintage Hire
Neon sign Marvellous Neon
Blankets TBCo
Piper St Andrews Piper
Fireworks Fireworx Scotland
Transport A1 Coaches
Accommodation Morton of Pitmilly
Day-after venue Forgans
