Real Wedding – Bridget & Colin Hughes – 31st August 2022

We hosted this amazing couples wedding back in August 2022. They really put their vision together to create such a wonderful set up for their wedding. They had the amazing stylists from Gloam create a stunning atmosphere in the dining area and Bridget even arrived to the wedding in a stunning emerald green wedding dress, everything about this wedding was perfect!

You can read a bit more about their story below…

Firstly a little bit about you..
How did you two meet?

Our first meeting nearly didn’t happen. Whilst living in London, Bridget had worked alongside (and adored) Colin’s sister, Laura and was later invited to Laura’s wedding in Brazil. But flights were expensive. After a year of humming & hawing – a week before the wedding Bridget threw caution (and her credit card) to the wind and booked a flight without accommodation or plans.

Luckily, the Hughes family immediately took her in to stay with them and upon finally meeting Colin for the first time (after having heard about him for ages), Bridget flung herself into his arms, announced that they had been dating for years without his knowledge- which he happily went right along with- and thus began an epically romantic weekend-long first date in Brazil, filled with adventure, caipirinhas and zoos. They stayed long-distance for two years before Colin picked up and moved to New York in 2013.

Where did you get engaged?

We got engaged on New Years Eve, 2018 in a little AirBnB on a farm in the Scottish Bordertown of Kelso.

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?

Given that we wanted this moment to be a gathering of families from across many localities, we wanted to find a place that would have easy
accommodation for our families, where we could all be in the same place for a few days. Colin’s family had stayed at the Morton of Pitmilly countryside resort before, and we thought it would be an idyllic venue to be together with our guests. But we knew we wanted to find a venue nearby to put our own stamp on, a venue that would allow us to be fully ourselves on the day. It was just serendipity that our perfect venue was so closely located to Pitmilly. We knew immediately that Kinkell Byre was our dream, and we never looked back.

Tell us a little bit about planning your wedding. Where did you start?

Ah, which time? Our wedding was first planned for July 2020, and obviously, that was not possible. And in the meantime, as the wedding was on and off again for the next two years, Colin and I went and had a baby – and I would say wedding planning was the furthest thing from our mind.

While we had done most of the work on vendors in 2019, we did most of our final planning from July 2022 – and there is nothing like a pandemic and a baby to keep everything in perspective – so it actually meant that we only focused on the things that would really bring us joy, the music, the food and the memories we would make with family.

How did you decide on a colour theme or style?

Bridget’s dress was emerald green – so this was our hero color from the start, and we built out from there knowing that we wanted a moody, magical and nod to Fall kind of wedding.

Where did you find your suppliers?

We looked through recommendations on Kinkell Byre’s website and scoured Instagram for other weddings to get inspiration / see who their suppliers were. In our experience, there is no higher quality, kinder or more talented bunch of wedding suppliers than in Scotland. Particularly through all the re- bookings and a challenging time for vendors through the pandemic, everyone remained so wonderfully communicative, flexible and kind. They made our experience truly unforgettable, and we feel like we made some friends for life. Genuinely so grateful to all of them.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you about before about planning a barn wedding?

No, we knew what we were getting into and it was totally worth it!

Was there anything that was really important to you both to have?

A big dancefloor and epic music! Whiskey Kiss totally delivered.

The Big Day!
Tell us about your wedding day, what are your highlights and favourite memories?

The sun shone upon us for a truly magical day. We couldn’t possibly choose. We put a huge amount of effort into making the day meaningful for us, and it felt special in all the ways we hoped it would. Having our families together just meant the world.

Have you any advice for other couples that are planning their wedding?

Don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff!

How is married life treating you?
Wonderful. We are so grateful that Kinkell was the spot for such an important part of our story.

Supplier shout outs:

Photographer – Neil Thomas Douglas
Cinematography – Cinemate
(You can watch their Wedding Video here)
Styling & Flowers – Gloam
Wedding Car – “The Regal” Chauffers of Carnoustie
Band – Whiskey Kiss
Celebrant – Cate Reid
Catering – Lazy Sunday
Drink –  Event Bars St. Andrews 
Tables – Virginia’s Vintage Hire
Hair & Makeup – Sophie White
Lighting – Stephen iLight
Photobooth– Photobooth Deluxe
Accommodation – Morton of Pitmilly