THEIR first trip away after lockdown, in June 2021, was an important one for Shona McHarg and Scott Gilliland as it’s when they got engaged. And the couple didn’t hang about, getting married in September the following year.

Shona and Scott, from Ayrshire, were married in Stair Church in Mauchline by local minister George Fiddes, then held their reception for 160 guests at Enterkine Country House Resort, just outside Ayr.

“We viewed a couple of venues but kept coming back to Enterkine and their newly refurbished oak barn which we loved,” says Shona.

“We have also visited the venue at other times for meals etc and have never faulted it, and it lived up to this reputation on the day of the wedding – everything was perfect.”

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Shona and Scott are another couple who organised everything themselves with the help of family and friends. “I started by looking at photographers that others we knew had used then with the help of Facebook pages and the internet we found most of our suppliers,” she says.

“I did the majority of the décor, invitations and even the confetti myself but it was worth all the work to see if come together on the day. We didn’t come across any hiccups along the way – everything was fairly straightforward once we had decided on the suppliers.

Shona’s two sisters, Anne and Hazel, and her cousin, Alice, were bridesmaids while the best man was Scott’s brother, Gavin, alongside the ushers – Shona’s brother Jim and the groom’s cousin Graham. “They were all great on the day and definitely organised the best hen/stag for both of us! And we can’t forget the support of our parents as they really were there for us with everything leading up to the wedding and on the day.”

The catering was perfect with Enterkine’s team coming up with ‘the best’ while the cake was made by a friend’s mum who also made the flavours. Shona and Scott were even created in clay as a cake topper – featuring exactly what they were wearing, the bride’s wedding hair, and the flowers.

“I kept this a surprise from Scott and still love looking at it now,” says Shona, who chose Flowers @ 7 in Ayr for her wedding flowers which she describes as ‘stunning’.

The most important purchase – Shona’s dress – came from Opus Couture in West Kilbride. Shona recalls: “When I went to get my dress there were still restrictions on numbers and face masks had to be worn but I still loved my experience in the shop and every time we went for a fitting, they were excellent. Scott had recently bought his own kilt so it was great he got to wear that on his own wedding day with the rest of the groomsmen wearing the same tartan.”

Summing up their special day, Shona says: “Our day was so special, surrounded by all our family and friends to celebrate our marriage. We absolutely loved everything about our wedding day and as they say, it truly is one of the best days of your life.

“We delayed our honeymoon until our first anniversary when we went to Disney World and Universal in Florida. This had always been a dream destination of mine, but it took some convincing to get Scott to go all the way over there as someone who doesn’t do holidays! But even now, we still talk about the amazing time we had on our honeymoon – it was so much fun!”

Shona and Scott live in Mauchline. Shona is an admin assistant while Scott, who grew up on a farm just outside Mauchline, does farm work/welding/fabricating. “We both enjoy going back to the farm at every opportunity to help family out.”

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