Real Wedding – Alice & Jordan Chappell – 3rd May 2025
From meeting as graduates to a dreamy Kingsbarns Beach proposal, Alice and Jordan’s journey to the aisle has been full of love and laughter. Planning from Manchester, they instantly knew Kinkell Byre was “the one” thanks to its stunning views and warm, rustic charm. Their spring celebration was full of personal touches including their much loved dog, a surprise magician, and plenty of unforgettable moments. Here’s a glimpse into their beautiful wedding day!
Firstly a little bit about you..
How did you two meet?
We met at work when we were both graduates, we worked together for over a year before we started dating but have been inseparable every since!
Where did you get engaged?
Kingsbarns Beach – it was a beautiful morning and we were on a dog walk. Our family met us on the beach afterwards with pastries and cakes from Fisher and Donaldson and some champagne to celebrate, it was perfect!
Finding your venue and planning the wedding
What was it that first attracted you to Kinkell? Was there something that stood out when you knew it would be the perfect place for your special day?
We knew we wanted to get married in St Andrews because it’s such a special place for my (Alice’s) family and since we’ve been together we have had so many happy memories there. We were researching different venues around St Andrews and as soon as we came across Kinkell Byre we both loved it!
As soon as we visited the venue we knew it was the one, the amazing views on the drive up and how special and atmospheric it looks inside with the lighting and décor – it was perfect!
Tell us a little bit about planning your wedding. Where did you start?
We picked the venue first and then did some research regarding different suppliers to get an idea of the total cost and what would be realistic.
We booked the core things like venue, catering, celebrant and music first and then followed up with photographer, videographer, styling, florist etc. I had thought we had everything sorted until Jordan surprised me by booking a magician (Jack Bryce) last minute – turned out to be an excellent addition and definitely added to the fun on the day!
How did you decide on a colour theme or style?
This seemed to happen quite naturally. Given the rustic barn setting and the fact we were getting married late spring, we seemed to quite naturally arrive at a spring, pastel colour theme for the flowers / bridesmaid dresses. I didn’t start with any set colours but everything seemed to just tie together well as we chose different options.
Where did you find your suppliers?
We started with the preferred supplier list on the website and also looked on Kinkell Byre’s Instagram to see which weddings fit our vibe and which suppliers they had used. From there it was mostly a mixture of the two with some other suppliers found from related posts / tags etc. We live in Manchester so not being local we heavily relied on recommendations / reviews and images of suppliers work to get everything booked.
Is there anything you wish someone had told you about before about planning a barn wedding?
I felt a little overwhelmed at all the different possibilities and the fact that you couldn’t see everything together until the day itself. However, the staff at Kinkell and the suppliers were so amazing, I needn’t have worried! Amy Annand Flowers and Elaine from Fifty Six Events have worked together multiple times, and both have lots of experience at Kinkell so after understanding the vibe and look we were going for, they were able to advise what works well and made everything look incredible. Sophie and Claire were so helpful in the coordination and planning on the lead up to the wedding and the day itself, everything felt so relaxed and well organised.
I was blown away when all the set up was done and seeing everything all together was quite surreal – everything surpassed my expectations!
Was there anything that was really important to you both to have?
We really wanted our dog there for at least part of the day. We knew it might be a little hectic but he’s such a big part of our life it didn’t feel right that he wasn’t part of our big day – huge thank you to Pets on the Beach for bringing him and looking after him for the rest of the day / weekend!
The Big Day!
Tell us about your wedding day, what are your highlights and favourite memories?
It’s so hard to pick a particular memory as it was amazing from start to finish, just having everyone we love all together in one room and celebrating with us felt so incredible. I didn’t stop smiling all day. I think Jordan responding with ‘absolutely’ instead of ‘I do’ is definitely something we will laugh about for a long time.
Also being piped into the reception room with everyone cheering was so much fun and then the ‘50p’ game that Jordan and his brother did before the speeches was a lot of fun and definitely got everyone talking before the meal.
Have you any advice for other couples that are planning their wedding?
I would say be organised but don’t panic! All the vendors are so helpful and talented and the team at Kinkell will make sure you haven’t missed anything and that everything runs smoothly.
I would also advise to pick a key person from either side of the wedding party to deal with anything on the day (e.g. coordinating group photos, looking after bags / flowers etc). The day goes by so quickly and it helps to have a couple of other people who know what you need and when.
How is married life treating you?
Married life has been amazing so far! We definitely had the post wedding blues after such an incredible weekend but have done lots of lovely things since the wedding and have a big trip to Peru planned for the end of the year for our honeymoon (just an excuse to continue the celebrations for as long as possible really).
Supplier shout outs:
Photographer – Joanne Clenaghan
Celebrant – Yvonne Hannah
Band – The Rox
Decor and Styling – Fifty Six Events
Florist – Amy Annand Flowers
Videographer – Vivid Digital
Catering – Gourlay
Cake – Krema Bakehouse
Piper – Paul Donaldson
Makeup – Annabel Bain
Hair – Bespoke Bridal Hair by Robyn
Dress- Stella York
