Vic and Joel embraced their heritage, serving up Scotland with a Scandinavian twist
Photos: Anna Deacon
Joel and I married on a fine Scottish summer’s day in June last year. Our venue was Persie House in Bridge of Cally, Perthshire. It’s a country house that I’ve visited for many years, so I felt completely at home there for my wedding day.
For the theme, we took our heritage as a starting point. Joel is Norwegian and I’m Scottish, so we wanted a fusion of both – and something that had our stamp on it.
Firstly, the decor. We were after a romantic and whimsical feel. My auntie is a florist so she arranged blush-pink Sweet Avalanche roses with nigella, veronica and dill for that Scandi feel. My mum made bunting for the top table, while my dad’s link to the whisky industry meant we could offer personalised miniatures for the guests.
I was also determined to have something different for my wedding dress. I eventually stumbled across a silk rose printed dress in Vivienne Westwood. The corset shape fitted my hourglass figure perfectly and, to top it all off, the lady herself retweeted a picture of me wearing her design on the day.
The ceremony – conducted by Joel’s brother – took place at Netherton Church,a privately owned chapel in the Scottish Highlands and overlooking Black Water river. Only one wedding had taken place here before ours and, because it was next to the river, we could all enjoy a water-side cocktail (created especially by award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan) before heading to the reception.
I’m a food stylist and Joel is a drinks writer so we always knew that food and drink would be the focal point of the day. A trip to Champagne meant we could select some Henri Giraud Esprit fizz, while Joel’s stag do to France saw the boys taste-test the wines for the day. For the toast, we served a 100-year-old Tiffon cognac to represent both my French ancestry and – because it’s owned by a French-Norwegian family – Joel’s roots. We started with macaroni cheese pots, followed by Scottish seafood platters of langoustines, crabs and smoked salmon. For mains there was local venison with Blairgowrie raspberries and flower salad, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts to finish.
For entertainment, we had the East Coast Jazz Band (schooled at Ronnie Scott’s) play and, of course, a DJ. On top of that there was a row boat on Persie Loch for people to have a go (while smoking the Cuban cigars Joel and I brought back from a recent trip) and a Mighty Mexican street food truck. We even turned the library into a secret ‘speakeasy’ where Joel’s business partner mixed cocktails – it didn’t stay secret for long.
Highlight of the day
Vic When Joel and I snuck off to catch our breath, we decided to get some photos in the rowing boat. As we reached the centre of the loch, Joel dropped one of the oars and lost it, leaving us stuck and floating in the middle of it. After a while quite a large crowd formed – it was hilarious.
Joel For me, it was our first dance, to the jazz band playing ‘C’est Si Bon’. To have everyone inside join us in dancing to some fantastic live jazz was something very special.
Suppliers
Venue Persie House
Bride’s dress Vivienne Westwood
Bridesmaids’ dresses Twobirds
Groom’s suit Ben Sherman
Caterer Love Food Catering
Cake Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Flowers Flowerstalk
Entertainment East Coast Jazz Band, Phil Catchpole DJ
Transport 1930s Sunbeam car
More photos
This article was first published in Squaremeal Weddings 2016