Demi and Jack hold hands, raised in celebration and smile widely. Demi wears a white wedding dress with flowing lace sleeves. Jack wears a navy kilt and jacket.

Real wedding: meaningful memories

Meaningful memories at intimate micro wedding in Pitlochry

Sharing your wedding day with loved ones is always special but was made even more so with Demi’s dad and brother taking on the roles of wedding photographer and videographer! The father and brother of the bride captured all the memorable moments at this intimate and family focussed wedding in Pitlochry. The couple’s venue, vegan hotel Saorsa 1875, was also a very personal choice, allowing them to have a day which aligns with their values.

How and when did you two meet?

We first met at a work training event in December 2018 that I [Demi] was facilitating, and Jack was attending. Our eyes crossed in the training on a number of occasions. I even got Jack involved in audience participation, we were just so naturally drawn to each other!

Tell us about the proposal, how did it happen?

In September 2021, we had a week off which we spent down in Glasgow with Jack’s family. This included celebrating Jack’s mum’s birthday with a day trip to cycle round Great Cumbrae island, vegan fish and chips in Largs and runs around Pollok Park. To round it off we booked a last-minute stay at the Apex Hotel in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh. I [Demi] have fond childhood memories here, after going on family trips growing up to visit my Dad’s hometown. We went out for dinner with my brother Ally, who was living in Edinburgh, and then retired back to our room. After sharing a cup of tea overlooking the castle lit up at night time, Jack surprised me by getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him! It was such a special and emotional night with lots of tears and heartfelt words shared. And of course I said yes!

Black and white photo of Demi and Jack walking down a staircase. They hold hands and smile warmly, looking into each other's eyes.

Demi and Jack stand in a wooded area scattered with autumn leaves. They both carry white lanterns and smile at one another.

What was your favourite part of the wedding planning?

Once we were set on the plans for our wedding day, everything came together rather smoothly, especially with all the help from our families. Jack’s favourite part was designing his fully vegan kilt and highland dress in collaboration with the brilliant Miles at St Kilda Kilts. It came together even better than we imagined.

My [Demi’s] favourite part was creating my wedding bouquet with my mum, granny and auntie two days before the wedding. It was a memorable experience and my dad and brother managed to capture some really special shots. I will treasure these, especially since the bouquet didn’t survive very long after the wedding!

Why did you want a humanist ceremony?

We wanted a humanist ceremony as we liked the idea of curating a personal and intimate ceremony, which is in line with our values and has meaning to us and our families.

Which humanist celebrant did you choose and why?

We chose humanist celebrant Rona Burstow. From the very first email contact, her warmth, compassion and character shone through so brightly. So we knew we were in the best hands! Rona went over and above to support us on the road to our wedding day. Her email communication was crystal clear, friendly and supportive. She even met with us on Zoom to go over the finer details of our ceremony, always providing reassurance and guidance throughout it all.

Black and white photo of humanist celebrant Rona conducting the ceremony. Demi and Jack stand in front, hands clasped together looking at Rona who smiles back at them.

Where did you decide to get married and why?

We got married at Saorsa 1875 in Pitlochry. Saorsa 1875 is a quirky boutique hotel nestled away in the beautiful Victorian town of Pitlochry. It was perfect for us because it is situated in the heart of Scotland. This was important to us with our families being from Inverness and Glasgow. Saorsa’s ethos is also in line with our values with it being a fully vegan hotel. It is the UK’s first vegan hotel. They “believe that the best experiences in life don’t need to come at the expense of animals or the environment.” This connected with us wholeheartedly.

What was your favourite part of the ceremony?

We decided the night before to have our ceremony in the unique and characterful yoga yurt in the garden at Saorsa, complete with fairy lights and a wood burning stove to keep everyone cosy since Autumn was in full swing. The amazing Lucy from Saorsa helped to set it up and she and I [Demi] decorated it in the morning. Our ceremony was heartfelt, humorous and Rona beautifully shared our love story with our nearest and dearest in a warm and honest manner. There were lots of laughs, quite a few tears and in true Rona-fashion, a whole lotta’ love! We can’t choose a favourite part because it was all so special. A few highlights include walking down the aisle with both my mum and dad. Then there was an emotional ring warming ceremony and having our mums as our witnesses. Finally, Jack’s dad Duncan rounded it off beautifully with a reading of the ‘Giraffe and the Monkey’ poem.

Demi and Jack stand in the middle of a decorated yurt during the ceremony. Strings of fairy lights hang down with white and orange lighting. A row of sunflowers sits on the table. Celebrant Rona stands at the side delivering the ceremony to guests who can be seen slightly in shot at either side.

What was your favourite part of the whole day?

The whole day was relaxing, full of joy and laughter and kicked off with a delicious Saorsa breakfast. The whole family and the brilliant staff at Saorsa, led by Lucy, chipped in to bring it all together with my [Demi’s] granny and auntie designing the beautiful autumnal table setting. My mum, granny, auntie and brother finished icing the homemade cakes and my dad and brother worked their magic snapping and videoing throughout the whole day. I had the wonderfully talented Sarah Clarke Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist to help make me feel like my best self. Jack’s sister Melissa helped him with his outfit’s finishing touches. Since our ceremony wasn’t until 4pm, our best decision on the day was choosing to do our first look a few hours before the ceremony. This meant we could enjoy being together and with our families for most of the day. We put together a photo slideshow of old family photos and memorable snaps of our time together which we had on in the lounge of the hotel. This was a great talking point and also brought up a lot of emotion as we remembered family who were no longer with us.

Pre ceremony photo of Rona, Demi, Jack and some family members. The group sit close together on sofa's laughing and engrossed in conversation.

It must have been so special to have your brother and father as photographer and videographer. Can you tell us a little about them?

There can’t be many weddings where the father of the bride is also the photographer! We always knew we’d ask my dad to be our photographer and had full faith that he would be able to uniquely capture our wedding day in a way no one else could. He more than achieved this! His style is relaxed, authentic and discreet, capturing natural moments and emotions which are true to the feeling of the day, and can be relived through the photos forevermore. We were mindful of ensuring that we got some photos of my dad too, which we managed to get!

We are very lucky to have such talented family surrounding us, and my brother Ally was no exception! He is a skilled photographer and videographer. The video he produced for us brought back moments and memories that we wouldn’t have been able to recall otherwise amongst the excitement of the day. Ally blended into the day seamlessly, taking hours of footage that we will treasure forever!

A group photo of all guests and two dogs standing in a wooded area surrounded by orange autumn leaves and trees. They smile and "cheers" glasses to camera.

With hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently?

I [Demi] wish I had taken Rona’s wise advice to “ground myself” during the ceremony. After watching our wedding video, I didn’t realise how much I was moving with all the nervous, excited energy!

Do you have any advice for other couples?

We would encourage couples to try and slow down and soak up every little detail of the wedding day. You spend so much time planning the big parts of the day but so many special moments happen spontaneously. For us, those moments were the most meaningful and memorable.