Real Wedding – Kirstie & Euan Gibson – 20th July 2023

The fabulous Kirstie & Euan tied the knot at Kinkell back in the Summer. They had a ‘Camp America’ themed wedding as this is the place where they met! If you want to find out a bit more about their journey with us, then continue reading!

Firstly a little bit about you..

How did you two meet?

We met when we were working together at a summer camp in America in 2016. But we were both actually from Edinburgh. Small world!

Where did you get engaged?

On a walk at our favourite beach in Gullane with our puppy Harley running around beside us!

Finding your venue and planning the wedding

What was it that first attracted you to Kinkell?

We knew we wanted a to get married somewhere rustic. We saw Kinkell online and knew we had to go and see it. As soon as we saw it we fell in love. It was actually the first venue we saw but nothing else after could compare.

Was there something that stood out when you knew it would be the perfect place for your special day?

The ceremony room – we were blown away by the gorgeous canopy lights and we could immediately see ourselves standing there. We also loved the outside space and being able to look out over the water.

Tell us a little bit about planning your wedding. Where did you start? Well I am SUCH an organiser so this was the dream… I’m a planner so I had a huge spreadsheet from day one! We got engaged in June 2021 and knew we wanted some time to plan and save! Our first decision was the venue though – we wanted to find the perfect place to say I do.

How did you decide on a colour theme or style?

We met at YMCA camp letts in Maryland and we knew it had to play a part in our wedding day as it was the place that started our story. We decided to name all our tables after places at camp and lots of décor and photos were from there too. We also wanted something natural that fitted with the rustic style of Kinkell and because it is so beautiful on it’s own we knew it didn’t need lots of fuss! We went with sage greens for the bridesmaids and then blush pink and oranges for the flowers with greenery to bring some colour!

Where did you find your suppliers?

The supplier list from Kinkell was super helpful but also from looking on Instagram and reading lots of reviews/looking at all their past work! Do your research!!

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

Kinkell gives you freedom to have any kind of day you want so try not get overwhelmed by all the decisions you have to make! Take it one at a time. Think about what is most important to you both and plan your budget accordingly.

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

The personal touches. We made lots/most of our own décor and it was amazing on the day to see all of our hard work come together. Our family and friends were all involved too. My dad made our arch and photo stands and Euans dad made our cake stand and order of the day.

We also had a pupil I used to teach playing bagpipes and one of our best friends on the piano. Our favourite people being present around the venue – all the people who are part of our story. We had photos everywhere and it was so nice to see everyone spotting themselves in all the decorations and at their place settings. We had a special memory table too for those not with us and a bottle of whiskey for people to raise a toast.

Also… FOOD… we had an ice cream cart and sweetie truck for our drinks reception – our favourite sweet treats. We chose one of our local favourites in Edinburgh to make our cake and it was amazing we had cupcakes and empire biscuits too. Gourlay provided the perfect meal served family style which is how we ate at camp. Finally we had pizza geeks on the evening food which went down so well – everyone loved it!

The photos. We wanted someone who would capture our day so naturally with candid shots and that’s exactly what we got with Lewis. His style is perfect and we loved them all!

The Big Day!

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

Aaaaaah so many! It truly was the most incredible day every. We loved the ceremony. Our humanist, Gary Smith, told our story so wonderfully and we had so much fun sharing it with everyone. Some of my friends from school read a poem they had written themselves and it was so perfect. We actually really enjoyed going off to get our couple photos too as our photographers were so chill and fun and it gave us time to catch up and have a moment on our own after the ceremony. Also the speeches. Our ‘traditional’ jelly shots went down a treat and our friends and family’s words were incredible. We had a half hour ceilidh set in the evening which was SO fun. Our friends picking us up and all dancing together at the end of the night was something we will always remember. But genuinely, every single minute!

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

Everyone said this to us but honestly it will FLY by so try take a second to enjoy each part of the day. Make sure you really like every supplier you book – there is so much choice but find someone that works for you. Don’t worry about tradition or what anyone else thinks and just do what you both want! Enjoy the build up and book a little trip/staycation straight after so you don’t have to leave the wedding bubble straight away!

How is married life treating you?

It has been amazing. We are loving married life and having the same name even if I do keep forgetting it!! We have loved looking back at all our photos and our video remembering our special day. It’s been so nice to catch up with our friends and families and talk about the day too. We’ve booked our honeymoon now so we are looking forward to our first trip as husband and wife! Thanks for everything Kinkell x

Suppliers

Photographer – Lewis Macmichael

Catering: Gourlay

Dry Bouquets: To a mountain daisy

Sweet Truck: The Treat Plug

Ice Cream Cart: Karens ice cream cart

Dress: Emma Roy of Edinburgh

Humanist: Gary Smith

Videographer: Memories By Movie

Cake: The Pastry Section

Make up : Kirsty Suttie

Prop hire: The Cheeky Hound