Real Wedding – Jennifer & Gareth Dobson – 3rd June 2023

We had the lovely Jen & Gareths wedding at the byre back in June and what a day it was!! We had sunshine and even a visit from some alpacas during the drinks reception! Their day was so beautiful and they have took the time to tell you all about it below!

Firstly a little bit about you..

How did you two meet?

We met on a G Adventures tour of the West Coast of the US. Our first date was at Santa Monica Pier (where we returned to for our honeymoon!) after a week of getting to know one another. How can you not fall in love during 4-hour hungover bus transfers after a messy night out in Vegas?

Where did you get engaged?

We got engaged during a holiday in Dubai – Jen had just sat her final Chartered Accountancy exam, so Gareth waited until the perfect moment. After proposing we went on a Thai longboat around The Palm, and dinner on the beach.

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 Scotland where Jen is from so Gareth had an excuse to wear a kilt, being from Wales.

We also wanted somewhere that was exclusive use to make it as bespoke as possible – we were keen to not have a traditional wedding with sit down meal and changeovers. Kinkell Byre seemed to tick all those boxes and more – it ended up being the only venue we visited on a cold January in 2020 (eek!), but the sky was perfectly blue and the view stunning. We booked that day!

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

We had locked down that we wanted a street food style of catering around the same time of booking, which helped lead us to Kinkell.

Kinkell then led onto a lot of other suppliers who had already done weddings at the byre (Fifty Six Events, Go2 Event Hire, Stucio & Waow). This gave us so much confidence on the day as these people knew the venue inside out.

Shortly after booking the venue Jen visited the Scottish Wedding Show which resulted in two extra furry guests called Little Bear and Annie coming along (Alpaca Trekking Centre).

How did you decide on a colour theme or style?

We found a stationary set on Etsy that Jen loved, that then inspired the florals and décor. Fifty Six Events and Stucio & Waow encouraged us to look on Pinterest to build together ideas that we liked. It was as if the stationary was brought to life, all the colours were perfect.

I would recommend getting a Canva subscription and finding out the hex code to keep things really consistent.

Where did you find your suppliers?

Mostly through Kinkell Byre social media posts and recommendations.

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

Less is more and lighting is key! I-Light did a wonderful job on the day and emphasised the best parts of the venue.

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

Exclusive use – although photographers can do a great job of avoiding groups of tourists creeping into shot, we wanted a bubble of our closest friends and family.

The Big Day!

Tell us about your wedding day, what are your highlights and favourite memories?

All the catering was amazing – the grazing table was one of the first things people saw as they walked towards the ceremony room. It allowed us both to get plenty food after a busy morning and was so visual. We would recommend this over canapes any day. The street food by Regis also achieved this, and we got so many complements – we even managed to get many Welsh guests to give haggis a go!

We can’t talk about highlights without mentioning the alpacas. We had a few kids there on the day, but we know the adults enjoyed the cuddles and photos just as much.

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

Trust your suppliers, overfeed your guests and don’t be afraid to break the rules to ensure a happy day (we did a sweetheart table and first looks).

How is married life treating you?

Good thank you! We have just returned from our honeymoon where we went to Los Angeles (where we revisited Santa Monica) and Hawaii. We’re now looking forward to our first Christmas together as man and wife.

Supplier

Photographer- Rachel & Tonie Photography

Lighting – i-Light

Bar- Event Bars St Andrews

Décor – Fifty Six Events

Florist – Stucio & Waow

Catering – Regis Banqueting

Grazing Table – The Charming Olive

Make Up – Jenny Ross MUA

Hair – AMM Team

Alpacas – Alpaca Trekking Centre

Games – Go2 Events Hire