Real Wedding – Scott and Elisabeth Forrest – 2nd April 2024

Elisabeth and Scott’s April wedding was a beautiful blend of DIY charm and heartfelt moments, making it a day to remember for all the right reasons. The couple’s adorable dachshund, Haggis, stole the show as the cutest little ring bearer, waddling down the aisle —how’s that for a showstopper moment? The entire day had a personal touch, with Elisabeth and Scott embracing a DIY approach that made the celebration feel extra special and unique.

They have took the time to tell you all about their planning process and why they chose Kinkell Byre!

Firstly a little bit about you..

How did you two meet?

We met in high school. We met in biology class when I (Elisabeth) thought that Scott didn’t like me as I would speak to him every day and he would ignore me. It wasn’t until one class when I had enough and tapped him on the shoulder to ask him what his problem with me was as he ignored me all the time that he told me he was deaf in his left ear and that it wasn’t he was ignoring me but couldn’t hear me so we swapped seats and were friends from that point on. We stayed friends throughout high school but just FRIENDS! We both went to separate universities Scott to Glasgow and Elisabeth to Dundee, but we still met up every summer which we called our annual meet up. During this time Scott’s dad would say to him ‘Do you know who’s really nice that nurse’ referencing Elisabeth. Little did he know…

Where did you get engaged?

The proposal happened after the bells on hogmany when officially going in 2022. Scott set up a zoom so that both Scott and I’s closest family could be present but it would still feel intimate. Unfortunately for Scott I (being oblivious) extended the invite to my wider family which is big! Scott was glad the call stayed small with just his family and my Grandma, Mum and Dad present. I should have known as my Grandma would never stay up that late for anything else!

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?

I (Elisabeth) attended a wedding at Kinkell in 2016 and I knew on that day this is where I’m going to get married one day! After getting engaged I took Scott to one of the open weekends at Kinkell and as soon as he walked into the ceremony room he was in love with it too! It’s hard to find a venue that on a rainy day it is even more beautiful!

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

We started with Kinkell! Then we went to the Scottish Wedding Show at the SSC there we met Paul our celebrant, our photographers and videographers Sam and Matt and our band The Splendid Gentleman. They all had such a great energy to them and had the exact relaxed but humorous vibe we wanted for our day. They also all raved about Kinkell as a venue. They set the tone right from the off and everyone had to fit into that vibe!

How did you decide on a colour theme or style?

We wanted to fit with the Byre’s natural beauty we looked at what the barn already had. Wooden floors, dark panelling and hessian. We didn’t want to be fighting it or be contrasting so falling into the dark natural wood to match key features of the barn, foliage and the pureness of whites felt right.

Where did you find your suppliers?

A mix between using our very talented family and friends, the Scottish Wedding Show, recommendations from Kinkell Byre themselves and their open weekends (we went to a lot of these) and recommendations from family.

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

Use the time leading up to it to think about filling spaces without over filling it. Plan purchases carefully and buy as you go. Visit the venue, take measurements and remind yourself of the size and space you are working with. It also supports building relationships with the people in the venue.

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

The pressure of the venue being stunning was off so what was most important to us was for us was the feeling of love in that room and for everyone who attended to have a great day.

The Big Day!

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

Groom: During the reception, I loved getting my ice cream from Karen’s ice cream, I loved the canapes provided by Gourlay ( we recommend getting a plate put aside just for the Bride and Groom), seeing and being involved in our painting by Kirsty and watching it’s progress throughout the day. I enjoyed seeing everyone having a good time and having a good time myself.

Bride: My highlights would be having our little Dachshund Haggis involved by being the ring bearer, sneaking away for 10 minutes on a car ride after the ceremony just the two of us to take a moment and be excited about just being married. It was rainy that day so standing eating canapes while my new mother in law dried my dress on the fan heaters was hilarious. Catching tiny moments of other people’s day during our reception was also lovely playing with the little ones at the soft play, seeing people get their wedding favours from What Hannah Does. Our first dance was great and my father daughters dance was one of my highlights.

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

Bride: It is your day! Do what makes you happy. Think about what makes you guys uniquely you as a couple and intersperse it throughout the day. The more people know you the more personal your wedding should feel.

Groom: Choose vendors and suppliers that are like minded to you and you get on with. Do they seem like people you would be friends with? It means you will always be on the same page.

How is married life treating you?

It’s lovely to relax and reflect on the amazing day we had! We are besties so knew that we would love being married. With me being a teacher being called Mrs Forrest has been STRANGE but a lovely reminder every day of our wedding. We are looking forward to going on our honeymoon later this year!

Suppliers

Photographer – @lewismacmichael @themcyoungs

Catering @gourlayevents

Bar – Event Bars St Andrews

Lighting – i-Light

Celebrant @thescottishcelebrant

Dress @pointnouveaubrida

Bridesmaid dresses @wed2b

Suits @house_of_henderson

MUA @helenmcneillbridalmakeup

Hair @chloeballantinebridal

Flowers @greenshedflowers