Janine will be marrying Paul on 26th July 2020 at Fasque Castle, Scotland, UK. Click here to read all Janine’s planning posts to date.
THREE FACTS: (1) Janine and fiance Paul met on Bumble. (2) The two of them are planning an interfaith Jew-ish wedfest weekend, to include everything from a whiskey tasting to mini highland games! (3) Janine is a member of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club!
Our Vision for Our Wedding
From the day Paul and I knew that we wanted to get married, way before we were engaged, we decided that we didn’t want to get married in London; we wanted to marry in a place with meaning.
I recall the day that we got our inspiration – we were watching a rom com, which Paul claims to hate, but I know that he secretly loves; maybe not for the content but for snuggling up on the sofa and relaxing.
The film, Leap Year, showed a beautiful wedding set against a lake with a mountainous backdrop, that’s when I exclaimed, we should marry in Scotland(!) – I have Scottish heritage, it’s a beautiful place, and will be ideal for the small wedding that we wanted. That’s when we set about on our mission to find our perfect venue…
Our search began with a very long list (Paul likes to have options), which we whittled down to six venues. On December the 19th last year we set off in my car on the long drive to Scotland.
Our plan involved viewing six venues in three days across different parts of Scotland, of varying styles, but all exclusive use venues because we want our wedding to be a party with just our families and friends, it was a busy trip but we were determined to find THE place for us!
Finding The Perfect Venue
As soon as I walked into Fasque Castle, a stunning baronial mansion, I knew it was “the one”, it was beautiful, elegant and had a warmth to it – you know that feeling when you instantly feel at home?! The delightful manager Gemma showed us around, with the final part of the tour descending the breath-taking cantilever staircase.
As I began my descent I shed a little tear of joy – Fasque really was THE venue where Paul and I were to marry.
The Importance of Being Organised
Paul and I have had a long engagement, which in a way has been torturous, as I write this, we have 283 days to go! However, I am incredibly grateful for the time – it has enabled us to make considered decisions and find the perfect vendors for us.
I really enjoy organising and planning, so I have been in my element; when I was at school I wasn’t a cool kid in the sports team, but a committee member of various extra-curricular programs, I enjoyed it so much that my head of Sixth Form, Mr Linsell, wrote in our yearbook: “Filofax employ Janine as organiser”.
I’ve moved on from the Filofax and found Trello, which is an invaluable tool in planning our wedding – it has enabled me to keep everything in one place and communicate with everyone easily.
Our wedding is a destination wedding over 3 days in Scotland and I found emailing, WhatsApping and explaining the same thing to the same few people continually was effortful. I wanted to make mine, and everyone else involved in our wedding planning lives easier so I created the Trello board with lists corresponding to different categories, e.g. guestlist, catering, mood-board, schedule of events eccetera.
Side-note:
There’s so much versatility to Trello:
– You can upload photos, GIF’s, spreadsheets, pdf’s, you name it!
– Set date reminders for when tasks need to be completed by and receive alerts by email/notification.
– Create checklists, shopping lists which you tick off when complete.
– Categorise parts of your wedding with coloured labels – for example, food & drink at our wedding.
– Give access to other people, with different rights. For example, Paul has limited access to certain parts so he can’t see my dress.
– Essentially, you can organise EVERYTHING for your wedding all in one place.
A snapshot of my Trello board:
I love Trello so much that I hosted a Facebook live in Brides Club about how I’ve used it!
Aside from Trello, I have kept myself organised by making sure that I reply to vendors emails either the same day or if I can’t, the same week. I print out all emails with agreements, contracts and invoices and put them in our wedding file.
I also have a back-up of what’s on Trello and our printed file on my computer – It may be considered OTT, but from experience I know that you must always have a back-up and record all important documents.
A snapshot of how I organise files on my computer:
Recommendations Really Help!
We’re fortunate that we have had the time to choose the best vendors for us. I believe time and being organised has helped us get such fabulous vendors. Fasque is set in a rural location, so to get the best people recommendations have really helped.
To know that our vendors are renowned and trusted for their work by the local wedding network is incredibly reassuring. The majority of our vendors are local, and most have a history of working at Fasque Castle and know each other well which certainly helps!
Our lovely florist, Jill from Hay’s Flowers, lives close by to the castle and has worked there a lot so knows it really well (I can’t wait to see how she dresses the castle for my wedding – we’re going with lots of foliage and white flowers for a natural look).
So too has our cake – maker Laura Lane; she and Jill have worked together too, so when it comes to dressing the cake Jill and Laura will work together really well. Knowing these things has allayed our fears, particularly after we unfortunately had to end the contract with our wedding planner.
We have moved forward and booked a delightful on the day co-ordinator Rebecca Barnett – who came highly recommended from the super helpful manager of Fasque, Gemma. When planning a wedding from afar, using local vendors has been fundamental as they have local expertise – this would be my first piece of advice to anyone who is planning a destination wedding.
Brides Club
Brides Club has also provided great value in planning our wedding, the wonderful community of brides and Karen have helped in listening to the good and bad and providing support and advice no matter what.
It’s such a lovely, friendly community that we even meet outside the Facebook group, and I have found a new friend – Fiona Harstone – too, who in fact was a sounding board for my ideas for this blog piece – thank you Fiona!
Final Thoughts
We still have some time to go, but I am on top of the organisation, with our invitations being sent out very soon! I’m super excited for the day that my uncle Peter will take my arm and lead me down the beautiful staircase to marry Paul – the love of my life…
Click here to read all Janine’s planning posts to date.
Janine and Paul’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Venue – Fasque Castle
Bride’s dress – Lisa Carrington Couture
On the Day Coordinator – Rebecca Barnett
Photographer – Allister Freeman
Hair + Makeup – Athina Gregoriades and Samantha Cardno
Event childcare – The Event Nanny
Bagpiper – Rich Gordon
Ceremony music – The Aberdeen Wedding Pianist
Interfaith minister – Angie Alexandra
Flowers – Hay’s Flowers
Catering – Sinclairs
Cake – Laura Lane
Band – Highway
Highland games – Jomm Events
Stationery – London Paper Crafts
