Inside Cluny Castle’s Spring Wedding Showcase

Couple’s seeking a modern fairytale were invited to immerse themselves in the enchanting ambience of Cluny Castle’s Spring wedding showcase. 

Nestled with 200 acres of pristine Aberdeenshire countryside, this hidden gem dating back to the 16th century, is a testament to Scottish character and timeless grace. The venue showcase allowed guests to explore achingly beautiful spaces that have been sympathetically restored over the years, each corner brimming with character, charm, and warmth. A quintessential venue for those dreaming of a storybook wedding, Cluny Castle’s allure lies in its history and the seamless blend of old-world charm and modern elegance.

Step inside this captivating showcase day through the lens of a gorgeous styled shoot...

Fiona says...

We had the most incredible team of local wedding suppliers, who are all so talented in their own fields, so when they all agreed to be a part of the day, we knew immediately that what we would all collectively create, would be extraordinary.

The photographer was the brilliant Donna Murray who captured everything so beautifully. We could not have asked for better images from the day, they are just incredible.
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We also wanted to go one step further and capture everything in film so when the super talented videographer Dean Johnstone agreed to be involved, we were just delighted. We knew he would create a really beautiful film for us and he did not disappoint. He worked tirelessly on the day and when he captured the most incredible vocals by Florence Jack at the end of the day, he knew straight away that this would be his voiceover and primary focus for his creative film.

We hadn't hosted an open day / showcase event since just before the first lockdown back in 2020 so we wanted to make this one super special. We wanted to create something different to anything we had seen before so decided on a 'when Spring meets Autumn' theme. Using beautiful rich, warm tones of terracotta, rust and blush, which compliment the castle so much, alongside lovely airy elements to create a really fresh, spring-like and delicate feel to the day. It was the perfect combination of Autumn warmth and Spring freshness bringing everything together with such beauty.

Lorna from Sakura flowers did the most amazing job of bringing my vision to life and absolutely nailed the brief. Autumnal warmth lifted with beautiful light, fresh greenery to give it that Spring feel; it was March after all, so I really wanted to emphasise that. It was a challenging task for her given the limitations on sourcing fresh, sustainable, local flowers at this time of year (something that is at the heart of Lorna's ethos and business principles). She did however manage to pull it off in epic style.
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Lorna from Sakura Flowers says, “After meeting with Fiona at Cluny Castle, who gave me a brief, I put together a mood board to give an idea of colours and flowers we could use. Fiona was keen to incorporate rust and blush into the florals, so I stared from there. The castle chapel itself if very decorative, so we decided to keep things classy and elegant here; think giant urns at the altar with flowing tendrils of foliage and big blooms, and a combination of high soft pews ends and low mini flower meadows to line the aisle. The variation of height created the most beautiful effect!.”

Down in the Tenants Hall, I worked alongside Tracey at Without a Hitch who supplied all of the décor and finishing touches creating an overall light and airy feel. With and endless supply of candles, multi level centrepieces and using runners and napkins in the most beautiful terracotta shade to pull the colour scheme together, the room was styled to perfection.

The cake and dessert table were both supplied by Cakes By Kirsty and what a statement she made alongside Lorna from Sakura. Cake cutting is a trend coming back in style so we wanted to show how far you could go to create the most beautiful backdrop for this part of your wedding day. I gave Kirsty a basic brief and let her do her magic; this is after all her area expertise and I wanted her to be able to show off exactly what she does so beautifully in her own style and it was incredible. As a backdrop Lorna used florals at different heights to fill the space and make it a fundamental room feature. Lorna says, “Although it predominantly featured an autumnal colour scheme, I used lots of greenery and seasonal flowers to give a soft spring feel. All arrangements were made using sustainable friendly methods with no floral foam.”
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The catering was all looked after by Kate's Bespoke Catering and the feedback from when they offered on the day was exceptional. The tables, chairs and bar were all supplied by Alfie from Rustic Look Aberdeen. We absolutely love the rustic look of his furniture and it compliments the Tenants Hall perfectly. The soft, subtle and beautiful stationery was all designed and supplied by Vicky from Paperoo.

We had the absolute dream team of Michelle Reid and Steph Milne taking care of hair and makeup on the day. With all the soft romantic vibes for the hair and perfect 'bridal glam' makeup, together they created the dreamiest of looks for Lauren.

The most stunning dress was a Sassi Holford from the wonderful girls at Ivory Grace. Ethereal beauty was top of my list for this shoot and this exquisite gown with beautifully embroidered floral tulle skirt, ruched bodice and stunning v back designed to sculpt and flatter was just heavenly. Our model Lauren felt like a princess on the day.

Local kilt supplier Mitchell Scott kindly supplied the kilt for the shoot. We opted for the Hebridean Glisk tartan partnered with the Brown Crail jacket and it looked great on our model Ross.

Gareth Thomson kept everyone entertained throughout the day with his incredible music, mixing it up by playing the saxophone as well as acoustic guitar and beautiful singing. Florence Jack, well what can we say, THAT VOICE! She created the most romantic vibe in the Chapel, showcasing her unbelievable vocals, her talent and voice are off the scale.

Our piper James Cooper welcomed everyone on arrival and kept our guests entertained throughout the day with his wonderful piping skills.

Our super talented suppliers included:
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Flowers @sakuraflorist 
Photographer @donnamurrayphotography 
Videographer @deanjohnstonefilms
Decor & Styling @withoutahitch_aberdeen 
Caterers @katesbespokecatering 
 Stationery  @paperoo_1
Cake & Dessert Table @cakesbykirsty_sugarelli 
Furniture @rusticlookaberdeen
Musician @gjsthomson 
Vocalist @florencejackmusic
Dress @ivorygracebridal 
Kilt @ms_mitchellscott 
Makeup @stephmartistry
Hair @michellereidhair 
Model @_laurencook 
Model @rosscmiddleton
Piper @james_cooperbagpiping