A guide to your dream wedding in Scotland 

The very first step in planning your wedding is to decide upon a suitable budget. This is a crucial part of the wedding planning process and will act as a driving force behind your decision-making. When discussing budgeting, you should consider any contributions coming from external parties such as family members or friends as they may want to have ownership or control over certain parts of the planning in return for their contribution.

Additionally, you need to be realistic about what you can afford and when. Many smaller local wedding vendors do not accept credit card payments so you need to be financially comfortable in paying deposits or payments upfront. This may be tricky if you’re juggling lots of large financial commitments over a short time period, so it’s best that you look ahead at your finances and savings.

On the other hand, if you’re considering enlisting the help of a wedding planner then you should do your research on the estimated costs associated with hiring a professional. In our previous blog post, we answer some of the most common questions surrounding the costs of hiring a UK wedding planner depending on their role in your wedding.

Take your time to carry out thorough research on wedding suppliers and vendors, you can start simply by searching online or having a browse via social media. Remember that the list of suppliers provided by venues isn’t always the be all and end all, it can often be a good idea to look beyond this list, particularly if you’ve a specific style in mind.

Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from family and friends as they may have a couple of trusted suppliers up their sleeve that they can connect you with. Similarly, if you’re considering hiring a wedding planner then make sure to have a look at their websites, portfolios and customer testimonials, this will give you a good indication of the level of service they provide.

Planning a wedding goes beyond just organising the big day, as weddings often consist of various different events and activities, such as rehearsal dinners, welcome parties and bridal parties. Each of these events can be broken down into various moving parts, for example, a rehearsal dinner will require a venue, food, transportation and more.

Welcome parties have also become popular amongst our clients, however, are commonly underestimated in terms of budget. This highlights the importance of spending time considering the ins and outs of the events surrounding your wedding day, as you don’t want to be agreeing to host events that you can’t afford.

Putting together your guest list may seem like an easy job but can quickly get out of hand. To make the process easier, we recommend starting by sitting down with your partner and writing out a rough list of everyone both you and your partner would invite if money and space weren’t an issue. Begin with immediate family and close friends then slowly expand your list to others such as work colleagues, distant relatives, children, partners and whoever may be relevant. From here you can then begin to slowly trim down the list to a size that feels appropriate to your budget and needs.

The easiest way to do this is by highlighting ‘non-negotiable’ guests, these are people that you couldn’t imagine not being part of your wedding day. These people often end up being involved as a member of your bridal party or groomsmen.

The wedding ceremony is often the most memorable part, as it’s the main point in the wedding where the happy couple declares their love, promises and commitment to one another in front of their guests. Planning your ceremony will typically be dependent on whether you decide to have a religious, spiritual or civil ceremony.

Religious wedding ceremonies are usually held when one or both members of a couple have grown up in a religious setting. This type of ceremony is held in a house of worship by a religious official such as a minister, priest or rabbi. The ceremony itself will often be guided by religious practices such as the order of the ceremony, vows, songs and readings.

Spiritual ceremonies in Scotland go beyond traditional religious rituals and celebrate the spiritual connection between a couple. Conversely, a civil ceremony includes no religious or spiritual element but still acts as a legally binding wedding. This form of ceremony is often adopted by couples who want more control over the ceremony practices such as writing their own vows or would like to get married in a non-religious venue such as a barn, beach, forest or castle.