Rachel & Jamie's Wedding Story
How did you meet?
By pure chance! We were both out with our own groups of friends in Edinburgh one night, and happened to visit the same bar at the same time. We were really lucky to meet each other, as that chance-meet might never have happened.
How did you come to choose us as your venue?
We live in Edinburgh, and were originally looking at venues within the city. However, as Jamie has family in Peebles and Innerleithen, we decided to view the Hydro and instantly loved it. The country setting really sold it for us, but we also liked the relaxed atmosphere and the space on offer at the venue. It was the first place we saw where we could actually picture having our wedding day there. The Wedding Coordinator was also super friendly and helpful, and we felt confident the Hydro would make the day special for us.
How did you choose your colour scheme?
It was all based on Jamie’s kilt! Jamie had his own kilt made from the McGregor Hunting tartan, and then we used the main colour from that, maroon, and added in plum and pink colours to brighten the colour scheme for a spring wedding.
Where did you get your dress from, and how did you choose it?
I got my dress from Gwenne Edinburgh Bridal Shop. It is a Margarett Eviva dress, and I just fell in love with it right away. My mum and sister helped me choose it, and we found it in the second wedding dress shop we went to, and decided we didn’t need to look any further. We also got my bridesmaids dresses from their sister shop, Gwenne Broxburn.
What was your favourite part of the day?
Rachel: I have lots of favourite parts! The ceremony was probably my favourite, as it was beautiful and we had included lots of personal touches: we had involved several friends by asking them to do a reading for us, one of my bridesmaids played the piano while we were signing the register, and we had a handfasting ceremony.
Jamie: Our reception was fantastic! Filling that huge Ballroom with all of our family and friends, who had a wonderful evening dancing, and having fun. We were privileged to have my friend’s band (Band of Gold) play our reception, and they played a fantastic set, including the obligatory ceilidh, which had everyone up and dancing.
Would you ever have trusted the groom to organise the whole thing – ‘Don’t Tell the Bride’ style?
No! Not only because I would not have liked facing the unknown on our wedding day, but I also really enjoyed organising our wedding. It was fun picking things like our cake, flowers and menu together.
What made you choose May to get married?
We both wanted a spring wedding, and when we realised the 6th May was a Saturday, there was no other choice; it had to be that day, since it would mark exactly our 4 year anniversary since we started dating. We were really pleased we chose this date, as we were very lucky with the weather on our wedding day, and the beautiful cherry blossom in the Hydro gardens made for some fantastic wedding photos.
How did you feel on the wedding morning?
Nervous-excited, but mainly excited. I am told Jamie was pacing the ceremony room with a bottle of Irn Bru before the ceremony started!
What song did you choose for your first dance?
For our first dance we chose “Heaven” by Bryan Adams. We saw Bryan Adams in concert the year before, and liked the song. Our band learnt how to play it especially for us, and did a great job.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
The whole day was amazing. Nothing went wrong, and even the weather couldn’t have been better! We wouldn’t want to change a thing about the day, and can not thank the Hydro team enough for their help in creating our perfect day.
