Real Wedding – Catherine & Andrew Lee – 21st June 2022
We had the absolute pleasure of hosting this Aussie/Scottish wedding at Kinkell in June! They booked Kinkell over zoom call and only saw the venue in person on their set up day! Their day was filled with sunshine and dancing and some gorgeous food by Lazy Sunday Catering. If you want to hear more about their story and their day, read below!
How did you guys meet?
At a gin bar in Sydney, Australia, after swiping right on a dating app. We met on a Tuesday night and ended up marrying on a Tuesday, recreating the gin bar at our reception!
What first attracted you to Kinkell Byre? And what made you decide that it would be perfect for your special day?
Andy is from Scotland and given he lives so far away (in Cat’s hometown of sunny Queensland, Australia), we wanted his whole family to be a part of the day. Andy’s sister in law recommended the venue to us and we both immediately loved its rustic charm and incredible views. We knew it was perfect as soon as we connected with the Kinkell team who made everything so easy from day one.
Tell us a little bit about planning your wedding? What inspired you to pick all the things
that you did and what was most important to you both?
We live in Australia so we planned our wedding from afar. We actually only saw the venue in person the day before! So it was important to us to choose a venue that made our life easy whilst also feeling like us. We loved the relaxed, charming atmosphere, with everything in one place, that Kinkell provided. Rather than a wedding with all the bells and whistles, we wanted to invest in the things that really mattered to us. So, we prioritised the catering as a larger expense, designing a bespoke menu that was meaningful to us.
We used Kinkell’s recommended supplier list, finding that the quality and professionalism of the suppliers made planning easier and more enjoyable and the suppliers we chose reflected the relaxed vibe we wanted to create.
What did you both enjoy planning?
Some couples find planning their wedding highly stressful but we can honestly say we really enjoyed the process. We enjoyed focusing on adding personal touches from writing our own vows to getting creative with our table names, the wedding playlist and designing our own menu and gin station.
Tell us about your day?
The day was even better than we imagined – cliche but true. We got married on the summer solstice which also happened to be Cat and Andy’s mum’s birthdays. The weather was glorious so we were able to really do the Kinkell Byre justice, with drinks and canapes in the orchard and incredible sunset drinks overlooking the water.
But mainly, we just had so much fun and everything went to plan with the venue and suppliers being so awesome, allowing us to just focus on the day, our guests and each other.
What made it so special?
The relationships with our friends and family are what really matters to us. Just being able to get together with loved ones after so long felt pretty special, and it was actually Cat’s first time meeting most of Andy’s extended family and friends. We were able to involve some of our guests on the day. One of Andy’s closest friends sang as Cat walked down the aisle, Andy’s sister was our celebrant and his brother was our MC.
Our one year old daughter Sienna also partied with us until the wee hours (she had FOMO and wouldn’t go to sleep). It was so special to share the day with her and we’re looking forward to reliving it with her for many years to come.
What was your favourite part of the day?
That’s way too hard to answer, there were so many highlights. Andy really enjoyed the drinks reception and photos, all being in the orchard at the same time, which meant we could mill around and spend time with guests. Cat loved being outside for sunset drinks (and the fact that the sun didn’t set until 10.30pm) and experiencing her first ceilidh dance (oops that’s two favourites).
What advice do you have for other couples planning their wedding?
Don’t feel that you have to follow all the conventions or traditions just because. Personally, we didn’t feel our wedding was lacking by not organising wedding favours and an enormous, intricate cake. Focus on what matters to you and hopefully that will help you enjoy the process more.
How is married life treating you?
Great thank you! Cat is still enjoying the novelty of saying “my husband” and Andy’s ring no longer feels like a foreign object. In all seriousness, it was so special to celebrate our commitment to one another and to now continue our life together as husband and wife.
Supplier Shout Out
Photographer – Duke Studios
Bar – Event Bars St Andrews
Lighting- i-Light
Accommodation – Morton of Pitmilly
Band – Corra
Catering – Lazy Sunday Catering
Florist – Betty Bluebell
Make-up & Hair – Sophie Alexis Makeup