Bride Kathryn & groom Colin surrounded by their guests in Oran Mor's auditorium

Real wedding: T in the Park…

T in the Park led to Party at the Oran Mor

As huge fans of live music, Colin and Kathryn certainly did their research when it came to choosing a band for their special day. Sadly there were no wedding band showcases allowed due to Covid restrictions at the time, so they had to resort to YouTube. But they lucked out when they discovered the best band for them – Daytura.

Why did you choose Oran Mor?

We eventually chose Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west end, after visiting quite a few venues. We were absolutely blown away by the auditorium. The light and sheer beauty of the room made it the perfect backdrop for our ceremony.

Why did you want a humanist ceremony?

Having attended our very good friends’ wedding, whose ceremony was carried out by a humanist celebrant, we just really liked the relaxed and very personal style. We really wanted our ceremony to capture us, as a couple, and a humanist ceremony was the best way to do this.

Which celebrant did you choose and why?

Hazel Sharp conducted our friends’ ceremony and they highly recommended her. From our first Zoom meeting, she made us feel so relaxed and the conversation flowed easily. She explained every aspect of the ceremony and made us feel very informed. After that initial meeting, we just felt that Hazel was a natural fit to do our ceremony. A huge thank you to Hazel for making our ceremony so relaxed, personal and exactly what we wished for!

Bride Kathryn & groom Colin standing either side of celebrant Hazel during their wedding ceremony

When and how did you two meet?

We met in 2014 at T in the Park through mutual friends, although we didn’t actually get together until almost a year later at a friend’s graduation party.

When and how did the proposal happen?

The proposal happened during lockdown on 11^th July 2020. Colin had organised a private music festival in our garden because it was exactly six years to the day that we’d met at T in the Park. He organised a gazebo, flower garlands, wristbands and a playlist of all our favourite bands’ live sets. During a set by George Ezra, Colin got down on one knee wearing the very same multi coloured helicopter hat he’d worn that day. He proposed during the song ‘Hold My Girl’ by George Ezra. This was our first dance song too.

What was your favourite part of the wedding planning?

Planning the wedding was a bit of a challenge with all the lockdowns that hit throughout 2020 and into 2021. Lots of our meetings with suppliers were held on Zoom and most of the planning happened from our living room. We both really enjoyed when we could start going out to plan things and particularly liked going out with our bridesmaids and groomsmen to get their dresses and kilts. The opportunity to go for a menu tasting at Oran Mor was also a highlight, because we are both self-confessed ‘foodies’!

Groom Colin & bride Kathryn kissing outside the entrance to Oran Mor

What was your favourite part of the ceremony?

We loved every second of our ceremony because it was so personal to us. One of the highlights was sharing three things we loved about each other and one thing we would change. This was the only part of the ceremony that was a surprise for us on the day and it was well worth the wait!

What was your favourite part of the whole day?

For both of us it was the opportunity to have all our loved ones all together in one space after two long years of social distancing! There was such a joy in having everyone together and there was such a celebratory atmosphere as everyone was up for a party! Also, our band was super so the chance to dance the night away was brilliant.

Your photographs are fabulous. Who did you choose and why?

We chose Cara Frew Photography. Cara is a friend of my brother’s, as they attended college together to study photography. When we were getting ready to pick our photographer, I asked for his recommendation and he said he wouldn’t have anyone else other than Cara. It was an excellent recommendation as Cara was fantastic.

Groom Colin & bride Kathryn walking hand in hand down Glasgow's Ashton Lane

We love your wedding film too. Who did you choose and why?

We went with Gibson Films. Alan and Chris did the videography for a close friend’s wedding and we just absolutely loved their style of work. The guys are so discreet on the day and so down to earth. Their work is second to none and everyone has raved about the quality of our wedding video.

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

It would have been great to have the opportunity to do more during the planning stage of our wedding. One of our biggest regrets is not having the chance to go to any wedding band showcases as they were not allowed at the time. However, given that we were amongst the first weddings to have no restrictions, we would take that over everything!

And finally, any advice for other couples?

Enjoy every minute of the planning process together as a couple, and have plenty of drinks on hand for doing the table plan for dinner! Remember it’s your day, so don’t let any external pressures influence what happens or who is there. Ensure that on the day of the wedding, you experience or try all the things you put so much time into planning – especially your cake! Make sure you love the work of your photographer and videographer, as the memories of the day are so precious once it is all over.

Huge congratulations Mr & Mrs Lauder, and thank you for choosing Humanist Society Scotland!