Claire and Alan surprise guests at elegant wedding

When it came to planning their elegant wedding, Glasgow couple Claire and Alan agreed priority laid with their photographer, venue and making sure guests had a spectacular time.

“One of our biggest priorities was securing Craig and Eva Sanders to photograph our wedding. I had been a big fan of their work for several years,” says the bride, 30.

After booking their dream photographer, Claire and Alan, 32, secured the perfect venue for the August 12, 2017 celebrations: Dumfries House in Cumnock. The venue ticked all their boxes: it held both the ceremony and reception in the same place and offered on-site accommodation for guests to stay the night.

130 close family and friends attended the day celebrations with an extra 40 joining in the evening. As a special surprise, singing waiters interrupted dinner between courses, getting everyone on their feet dancing and singing along.

“At one point we had two huge conga lines weaving through the tables and at the end everyone was standing swinging their napkins over their heads! It was a great way to start the party early.”

Photos courtesy of Craig and Eva Sanders Photography.

Claire tried on 62 wedding dresses before finding ‘The One’ – a beautiful beaded gown from Enzoani UK.

“Alan had more accessories than me!” says Claire of her groom’s MacGregor McDuff formal wear.

While Claire found it difficult to get around to all of their guests, she says having a wedding dinner party the night before helped. “It was a great way to make sure we spent time with the people we love most in the world.”

As Alan’s nickname for Claire is ‘Puffin’, Happyhills Cakes created a three-tiered masterpiece complete with Puffin bride and groom cake topper.