Angus + Sabrina
Saturday 4th July 2020 | Dunbars Close, Edinburgh
Guests: 4 | Photos: Lina Hayes
@lowerdepths_ + @arcticsabrina | www.arcticsabrina.com
- Something Old: My engagement ring is originally my mother’s. She never wore it and she gave it to Angus before we got engaged
- Something New: My dress
- Something Borrowed: I wore an old mother of pearl hair comb that belongs to my mom - she had to send it over from Canada!
- Something Blue: A few blue flowers in my bouquet
Tell us about the venue...
We had a registrars wedding, which was supposed to take place at Edinburgh City Chambers. It’s a beautiful old building right across from St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile - in the heart of Old Town. For us, it was the perfect location. I had to hold back tears the whole time we viewed it because it just felt so right. And then… coronavirus! Our date come and went while we were in lockdown. After the Scottish Government announced that they would allow weddings outside only, City Chambers moved their venue down the Royal Mile to a public garden down Dunbars Close. We didn’t choose it, but it was still perfect! A stunning location - and the rain held off all day.
Wedding must-have: Flowers: specifically, a bouquet. 110%. I wasn’t too fussed about the bouquet to begin with, it seemed like one of those things I had to get because it’s what all brides do! While I was wedding planning I read somewhere that the bouquet is what makes you feel like a bride, and that couldn’t be more true. I loved my bouquet. It made me want to hold one every day. Mine was from Narcissus Flowers in Edinburgh, they do both these fantastic wild-style bouquets as well as traditional wedding styles. I opted for "a slightly wild style with purple and baby’s breath and maybe some yellow” and they put together the most beautiful bouquet! Afterwards I dried it and kept it, it still means a lot to me.
Were there any surprises on the day?
We didn’t have a ton planned for the day, so I didn’t think anything could surprise me. It wasn’t until we were walking up the Royal Mile that I thought “I hope I run into someone I know!” I hadn’t actually told many people we were getting married that day, I wanted it to be a surprise. But, the Royal Mile is a popular spot and I thought maybe, just maybe, we’d get lucky and run into friends. And we did. They were so shocked and a bit embarrassed to be crashing our wedding shoot, but it was so funny! Absolutely the best surprise.
Tell us about your wedding cake...
Since our wedding date got moved we didn’t actually know when we were getting married until two weeks before. It left minimal time to organise a cake. Since there were only six of us in total (another stipulation of getting married as lockdown eased) we didn’t need a big cake. Luckily, a favourite Edinburgh cafe of mine, The Pastry Section, took us on and made us a cake! They were fantastic. In a few Instagram DMs they knew exactly what I wanted, and made us a beautiful cake topped with a ring of flowers that matched my bouquet. We picked bramble and pistachio with a cream cheese icing and it was perfect! Angus doesn’t like chocolate and I don’t like white chocolate, so it was great that we got a special flavour we both loved. Since it was so last minute we thought we’d have to make some extra compromises on the cake, but that wasn’t the case at all!
What was the most emotional moment of the day?
We were Facebook Live-ing the ceremony to family and friends who couldn’t make it, and when we read our vows we had tears flowing from Edinburgh right over to Northern Canada! Angus and I held it together (barely), but both of our sisters cried on our behalf.
What was your first dance song?
We didn’t get to have a first dance since receptions were off the table at the time. We did, however, have a dance at home before we left. I played Old Soul by Hudson Taylor on our Google Home and we slow danced as a last thing to do before we left for our wedding. It was really special.
Did you make any Wedding DIYs?
My dress was a bit of a DIY. One of the main questions you get as a bride is ‘where did you get your dress?!’ And my answer is a bit confusing… I originally bought a slip style bridesmaid dress in ivory from BHLDN, as a back up just in case I couldn’t find something vintage that I liked in Edinburgh. Then lockdown came and I couldn’t look for any dresses, so I had to wear it! It would have been fine if we were getting married at City Chambers as planned, but our ceremony got moved outdoors. Further to that, the top didn’t fit me quite right, but all the seamstresses were closed. So, I ordered a white v-neck jumper from Zara and wore it backwards with a belt tucked under so it looked like part of the dress. I was surprisingly really pleased with the final look and I’ve had so many compliments on it!
Who is your favourite celebrity bride?
I don’t have a wedding that sticks out in my memory, but just before I got engaged a friend of mine shared a photo of Billie Piper on her wedding day and said something like “if I was ever to have another wedding I would absolutely recreate this look” and that’s what got me thinking about wearing a slip dress! While I love the classic, traditional styles you see at Royal Weddings, or the over-the-top mermaid or princess dresses on Say Yes To The Dress, neither suited me or the wedding we had planned, but the slip dress was perfect!
What was your wedding budget – and did you stick to it?
We didn’t set a strict overall budget because we knew we’d have it under 5K no matter what, since we were planning a registrar wedding. But, for each expense we had: outfits, rings, venue, reception meal, we set a budget for just so that we didn’t end up spending more than we were happy with. We stuck to it because once we talked about it, if I saw something more expensive that I liked it didn’t really matter because I knew I wouldn’t be happy with the expense of it.
Top money saving tip: Have a registrars wedding!
I’m joking of course, though it definitely helps. My biggest tip for money saving is to trust that you will find something that you love within your budget. Especially when it comes to dresses and jewellery. I tend to get my heart set on something once I see it and love it - so budgeting was a huge help in avoiding that. It motivated me to keep looking. There’s so much out there nowadays that you’ll be able to find something else that you love just as much, and you’ll be extra glad you didn’t overspend on the first thing you loved.
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Tell us about your wedding favours...
We wanted to give just a little something to our family for coming, so one night we baked shortbread together and wrapped it up to give to them after the wedding.
Funniest wedding photograph?
The ceremony was in a garden after two weeks of rain. While there was a little veranda covering in case it rained, the ground was really soggy. And I was in heels. After the ceremony ended, one of the members of City Chambers organising the event ran over to help me get the muck off the bottom of my heel, and it was right at this moment that our photographer arrived! Our photographer couldn’t get ready with us or attend our ceremony due to covid, so instead we met afterwards and walked around Old Town while we did our photoshoot.
Venue: Edinburgh City Chambers, at Dunbar’s Close
Photographer: Lina Hayes Photography
Stationery: Papier
Florist: Narcissus Flowers
Cake: The Pastry Section
Shoes: ALDO
Rings: Bar Jewellery (bride) and Angus’s was one of his father’s family rings
From Brides, With Love xo
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