Unexpected house guest leads to Helen and Jamie’s DIY rustic wedding

Jamie Sweet was backpacking around the UK on the cheap when he turned up at Helen Duncan’s door.

Arriving in Scotland, Jamie, 24, looked up some of his grandma’s contacts to try to get free accommodation.

“This put him in touch with my grandpa, who recommended getting in contact with my parents who had a flat in Glasgow that I was living in,” Helen, 25, explains.

“I was pretty reluctant to have a complete stranger come and stay with me for a night but my parents persisted and Jamie turned up on my doorstep.”

The pair only spent four days together but stayed in contact when Jamie returned to Australia. Jamie later returned to the UK and the couple made it official. After nine months of dating, Jamie popped the question while watching the sunset on his family property in Queensland.

The couple returned to Glasgow for the DIY rustic wedding on January 2, 2016.

Helen says it was important to share the day with family and friends, as well as do a lot of the work themselves.

“We both had a strong desire to do most of the wedding ourselves,” Helen says. “We pooled together the immense talent and hard work of our nearest and dearest.”

One-hundred-and-ten family and friends from across the globe turned out for the celebrations at St George’s Tron Church.

“We stayed in the same venue all day from ceremony to reception,” Helen says.

“The tables were set at the sides of the church during the ceremony and then the room was transformed into dining space and then dancing space with the help of family and friends.”

A traditional Scottish Ceilidh provided plenty of entertainment and the bride says the day was the perfect celebration of their love.

“Our family and friends who came together from around the world to demonstrate their continuing love and support of us as we declared ours to one another,” she says.

Photos courtesy of Eilidh Sutherland Photography.

Helen bought her lace-embellished wedding dress online and had it altered locally for the perfect fit.

The couple says a special moment of the day was being married by the bride’s dad. “This tied in nicely with our focus on community and faith, and was one of the more special moments of
the day,” Helen says.

 

“When it came to planning the wedding we definitely wanted to emphasise our faith in Jesus, sharing the day with our friends and family and drawing people into community with us as we started a married life together,” Helen says.

Helen says a team of about 20 friends and family spent a week getting the wedding venue ready for the big day.

Following their wedding, Helen and Jamie made the permanent move to Australia.

The couple selected some delicious cheeses from The Cheese Shed instead of the traditional wedding cake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs2Fb_MOwTI

Video by Ross Wiseman.