Colourful fusion wedding at Mellerstain House
Shalini and Rajiv divide their time between New York, Glasgow and India and we were really delighted when they decided to celebrate their special day at beautiful Mellerstain. It took a lot of organisation by the talented couple and the day was full of colour and excitement.
Shalini looked exceptional!
Family and friends all contributed to the preparation of the marquee which was provided by www.bestintentmarquees.co.uk An elegant mandap was created for the main ceremony and dining tables were adorned with striking arrangements of flower heads in low terracotta bowls.
Shalini and Raj cleverly mixed together a fabulous fusion of English and Asian traditions including an Asian brunch, English afternoon tea, village fete bunting using sarees and an exciting blend of Scottish ceilidh and Bhangra music for a truly incredible evening party.
Our thanks to John and Sandra Parris of awarding winning photographers www.parrisphotography.co.uk for all the exquisite images in this post.
Many congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Joshi.
We were pleased to welcome the following fantastic suppliers to Mellerstain for the day
www.karmafoodsltd.co.uk – Sunil Mistry
www.galaxyvideo.tv – Michael Kelly
www.thejennigibbband.co.uk – Jenni Gibb
www.ukclassicwines.co.uk – Satish Kumar
PurpleTV
Are you getting married or having a ceremony?
We’ve been contacted by Jenny who works for Purple TV based in Glasgow. They are currently making a series of programmes for the Gaelic language channel BBC ALBA about weddings in Scotland and are looking for couples who are getting married over the winter months (November-February) to participate.
They are looking for a variety of interesting couples and weddings (Asian,civil partnership, themed, traditional, vintage etc). From choosing the venue, the ring and the cake, and all the things that make the day personal to you, they would like to encapsulate the highs, the fun, and of course the love and excitement that makes your big day such a unique and unforgettable occasion.
If you are interested in sharing your wedding, or you know somebody who would like to have their special day recorded, get in touch with Jenny at jenny@purpletv.tv 0141 300 3927 or Wendy wendy@purpletv.tv 0141 300 3894
Good luck!
The wedding of Cara and Ross this summer was a particularly special occasion for Get Knotted as it was our first wedding at Aikwood Tower.
Ross, a retail manager, first met Cara, an interior designer, in the year 2000 when they both moved to Edinburgh to study at University. Cara’s school friend (and best man) George was living in Heriot Watt halls of residence at the time but it was when Cara visited George in his and Ross’s first flat that she met Ross properly. Ross and Cara often met up whilst out with friends at Jungle nights and had fallen in love by the end of the year. The couple share many interests; music, food, animals, tequila, the sea and an adventurous sense of fun. Ross proposed to Cara under the river god’s statue on the Campidoglio Square, Rome in 2011 after 12 years together.
Cara and Ross spotted Aikwood Tower on the internet and booked a visit as soon as they could.
They were simply stunned by the historic beauty of the tower and gardens combined with the boutique styling and modern furnishings.
It took only one visit to realise that it was the venue for them and they didn’t need to visit anywhere else. They could not believe they could get such an amazing place for a very small budget and have the luxury of the Tower for a full 3 nights. So, after confirming their booking for Wednesday 4 July 2012, it was full steam ahead.
The wedding day inspiration was an eclectic mix of vintage birds, gilded mirrors and floating scotch bonnet chillies.
With help from Roddy, Aikwood’s Manager and Get Knotted, they created an elegant summer dining experience that transformed into a romantically lit evening reception, complimenting the stunning features of the converted stone hall.
All of the guests were in awe of Aikwood’s ambience and each had their own favourite rooms. Aikwood Tower has all the grandeur and magic of a Scottish castle whilst providing a private and intimate wedding location. Being able to get married outdoors in the rose garden with the sun shining was the highlight of their day.
The ceremony was followed by champagne served in the great hall by the fire place. A delicious dinner was then provided by www.blackcherryscotland.co.uk . Ross and Cara got nothing but compliments on the venue and plan to return to celebrate their future anniversaries in style.
Sticking with their love of all things spicy, they are going on a 3 week tour of Thailand in November 2012 and plan to stay at Boon Lott’s elephant sanctuary in Sukhothai.
Very many thanks to Nigel Darling for the photos. www.nigeldarlingphotography.co.uk
If you are getting married in a rural location and are worried that your guests might have trouble finding their way, then why not look at this idea from www.englandsigns.co.uk
Lovely couple Will and Clare who got married last weekend at Hoscote ordered several personalised road signs which they placed at various points up the remote Roberton Valley near Hawick.
Will and Clare’s personalised road sign
We loved the ‘you made it’ sign which was placed outside the main gates at Hoscote.
- You made it!
At just over £20 per sign, we think they are great value for money, clear and fun!
Mellerstain House has been visited over the years by many international names and distinguished guests, and on Saturday 26 May 2012, under Saltire-blue skies, Ingrid and Alan joined that illustrious list. Happily, the sun shone for their multi-cultural wedding. Ingrid was born and brought up in Norway and Alan is from the Scottish Borders.
The couple divide their time between the two countries, but decided to marry in the beautiful Scottish Borders where they have a holiday home.
The pretty church of the small village of Lilliesleaf was the setting for their ceremony.
Ingrid, who had stayed in the magnificent four poster suite at Mellerstain the night before, arrived in style in a white Jaguar (available from www.bordersvintageexperience.co.uk) looking utterly fabulous in a lace dress with a tiara and floor length veil.
Immaculate and understated make-up was courtesy of Jody at www.bowenthomson.co.uk.
Following Norwegian tradition, Alan chose the bouquet for Ingrid, with Get Knotted creating a relaxed, hand-tied arrangement in a pale pink, lilac and cream colour scheme which included peonies, roses and freesias.
Wedding photography was courtesy of Lloyd Smith (www.aikmansmithphotography.com) based in Melrose, with some fantastic shots including some taken at iconic Borders viewpoints like Scott’s View (below) as the couple made their way back to the reception at Mellerstain House.
The drinks reception was held in the magnificent gardens at Mellerstain on what was (still!) certainly the most beautiful day of the year, a great setting for the delicious canapes and refreshing Pimms served by Gill Orde in Catering. During the drinks reception guests enjoyed a mini-tour of this fascinating house, followed by a three course dinner in the splendidly period Music Room.
Get Knotted decorated the dining tables with silver candelabra set in luxurious wreaths of flowers.
During the planning stages leading to Ingrid and Alan’s wedding, it was interesting to learn that speeches are a very big part of Norwegian wedding celebrations. Ingrid and Alan decided to incorporate several during their wedding dinner and afterwards, after a break, the speeches continued downstairs in the gallery, where traditional Norwegian wedding cakes that had been brought by wedding guests were also much enjoyed!
The evening of festivities was brought to a rousing close with music by Colin Train and his band The Fabulous Shire Boys
We were delighted to see another lovely couple embark on married life, and we wish Alan and Ingrid every happiness together
Well, June has completely failed to ‘bust out all over’, unless you count the seemingly inexhaustible cloudbursts. With all this watery weather, your wedding may be a little squelchy underfoot. But fear not, you can still step out in style. These glamorous galoshes from Weddington Boots will avoid that Farmer Giles look as you daintily dodge the downpours. Perfect for a waterproof wedding, they’re sufficiently stylish that you’ll also want to make use of them after the big day!
These Boots Are Made For Weddings
There are two designs to choose from, the Catherine Boot – inspired by Catherine Middleton’s love of knee-high boots – with its pearlescent finish, cream satin ribbon and a heel to boot (sorry!) .
Or, the Classic Boot with corset lace-up detail and a cow-girl twist (perfect for that barn wedding).
And if you want to take things one step beyond, then Weddington Boots can also be personalised with a different coloured ribbon to match your wedding colour scheme. You can even opt for a bespoke diamonte service! They’re wellies, Jim, but not as you knew them! See the Weddington website for further details. The boots retail at £49.99 for the Catherine Boot and £39.99 for the Classic Boot.
Could a bride ever look more bootilicious? If you’ve had any personal experience with your own Weddingtons, let me know in the comments section – better still, send me a photo!
Once a bouquet sells, I obviously remove it from my shop(s) and I’ve realised it seems a bit of a shame (to me if no-one else!) that it’s not ‘around’ any more – apart from anything else, I need to be able to let you see the sorts of brooch bouquets I produce. So, I have decided to ‘archive’ some of my favourites with their own page here on Get Knotted, as they set off on their travels to their new homes. Beginning with this little Scottish number.
As ever, feel free to share the pics with your friends.
“Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!”
Well, what an amazing first quarter it’s been for my new venture into vintage bridal bouquets! It has been really heart-warmimg to have had such a lovely response, and surprising too – I’ve shipped my vintage brooch bouquets all over the place, including Vietnam, the U.S., Italy and Germany. I didn’t expect to ‘go global’ quite so soon! Huge thanks to all the brides who have given a home to one of my bouquets, it’s lovely to think of them off out there in the world.
The Vintage Bridal Bouquet Etsy shop now has a whole fresh batch for you to choose from, with more coming soon (follow along on my brooch bouquet blog (handy if you use Tumblr), check in on the brooch bouquet page on Facebook, or keep an eye on my Twitter or Pinterest streams – I’ll be adding each new bouquet to all those as they are ‘born’, so pick whichever kind of update suits you – and let me know what you think of them, I’d love more feedback.
The brooch bouquet trend is gaining ever more fans and it was really flattering to be featured in the “Let’s Get Hitched” supplement that comes with the latest edition of Mollie Makes magazine, for lovers of all things handmade. The duck-egg blue number pictured in the article is still available in my Etsy shop – grab it while you can!
Is 2012 the year you are hoping your man will propose? Fed up of waiting for him to pop the question? This year you are in luck!
Old legends and history tell us that St Bridget struck a deal with St Patrick to change proposals around, allowing women to propose to men every four years; 29th February! It is said that this was to introduce a balance in the roles of both men and women, similar to how a Leap Day balances out the calendar.
So girls, now you have a proposal on your mind, how are you going to do it? Here are a few ideas:
If you want to make a big proposal get together with your friends or family, cook your man’s favourite meal or book a fancy restaurant and scatter the table with some beautiful natural petals to set the ambience. After enjoying a wonderful meal, make a dessert and write “will you marry me” around the dessert plate with chocolate – how romantic.
If you would prefer to make the proposal alone, go for a nice walk to calm your nerves, open a bottle of wine when you get home handing your man an envelope. Set him some tasks to follow to eventually find a ring or message of proposal by asking him to follow a petal path to find clues.
For a more traditional proposal set out a bed of natural petal confetti for you to kneel on and pop the question down on one knee.
Years ago in many countries it was dictated that if a man should refuse a woman’s proposal on February 29th he has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. This was so the woman could hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. Other traditions dictate that men refusing were expected to pay a penalty such as a gown or money. If only those traditions still existed!
Get your petals ready now, in time for the 29th. Shropshire Petals have a large range of petals for you to choose from, pick and mix online to create your own unique mix of your and your partners’ favourite colours, to make your proposal even more special and memorable.
The Vintage Wedding Fair Spring 2012 is the place to go if you are want inspiration for your wedding this year. Get Knotted is pleased to announce that we will be out on the road this spring at these exciting events in Harrogate, Chester, Leamington Spa and London with our new range of vintage bridal bouquets.
The events are the brainchild of Keeley Harris, who is an expert on all things vintage and who established Discover Vintage to promote fairs across the north of England in 2009 selling everything from quality clothes, shoes, handbags, jewellery, homeware and furniture. Keeley also has a wonderful emporium in York.
After success with her first fairs, Keeley decided to launch a specialist wedding fair so that brides who love the look can find everything for their special day including: more than 400 wedding dresses; antique lace; 30’s and 40’s lingerie; classic suits; jewellery; hair and make up advice; cars; specialist entertainment; cakes; floral displays and decorations. We’re really looking forward to meeting some of the makers of these wonderful things.
The new brooch bouquets should provide a fitting addition to your vintage-inspired or influenced wedding day – this is their first outing to a fair so it will be fun to see what people think. Here’s a sneak preview of a couple of new designs that we’ve just created.
There’ll be lots of colour, as well as traditional ivory favourites, and they are all packed with drop-dead gorgeous pieces of jewellery, beads, buttons, feathers, lace and more.
No two bouquets are ever the same and each one takes many hours to create. You’ll certainly stand out from the crowd. Even better, you can keep them forever to pass on to the next generation!
The fairs are open from 11am – 4pm and the first one is in Harrogate on Sunday 19 February at The George Hotel. We’ll also be at:
– Chester Guildhall on Sunday 11 March
– The Assembly, Leamington Spa on Sunday 25 March
– Chiswick Town Hall on Sunday 13 May
For further information, check out The Vintage Wedding Fair website. Look forward to seeing you there!
GET IN TOUCH
Want to ask us anything? Give us a call on or email info@get-knotted.net.