Gemma and Anthony met in Rothesay and packed their sleek, classic wedding day with personal touches
Gemma Connelly-Kerr and Anthony Kerr
19th March 2022
Venue | Boclair House Hotel, Bearsden
Photography | Premier Photography
“Anthony and I met almost 12 years ago on my first day at my new school in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. He waited for me at the end of my first class and helped me find my way to P.E.
We didn’t have an engagement as such, I was furloughed during lockdown and we just decided that we should get married. On my birthday, one month before our wedding, Anthony surprised me with will you marry me balloons and set the room up with roses and candles – it was so unexpected because it was so close to our big day.
Our wedding was themed around the Isle of Bute where we met: we used Rothesay Rock as one of our favours, the tables were named after places of significance to us for example Craigmore (where we had our first kiss) and Mount Stuart (where we worked together for a few years) and we had a huge LED sign reading Isle of Bute on the top table.
I chose Boclair House outside Glasgow because it reminded me of a mini Mount Stuart House. I found the venue so striking and booked it in April 2020 without seeing it. We didn’t visit until Covid restrictions were lifted in August 2020, but we knew it would be perfect for our 80 guests (and further 25 at night).
I do feel the lead up to our wedding was more stressful than normal due to Covid – we had last minute cancellations, changes and people pulling out on the day, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the wedding planning process.
I always wanted a black and white themed wedding and was going for an elegant, classic day. I checked my suppliers’ pages to see previous weddings for inspo, and everything I wanted looked exactly how I imagined. We had the ceremony set up with white sling back chairs, mirrored pedestals with flower balls and large vases on top.
My bouquet, all of the bridesmaid’s bouquets and all of the buttonholes where white roses. The bridesmaids wore form-fitting black gowns and Anthony and the groomsmen were all in black suits to match the monochrome theme.
I spent months looking for a photographer. I wanted lots of bright, posed images with specific people as opposed to candid shots. Nadia at Premier Photography was great with direction. We got photos with our dog Charlie on the day – he was wearing a bow tie to match Anthony and it was special having him there.
I got my dress from Opus Couture. In the initial consultation form, I said I wanted long-sleeved form-fitting gowns. However, I was encouraged to try a brand-new Pronovias dress that didn’t fit my brief: I was so hesitant, and I really didn’t like it, but my mum said there would be no harm in trying. When people say you know when you’ve found the one, I know exactly what they mean now – I tried the dress and fell completely in love. I had a bit of my mum’s dress sewn into mine for my ‘something borrowed’.
We had a humanist ceremony which was conducted by George McLean from Fuze Ceremonies. He made everything personal to us and asked us in secret to tell him three things we loved and one thing that drove us crazy about our spouse-to-be. My favourite moment from the day was the first time we got to hear each other’s answers – Anthony’s was when I eventually made it down the aisle as I was almost 30 minutes late!
All of our ceremony music was performed by the wonderfully talented Louise McGill, I heard her singing on Facebook and was desperate to book her. I walked down the aisle with my dad to Hallelujah. We had a DJ for our reception and our first dance was I Get to Love You by Ruelle.
The speed at which your wedding goes by really surprised me, but it was amazing. Everyone commented on how beautiful the day was and how much they loved the venue."
Top tip: “I would have spent a little more time with my guests prior to dinner when the pictures were being taken. I love having the images to look back on, but if I could go back I think I would have maybe left some more time to see everyone.”
Wedding dress Opus Couture
Shoes and accessories Badgley Mischka shoes from Sophia Grace Couture, Swarovski bracelet, tiara from Wed2B and earrings from Copper Lane Gift Co.
Flower girl dresses Monsoon
Mother of the Bride outfit Ronald Joyce
Groomswear Slater Menswear
Celebrant George McLean from Fuze Ceremonies
Cake Special Days Cakes
Menu and stationery Provided by Boclair House as part of the package
Flowers Marlene’s Flowers
Favours Miniatures of vodka and little sticks of mint and strawberry Rothesay Rock. Guests also had a heart shaped cookie with their name stamped on the icing as opposed to a place card
Engagement/wedding rings Timothy J. Sharp
Ceremony and drinks reception music Louise McGill
Filmmaker TLC Media
Hair, makeup and nails Claire Montgomery Bridal, Alexandria McNairn, Rachael Hunter Makeup Artist and NE Beauty Lounge
