A modern love story in a 17th Century Stately Home

 

From the moment we met James and Martyn, and heard about their romantic engagement in Paris – the city of love and the city of lights. We knew this was going to be one spectacular love filled celebration with more than just a little sparkle. Their genuine love for one another and trust in GLOAM allowed us all to work together to build their dream wedding vision – A Wedding Party for the Ages at Hopetoun House – honouring their taste and personalities, ultimately leading to an incredible wedding weekend. 

 

 

After searching all over the UK for a standout, luxury wedding venue, they came across the magnificent Hopetoun House, which gave them the perfect nod to a contemporary twist of ‘Saltburn’ glamour and that timeless elegance that you get from being within a stunning, Scottish, stately home. They loved the tall ceilings, chandeliers, and neutral overall palette showcased by the stunning ballroom. This backdrop allowed their chosen colour palette to pop. The grandeur of the estate welcomed guests as they arrived by coach, making a striking first impression. Adding to the personal charm, Martyn’s Scottish heritage and the wedding’s proximity to his hometown brought a special, heartfelt touch to the celebration.

 

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While they appreciated the venue’s opulence, their main priority was ensuring their guests felt relaxed, welcomed, and at ease as they transitioned through the various spaces. They also wanted the styling and floristry to create a cohesive and harmonious atmosphere throughout the day.

 

 

Now we mentioned there was ‘sparkle’ and we weren’t kidding. A strong theme throughout the day and quite frankly, a non-negotiable for the boys was – disco balls! To add further context, James and Martyn are notoriously the first and last ones on the dance floor (particularly where there’s a 90’s banger on), so bringing the party and celebratory vibes throughout the entirety of the day was paramount and we worked their colour palette around the mix of sparkly silver and contemporary, black metal accents. We introduced a tonal blue and green colour palette with pops of steel blue, eucalyptus green, fresh whites and soft neutrals. This also let historical elements and tapestries hanging throughout the property shine on their own because we wanted the elegant Hopetoun House to shine.  

 

 

The Ceremony

 

Their floristry, designed by GLOAM, was in abundance, featuring fresh whites, greens and the occasional pop of blue, every piece was artfully created with frothy volume, giving off lots of texture and layers. For the ceremony altar, our floristry team created an unstructured and one of a kind ‘broken arch’ with extended sides in the form of wild, floor meadows. As well as floor-based meadow style arrangements at the start of and dotted all the way down the aisle, accompanied by the romantic glow of candles. From the echoing angelic voices of Geo Gospel throughout the stables and the cocktail drinks cart we set up for the grooms to make their first Margarita to sip on as they signed their wedding papers- it truly was a special one. 

 

 

After the ceremony, the newlyweds danced their way out, hand in hand, leading their guests to a lively drinks reception in the courtyard. There, a local gelato truck, freshly shucked oysters, and cocktails complemented an array of delectable canapés. As one of their friends spun a funky DJ set, the guests effortlessly settled into the festive party atmosphere.

 

 

The Reception

 

GLOAM floristry took this time to work behind the scenes to reposition their wedding altar florals around their dance floor and seating areas, along with their aisle arrangements being showcased at the ends of the elongated reception tables. Within the reception space, James and Martyn sat amongst their guests at banquet style tables, which had an array of bud vases and candlesticks scattered down them, creating height in a mix of blue and green tones, with some shimmery pops of disco balls in between the tablescape and featured on their name tags. 

 

 

The grooms’ table was positioned in front of the fireplace, and to enhance the backdrop, GLOAM floristry created a stunning fireplace installation. This grand display beautifully framed the grooms, the fireplace, and the large tapestry above, adding both height and impact to the reception design and complementing the tall ceilings of the grand ballroom.

 

 

After dinner, guests joined the grooms on the dance floor and there was absolutely no excuses for anyone in heels or pinchy shoes to not shake their groove thing, because as party favours, the boys had slides on offer to get comfy and get your groove on…oh and a twelve piece band to bring down the house and get everyone up on their feet. 

 

 

What a dream team of suppliers we had the pleasure of working with on this one, a very special thank you to:

 

Photography Stevie Weir

Full Styling + Stationery + Floral Design GLOAM

Venue Hopetoun House

Catering Heritage Portfolio

Entertainment Geo Gospel + Soul Establishment 

Ice Cream Truck The Little Parlour

Oysters The Oysterman Events