Comrie Croft Weddings – Top tips from some top suppliers
Comrie Croft Weddings – Top tips from some top suppliers
Copyright Crieff Photography
We were fortunate enough to catch up with some awesome wedding suppliers after all attending the amazing Wee Nosy at Comrie Croft on 30th March 2019. Comrie Croft is an incredibly unique and beautiful wedding venue, naturally though most brides and grooms have plenty of questions that need answered to ensure this venue is THE ONE!
With Comrie Croft offering itself as a DIY wedding venue it is completely normal to feel a little overwhelmed. While it is true that you will have a bit more work on your hands if you choose to go down the DIY wedding path, this also provides a fantastic opportunity. You are in control of pretty much all aspects (minus the weather) and can really focus on crafting the wedding day that’s right for you.
So with that in mind we gathered together some of the top tips from various wedding suppliers to help you plan, prep and polish for your very own Comrie Croft wedding.
Comrie Croft
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Lovely Ellen from Comrie Croft was kind enough to help kick start the wedding tips and we could not have asked for a better person to do so.
Ellen has helped many happy couples have THE best day of their lives at the Croft and it is reassuring to know you have her friendly knowledge and tips on hand should you need them.
Comrie Croft is definitely different from any wedding venue we have ever been to and with that comes some big plus points that you will want to make use of!
“You have two nights to spend with all your loved ones, decorating is part of the fun and is a great team bonding exercise! Enjoy dinners, breakfasts and the beautiful surroundings over the two days.
We have loads of land so go for walks, get married outside, go for a cycle, get your photographer out there, climb a waterfall and strike a pose!”
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The outdoor beauty is a huge plus point at Comrie Croft so as Ellen suggests make the most of it, get out there and share some memories doing the things you love with the people you love.
Most weddings focus on the big day itself, but with Comrie Croft you get to share the two days with your closest family and friends! So if you like the idea of creating hilarious memories of pre wedding set up with your favourite half drunk Auntie or seeing your kids helping out with the final touches for your big day then Comrie Croft won’t disappoint.
Fresh flowers really are a must at Comrie Croft as it is so in keeping with the venue and natural surroundings not to mention you have some fantastic florists literally on site!
“We have Tomnaha on site – Fresh flowers grown on site, footsteps away from your wedding ceremony!”
Crieff Photography
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The lovely Brian & Paula are the talent behind the lens at Crieff Photography and they know their way about Comrie Croft like the back of their hand.
Brian was able to help pinpoint some of the more picturesque spots in and around Comrie Croft that you may not have known.
“Comrie Croft is target rich with beautiful locations for photographs and you’ll probably want your images to have a sense of place. The courtyard has a wonderful Nordic vibe, there are lots of sweet spots in the woods to meander, the track and adjoining field gives views over the hills and really say Perthshire, while if you are up for a hike, the waterfall is stunning.”
Copyright Crieff Photography
Copyright Crieff Photography
With photographers being in such abundance and Comrie being such a scenic and unusual location, we asked Brian how Brides and Grooms can immediately narrow their search to find a great photographer that knows the venue well.
“Firstly do your research and look at lots of full galleries of weddings they have shot at Comrie croft to give a clear idea of what your gallery might look like. Look at all the styles out there – shooting and editing styles vary greatly and it comes down to your taste and personal style. Meet them – you’ll want to make sure that they are best fit for you!”
Copyright Crieff Photography
Copyright Crieff Photography
Copyright Crieff Photography
Copyright Crieff Photography
Copyright Crieff Photography
“Don’t be stressed! A good photographer makes it fun and for the most part you shouldn’t even know that they are there if they do their job properly! A pre wedding shoot (included with us) allows you to gets shots at your venue and get used to being in front of the camera – we promise we understand!”
Tomnaha Flowers
Cristy & Judith have been a massive help sharing their knowledge not only of the flowers grown on site at Comrie Croft but of the wedding venue itself which they know intimately being situated literally a stones throw away.
Tomnaha Flowers have their own ethos and approach which fits naturally with the vibe at Comrie Croft.
“We are seasonal growers, aiming to use only what we grow on site at Comrie Croft or forage locally in our wedding designs so working with the seasons is very important to us.
Copyright Helen McCrory
Spring is exciting and fresh – starting with tulips, wallflowers, narcissus, anemone, ranunculus, fritillary, forsythia, cowslips and gorse to name a few. There is a lot of glorious and fragrant yellow, a mix of bright jewelled colours or pale and delicate purple, blue and white colour palettes to work with.
Summer is abundant with a wide range of flowers and colours. We recommend not limiting the colour scheme so we can pick you the most beautiful flowers we have growing on the day and work with the strongest colour combinations. We grow a lovely selection of roses, peonies and dahlias amongst all the usual suspects …cornflowers, sweet-pea, nigella, scabious, snapdragons, larkspur, eryngium and many many more!
Autumn is our favourite season with rich and warm colours and velvety textures; red, scarlet, orange, gold, bronze, pink, purples and acid green. We also have lots of sculptural ornamental grasses and fragrant foliages such as dill, rose geranium, lemon balm and mint to give your wedding an extra sensory dimension.
Winter is when we like to have a wee rest and when the flowers stop for a few months, but we can still decorate the croft with evergreen foliage, sculptural branches and dried flowers from the summers abundance.”
Tomnaha have some fantastic approaches to decorating the barn that ensures the space looks inviting and fresh while getting all the family stuck in to make the most of the Comrie Croft experience.
“Less formal floral arrangements work well in the rustic barn so a mix of DIY buckets of flowers and scented foliage for you to arrange yourselves on the tables is a really lovely activity for a small group to do in setting up the venue the night before your wedding.
It is nice to have a special decorative feature in the space. We make dramatic seasonal wreaths for suspending in the barn, and can hang 3 of these in the big space. Even just one of these visually fills the space and gives a hand crafted, wild and romantic, old world feel to the barn.”
The Barn truly is your own blank canvas so if you have big ambitions there are ways to achieve the look you have in mind.
“Thick foliage Garlands with floral details around the 3 pillars in the barn are a very special touch, particularly if the tables are set out in this area.
We can also make an indoor forest of trees in the barn complete with tiny twinkling fairy lights to give a romantic ‘midsummer nights dream’ feel to the event.”
Copyright Kirstie De Garis
Copyright Kirstie De Garis
Alfalfa Designs
Comrie Croft is such a beautiful and unique wedding venue that you may wish to incorporate the surroundings with your wedding stationery. Rebecca from Alfalfa Designs kindly shared her thoughts on using your wedding venue as a focal point.
“All of my stationery designs are hand drawn and then laser engraved onto Cherry veneer wood. This means that I can customise your stationery to include an illustration of your wedding venue or church.”
Rebecca says this has proven to be a popular option for brides and grooms who wish to tie everything together.
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“One of my recent couples liked my existing mountain cut out design but wanted to add their own twist by including an illustration of the little kata’s that are located on site at Comrie Croft. The design was simple, elegant but also cute with the added illustration making it more about why they loved and chose Comrie Croft as their wedding venue.
Copyright Alfalfa Designs
I also created a customised wooden guest book for the same couple. This time they asked for a barn illustration on the front that didn’t need to specifically be the Comrie Barn but with some hills in the background to represent the landscape at Comrie Croft. I personally love Comrie Croft as a wedding venue as it is such a wonderful place and has a laid back vibe, so I wanted to create the perfect illustration of Comrie’s courtyard with little touches like the fire pit and I also added some rolling hills in the background. To this day it has to be one of my favourite venue illustrations!”
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Comrie Croft really makes the most of it’s natural surroundings and beauty so why not consider using this alongside your stationery? There are so many opportunities to do so from the initial save the dates to your table plan all the way through to the wedding favours given to each guest on the day.
While it can be lots of fun discussing the designs for your own wedding stationery, ensuring you have everything you need on time can be a challenge that is easily overlooked. This may not seem so daunting when you initially send out save the dates and then invitations but as you near closer to your big day having all of those RSVP’s in on time can really help when it comes to ordering favours, table names etc.
“I always advise that brides and grooms looking to order stationery should aim to order with myself about 2-3 weeks in advance of when these need to be sent out to guests. This gives me enough time to create your design and ensure everything is correct before running off your order.
Everyone has their own timeline of when they want to send out save the dates and invitations but I would always recommend sending out your save the dates one year in advance from your wedding date. Traditionally wedding invitations are sent out about 6 – 8 weeks before your wedding, although this isn’t for everyone and these timelines are entirely up to each individual couple.
Do bear in mind that you will normally need exact final guest numbers and names when ordering any place cards or personalised favours so keep on top of those RSVP’s so that you are not stressing out on the weeks before your wedding.”
Copyright Alfalfa Designs
Copyright Alfalfa Designs
With so many different wedding styles and designs out there it can become difficult to actually choose a specific style that you want for your wedding. Pinpointing the initial direction in style is the best place to start according to Rebecca.
“My top tip to brides and grooms that are planning their wedding stationery would be to look at lots of inspiration and styles online. This helps you discover what you both like as a design/layout and even wording on your invitation which can be overlooked.
Having a clear idea of what you like and don’t like is a huge help to your stationery designer and means they can create more accurate designs based on your requirements, making the design process much faster.
All customised stationery can be a great addition to your wedding but you should definitely not rush into any design decisions as it can take a little time to figure out what is best for you both, your guests and your wedding.”
Beetroot and Chocolate
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Sam from the mouth watering Beetroot and Chocolate shared some tasty tips to help you better plan your wedding food at Comrie Croft.
“Our cooking attracts a lot of attention, particularly when the large lumps of meat go over the coals (men and fire!) and the aromas drift around, so we can be part of the show if you like, or a place to keep warm if its one of the colder months!”
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With Comrie Croft being such a relaxed wedding venue this opens the opportunity for your food and drinks to be uniquely served in ways you would not find at a typical formal wedding.
“If you are looking for a relaxed day, serving platters / boards / family style is the way to go, everyone can have as much or as little as they like. The passing and sharing is a great ice breaker, and the fact that everyone gets served pretty much simultaneously is a huge bonus (none of that queuing up).
Our one bit of advice is to just have fun with all that space at The Croft – lighting, bales, sofas, bar area, it can all be moved around and with any luck you’ll get some great weather for courtyard photos too. It’s a superb space, so use it.”
Copyright Odd Box
Copyright Odd Box