Real Wedding – Laura & Callum Whyte – 4th September 2021

Laura & Callum were lucky enough not to have postponed their wedding from the original date they booked. They put their all into making the venue their own with all their own decor that they collected over the 2 years. It was lovely to be a part of their day from their first showround to them tying the knot!

They have kindly answered a few questions about their wedding and have given some advice into planning a wedding at Kinkell.

How did you guys meet?

We had lots of the same friends for a long time and would occasionally be in the same company. We got chatting one night six years ago and the rest is history! 

What first attracted you to Kinkell Byre? And what made you decide that it would be perfect for your special day?

We had ruled out a hotel style wedding fairly quickly. We knew we were looking for something a bit different. After googling some nearby venues, we booked viewings at a couple of different barns in the area – Kinkell Byre was up first. On the drive from Dundee to St Andrews we promised we wouldn’t make any rash decisions but as soon as we arrived I had a feeling that would go out the window. Sophie was so welcoming and answered all of our questions. It was a Friday night and so the Byre was set up for a wedding the next day. We loved that you could see out to the sea from one side and the beautiful garden out the other side. The views are incredible. We knew we wanted somewhere that flowed really well and the big bar and reception area was a huge selling point for us. The reception area and the area where you sit for the meal are separated during the ceremony and drinks reception by hessian drapes. These are opened after the meal and guests can move from one area to another but aren’t cut off from each other. Lastly, the lighting! We had never seen anything like it. It creates the most magical atmosphere. We got back in the car after our visit and there was a minute or so before either of us spoke – neither one wanting to admit that we loved it. We cancelled all of our other bookings the next day. 

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? 

From the minute we got engaged (maybe a few months before that) I began saving images on Pinterest and Instagram. I saved everything I loved in the first instance and after a few months, I whittled them all down to common themes / themes that fit in with our venue. For the two years between booking the venue and our wedding day, I bought and collected all the things that we would need to style the venue. Our families all helped by collecting old coffee jars. We must’ve had well over 100 by the time the day rolled around. I bought old crates off Etsy. I bought candles every week in our weekly food shop. I would also highly recommend keeping an eye on the Blushing Brides Scotland Facebook page for people selling wedding bits. I bought 30 huge pillar candles off a lady a few weeks before the wedding. She had used them at her wedding, I used them at my wedding and one of my close friends is using them at her day soon too. We had also been to the venue quite a few times before our day and so we had seen the venue set up in loads of different ways. It gave us the opportunity to rule out what we liked and didn’t like. 

I definitely felt pressure to fill the space initially but the Byre is so beautiful as it is. I wanted that to be the focus. We decided to keep the décor simple and let the Byre and lighting do the talking. We spent the rest of our budget on our other priority areas – food, drinks and music. I was most nervous about all of my ideas coming together on the day but I was over the moon with how it turned out.

What did you both enjoy planning? 

Callum’s priority was the selection of beer and the reasonable prices. Once he’d established he was happy with that, the rest was down to me. I loved researching all of the suppliers. There are so many great businesses out there and every supplier we worked with was an absolute pro and did a great job. We had a tasting with our caterer, Gourlays, a few months before which was a great excuse to eat a lot of good food and we both agree that was our favourite wedding planning activity. 

Tell us about your day? 

It was an amazing blur from start to finish. It had been a long 18 months because of Covid. Whilst we were lucky enough not to have postponed our wedding, we had planned about 5 different versions over the day during the 9 months leading up to the wedding, never certain what restrictions would be in place on the day. This was the first time we’d been with all of our nearest and dearest for a long time. It was so lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves. Our ceremony was short and sweet. All of our guests commented on how lovely it was. Callum and I spent a quick 10 minutes just the two of us after the ceremony to have a drink and take a breath. I would highly recommend this to all couples! The drinks reception flew by and before we knew it, it was time to sit down for our meal. The food was amazing and, again, we had so many people comment on how great the service was and how tasty the food was. I remember taking a look around during our first dance and trying to soak it all in. After that, I committed myself to the dance floor for the rest of the night, dragging Callum up every now and again. We both had an incredible day and it went without a single hitch. 

What made it so special? 

As I’ve touched on, it had been a long time since we’d been with all our family and friends and a long time since we’d experienced any kind of normal social occasion. It would’ve been a special day any way but after a very strange 18 months, it felt like everyone was able to let their hair down and really enjoy themselves. Everything came together the way we had planned and there isn’t anything we would change.

What was your favourite part of the day?

This is tough! I really enjoyed the morning, getting ready with my bridesmaids’, my mum and Callum’s mum. The drinks reception was quite hectic between getting photos and trying to speak to each of our guests. Once the meal came around, we both felt like we could really relax and have fun.   

What advice do you have for other couples planning their wedding? 

It can be really easy to get swept up in it all and for the budget to go out of the window, which only leads to more stress further down the line. I would suggest making a list of the things that are non-negotiables and focussing on that. We tried to focus on the things that we would keep and the things our guest would remember. For example, we did a lot of research into our photographer (she is brilliant) but things like the guest book, welcome sign and other on-the-day props, we did as cheap as we could. We didn’t bother with favours or wedding programmes. Don’t feel obliged to do anything you don’t want to do just because you feel that tradition dictates you should. The beauty of Kinkell is that you can create a day that is exactly what you want, so definitely embrace that. We decided our money was better spent on the things that we, and our guests, would really remember, like the food and the music. 

How is married life treating you? 

It is true when they say nothing really changes. We have just today (1 November) got our photos back and it’s brought back all the excitement of the day. We’re both so glad we had the day we wanted. We look forward to popping into Kinkell in the future and for as long as they’ll let us!

Supplier Shout Out

Photographer – Photography by Emilie (@photographybyemiliegray) 

Bar – Event Bars St Andrews 

Lighting – Stephen Leslie 

Florist – Stucio & Waow (@stuciowaowflorist) 

Caterer – Gourlays

Humanist – Gary Smith  

Hair – Louise Watts (@hair_by_louisewatts) 

MUA – Jill Sime (@jillsimemakeupartist) 

Dress – Savin London (@savinlondon) from Eleganza Sposa (@eleganzasposa_) 

Bridal party car – Chauffeurs of Carnoustie (@chauffeursofcarnoustie) 

Guest coaches – Rennies Coaches 

Piper – Keith Christie 

Stationer – Confetti Designs (@confetti_designs)