Outdoor loving Patchwork couple Mhairi and Steven tell us about their Scottish wedding, and their Patchwork honeymoon to Cinque Terre in Italy, funded by family and friends.
Tell us about you both as a couple, how did you first meet?
We have known each other since working together ten years ago but we only began dating after a chance meeting at a pub in Glasgow. After waving across the room we ended up chatting via messenger before having our first date. We moved in together and got our gorgeous dog Puddles and a year before getting married we bought our first home. A love of the outdoors, hill walking and visiting Arran have featured strongly ever since!
How did you get engaged?
We got engaged on an organised night walk at the top of Goatfell which is the highest peak on Arran. We’d climbed the mountain together before but my parents had bought us tickets to go up with Arran mountain rescue. The walk started at midnight and we got to the top in time to watch the sunrise. Just as we got to the top (above the clouds!) Steven took me away from the group. He led me to the place where we had our lunch the first time we climbed Goatfell, then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I burst into tears and eventually managed to say ‘yes’! We then enjoyed watching the sunrise together before heading back down the hill and breaking the news to our families! 🙂
Ah, true romance! Did you know what kind of wedding you wanted?
From the start of our wedding planning we knew we wanted to get married on Arran. Lochranza Castle was our favourite spot because of the beautiful scenery. We planned to have the ceremony outside at Lochranza Castle and then hire out the local village hall for the reception. A fancy glamorous wedding isn’t something either of us are interested in.
What we really wanted was an outdoor, down to earth Scottish wedding where everyone could be relaxed and just have an enjoyable day. Luckily the weather on the day was amazing despite everyone worrying about the storm which happened the two days before the wedding! We had tractors and trailers to take us from the castle to the village hall. Then everyone enjoyed some Arran whisky tasting, a BBQ dinner and a cake made of Arran cheese for dessert! Our Scottish wedding was exactly the way we wanted it, everyone enjoyed themselves and danced the night away with the local DJ we had hired.
What was your first dance?
Our first dance was a song called ‘Darling Be Home Soon’ which was a cover by The Moons. This was the first song that Steven sent me when we started dating. We have both loved the song ever since and it means a lot to us.
What was your favourite part of your Scottish wedding day?
The day was so amazing that it is difficult to choose just one part as our favourite. Other than the ceremony itself – the most important part of the whole event – my favourite part was going a walk with Steven. As the sun was setting just after dinner, we enjoyed spending a little bit of time together in amongst all the goings on of the day. It gave us time to enjoy the views of the castle and talk about the day before going back in to enjoy dancing with all our friends and family.
Why did you choose Patchwork for your wedding registry?
We chose to use Patchwork for our wedding list as we had moved into our house a year previously and didn’t need traditional household items. It was the perfect way to ensure our guests could choose how we spent the money they gifted us for our honeymoon.
What did you ask guests to contribute towards?
We wanted to fund our honeymoon to Cinque Terre in Italy for 5 nights and knew that eating out would be expensive. We also had a couple of activities which we wanted to do that would cost more than we would usually spend when on holiday.
Using Patchwork meant that we set off on our travels knowing that we could book those extras like a cooking class and a boat trip. We were thrilled that our wonderful family and friends had funded us enough money to do these activities. It was so exciting to know we could treat ourselves to a delicious dinner in a different local restaurant each night. It was amazing knowing that our family and friends had been so generous to help us with an amazing honeymoon!
What was the best bit about using Patchwork?
The best part about using Patchwork was that our family and friends could choose what they wanted to fund. Whether that was our flights, our accommodation, dinner, drinks, a cooking class or a boat trip. It meant we weren’t just asking for money, but showing them how we would spend it.
What did your friends and family think?
Our friends and family thought Patchwork was great and enjoyed looking through our honeymoon activities and choosing what to fund.
Would you recommend your trip to Cinque Terre to other honeymooners?
We would definitely recommend our honeymoon to other couples if they enjoy walking and being outdoors. It was amazing being able to walk from one village to the next and enjoy some amazing scenery. We were able to relax on the beach through the day and meet the locals at night when more of the tourists had left the villages. Our honeymoon was perfect for us and allowed us to spend quality time together while also being outdoors.
Thank you so much Mhairi and Steven for sharing your patchwork story and honeymoon adventure with us.
If this has inspired you to make your own patchwork, find out how here – you can customise one of our readymade patchworks or create one from scratch.
Check out all the lovely local Arran suppliers who made their day amazing:
Venue: Lochranza Castle
Photographer: Arran in Focus
Videographer: Positive Pictures
Cheese cake: Arran Cheese Shop
Ice cream: Arran Dairies ice cream.
Whiskey tasting: Arran Distillery