You know it's going to be a great wedding when the groom tells you his vision is "our guests on each other’s shoulders, dancing at the end of the night". Gerard and Alissa wed last summer and their musical moon and stars wedding is a real treat and great inspiration: a very fun couple, who were smart in their planning and budgeting, and pulled off one very beautiful wedding. Jenny Packham dress + Tesco shoes: Alissa is a genius bride. Hope you enjoy their story and Gail Kelly's lovely images...
So how did these music lovers first meet? "I first met Gerard on a night out with my brother Craig and his best friend Gary. My brother had been out all day and called me later to join them in a pub we all frequented called Firewater. After a few drinks Craig took us to a club night in The Soundhaus as a friend of his was in a band that were playing... Figure 5. (The night was called 'Revolver' - I have the flyer framed on the fireplace)." Alissa immediately took an interest in Gerard and after few drinks later they got chatting at the bar. It was Gerard's birthday at midnight, so he got the perfect birthday present: Alissa and he have been together ever since.
When it came time to propose Gerard decided to do it somewhere with a lot of meaning. As a child Alissa spent lots of time going on walks and sitting on one particular bridge with her granddad in Girvan, Scotland. After her granddad passed away Alissa brought Gerard here and wrote on the bridge ‘love you granda’ as a wee nod to him. Gerard took note and brought Alissa back to this same area to propose. I'll let Alissa fill you in on the rest.."We had gone for a walk along Girvan pier beforehand and as we stood looking out at the Ailsa Craig he seized the opportunity and got down on one knee. I could tell he was nervous as he started jabbering away some nonsense about ‘the circle of life’. I honestly had no idea it was coming. I’m not really a teary person but I turned into a blubbering wreck. It was one of the best moments ever. On the way home I asked Gerard to drive to the wee bridge, I popped another wee message under my original one ‘I’m getting married Granda’."
Personal details is a big thing throughout this wedding. From the proposal, to the ceremony, right though to the reception. Subtle Beatles influences were dotted throughout the day, beginning with Alissa walking down the aisle to Love by John Lennon. This same song is used in an old family cinefilm of her parents wedding. Sweet!
The couple chose to have a humanist ceremony at Pollokshields Burgh Hall, and celebrant Pat Heppell made sure the ceremony was touching, fun and unique to Alissa and Gerard. You can tell by their smiles that Pat did a great job.
In such a naturally majestic room, with those stunning stained glass windows as a backdrop, just soft candlelight and white flowers were added to give a sense of occasion.
After the ceremony Alissa, Gerard and their wedding party headed outdoors for some portraits and group snaps. Alissa's grandmother used to play in Maxwell Park as a child, which a gave an extra touch of the personal to the day and photos.
Alissa chose a embellished Jenny Packham dress (we're a teeny weeny bit envious of how gorgeous she looks - in the nicest possible way of course!). She accessorised with an antique necklace to which she added a tiny sterling silver moon and star. The bridemaids also had little moons and stars earrings and a tiny lucky horseshoe necklace each.
Alissa's final accessory? A pair of fab silver Tesco shoes!"I had purchased them as an option for my engagement party but didn’t end up wearing them. They were really comfy though and the perfect height, I didn’t want sore feet to hinder my dancing so I went with the safe option. They looked the part!" The groomsmens' suits came from Next and the cake was an M&S buy, all proving what we've been saying for years: you don't have to blow the budget on all aspects of the day for it still to look and feel amazing. Prioritise!
Friends and family contributed to the wedding in a huge variety of ways, something the couple were really appreciative of as Alissa told us: "Our friends and family really rallied round and their generosity completely blew us away. Gerard’s uncle Grant was our piper, his uncle Benny provided his own McAfee whisky for the toasts, a family friend Elaine provided the floral arrangements, our friends Garry, Nicky and Jamie DJ’d on the day, our friend Jane did all of the bridesmaid’s hair, my friends Debs and Sara-Jane (along with my maid of honour, mum, auntie and cousins) helped me decorate the hall the night before. The list goes on… "
Keeping true to themselves, in terms of style and vibes, Alissa and Gerard remained stress free on the day making for some stunning personal portraits with photographer Gail.
Pollokshields Burgh Hall was decorated with minimal candelabras, lots of gold and dainty handmade star and moon details. Keeping with the musical theme Alissa made CD wedding favours that looked like vinyl records. The CD’s had the soundtrack to our day on them and were waiting for each guests at their seat. For some more fun wedding favour alternatives check out our 10 Fab Wedding Favour Ideas.
Alissa also DIYed all of the stationery including this very cute stars and moon table plan. Browse our favourite DIY ideas over on our Pinterest board here.
Would you love to have a similarly relaxed wedding day? Alissa has some solid advice. "Remember what you’re doing it all for, it’s so easy to get caught up in everything. Be yourselves, it’s your wedding so it should reflect you as a couple. Also, prepare yourself for things not going exactly to plan. It’s going to happen, so just go with it. Above all else, enjoy it! It’ll be the best day of your life, but what we didn’t anticipate was just how much it meant to our friends and family too. Everyone is really rooting for you."
For their honeymoon Alissa and Gerard headed to Italy, which they can't recommend enough: "We went to Tuscany and it was amazing! We got fat on pasta and drunk on wine… bliss! One of the most amazing places we stayed while we were in Italy was Casa Portagioia – the most amazing ‘B&B’ (I say B&B but this doesn’t really reflect the place at all). It’s run by the lovely Marcelo and Terry who made our stay so memorable. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re looking for something a wee bit different. We also stayed in Lucca during the Lucca Summer Festival, we seen The Prodigy play, it was bonkers. It was definitely one of the highlights of the honeymoon."
A big thank you to Alissa and Gerard for sharing their sweet and simple wedding with us! Thank you also to Gail Kelly for sharing her fabulous photography, to see more of Gail's work pop over to www.gailkelly.com
Last but not least, thank you to Walnut Wasp for sharing Alissa & Gerard's wedding video with us, which you can see below.
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony & Reception: Pollokshields Burgh Hall
- Wedding Dress: Azalea by Jenny Packham from Anne Priscilla Bridal
- Bridesmaids dresses: The Pippa by Jim Hjelm Occassions from Anne Priscilla Bridal
- Shoes: Tesco
- Flowers: Elaine Minto at Blooms
- Grooms Suit: bespoke from Jim Forbes Tailoring
- Groomsmens Suits: Next
- Cake: Marks & Spencers
- Make Up: Jane Hamilton at SMUJJ
- Hair: Susan Cassidy at Susie Scarlet Make-Up
- Wedding Bands: John Stewart Jewellers
- Reception Music: Garry O'Pray, Nicky Wright, Jamie Kidd & Them Beatles
- Videography: Walnut Wasp
