From the moment bride Alison sent me photos of her stunning, avant-garde silk wedding dress, featuring modern ballon sleeves, in a yellow, white and black floral print, accompanied by the words 'my dress is not very traditional,' I knew she was my kind of bride!
As I set about finding out about Alison's plans for her Glasgow wedding to partner Mike, a pandemic was something only found in history books or in catastrophe movies, and at that stage Alison and I were focussed on me designing a hair accessory that would work with her shorter, undercut hairstyle. Initial discussions were around a bespoke accessory of an ear cuff style, that would sit to one side, rest on one ear, and reach up organically to cup one side of her head.
And then, at the end of March 2020, everything changed….
Alison's partner Mike had to move out from their shared home into hotel accommodation due to Alison's vulnerability to Coronavirus and his high risk occupation working as Respiratory Physiotherapist. The couple would from then on only see one another on video calls and their original wedding plans had to be dramatically altered.
In spite of restrictions in Scotland meaning that Alison and Mike could only have a maximum of 5 people attending their wedding, (the two of them, their celebrant, photographer Caro Weiss and her assistant) and their original reception venue now closed to the public, the couple decided to press on with their date, planning to have a bigger celebration, involving friends and family, once restrictions were lifted.
As their wedding day plans changed, so did Alison's ideas for her hair accessory and we moved from the original plan for a side of head accessory to me sketching out ideas for a full crown.
Having uncovered Alison and Mike's passion for bees I sourced some gorgeous 18K gold bee charms to include in the design, and through a mix of Zoom consultations and emails, agreed that the finished headpiece should compliment the gold tones in Alison's dress alongside some branch-like elements that would continue the theme of the dress fabric.
I always enjoy getting to know my clients as we take the bespoke journey together, and understanding their passions whether that be music, nature, fashion, literature, a particular time in history, a love of the great outdoors, family, or their pets, really helps me to tune into how to design the perfect accessory for them.
With Alison - recreational arial artist, thoughtful, quick to smile, passionate about current affairs - the uncertainty of the lockdown situation we found ourselves in meant that we got to know each other even better than normal, with me rooting for this woman's micro wedding day reunion with her fiancee harder than I have ever rooted for a wedding!
Alison and Mike's 'first look,' was the first time the couple had been together in four months, and I'm not gonna lie, I wept when I laid eyes on this joyous moment!
Although without guests at their wedding, Alison and Mike didn't fall short on the celebration side of things, writing their own beautifully personal vows for the celebrant led ceremony, including references to their relationship journey, and baking each other sourdough doughnuts filled with three different flavours of jam to represent the three guiding principles of marriage, patience; teamwork; and understanding. How gorgeous is that?!
There's so much to love about this wedding - Alison's strong sense of her individual style, Mike's ability to rock a kilt, their determination to create the perfect wedding day celebration regardless of the constraints, the joy that pours out from their wedding day photos, and the pair's selflessness for one another.
Thank you for choosing me to create your stunning crown for your wedding day Alison, and thank you too for your wonderfully kind words:
"Heidi listened to every fleeting thought and part of an idea that I had come up with and strung them all together perfectly. I had had no idea what I wanted in a headpiece or a wedding look. When I saw my headpiece I knew that I was looking at what I had wanted all along."
"Heidi was incredibly responsive, creative and flexible - especially since my hairstyle changed dramatically through lockdown."
"Heidi encouraged input throughout the development of my headpiece so I was never concerned I wouldn’t get exactly what I wanted. I loved being part of the process, and more importantly I loved chatting with Heidi - she is a super lovely and interesting person!"
I'm not sure what I love the most about this wedding....Alison's amazing sense of style; the couple's selflessness in the face of separation; the intimate touches; the blatant joy; the way the pair show how an intimate wedding can be hugely romantic and personal in a way that may be more challenging for bigger weddings....so I'm going to be greedy, and say ALL of it! I love ALL OF IT!!! And I bet you do too.
If you'd like to start your bespoke accessory journey with me click here to arrange our first informal chat.
CREDITS
Photography - Caro Weiss
Venue - Ashton Lane, Glasgow
Celebrant - Claire Digance
Alison's Dress - Are X Brett Whiteley via Matches Fashion
Brides Custom Belt - Sash + Veil
Bride's Crown - Glorious by Heidi
Bride's Shoes - Dune + Rens Original
Mike's Kilt - R&I MacDonald Kiltmakers
Groom's Jacket - MacGregor & MacDuff
Groom's Tie, Shoes + Kilt Pin - Kilt Society
Florist - Roots, Fruits and Flowers
Rings - Christine Sadler
Cake - Three Sisters Bake
I absolutely love their outfits! So colorful and so well coordinated!