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Flying High
Amber Bell spoke with new bride Stephanie Napier about her winged wedding to Raymond Watson at Ardoe House Hotel and her thoughts on blue double-decker buses and no flowers.
In November 2006, Falkirk native Raymond Watson took his girlfriend of nearly one year, Stephanie Napier, to dinner at La Tasca on Union Street. And he absolutely insisted on dessert. Even though Stephanie wasn’t really interested, Raymond ordered two servings anyway. “I thought it was a bit strange!” she admits. But not for long. Raymond, a field service specialist, was down on his knee and popping the question before Stephanie even knew what was happening. And only after he’d proposed, did she realise a glittering ring was poking out of a strawberry on her plate.
It was about three years later, however, that the pair tied the knot at Ardoe House Hotel. Stephanie—originally from Peterhead and a test analyst by day—wanted plenty of time to plan their wedding, and not worry about her chosen venue being booked. There was an added reason to choose Ardoe. “One of the suites is named Ogston,” explains Stephanie, 28. “That was my late Granda’s first name, so I think it was meant to be.”
After spotting an OK! magazine feature on Coleen McLoughlin’s wedding to footballer Wayne Rooney, with butterfly motifs in their decoration, the bride knew she wanted to follow suit for her own wedding on 1 August 2009. She even chose to have all the wedding reception tables named after the winged creatures, like Tortoiseshell and Swallowtail.
For her dress, Stephanie fell in love with the Riveria wedding gown by designer Ian Stuart from Avorio Bridal. The asymmetrically pleated silk ensemble featured glass beads, sequins and crystal detailing at the neckline and a full skirt with a flowing train. She paired it with a gorgeous headpiece by the same designer, using it instead of a veil. First Class in Fraserburgh styled the bride’s hair to complement her modern look, while Flawless Beauty applied her makeup.
The three bridesmaids wore yellow gold dresses—Stephanie found them at a shop in Fraserburgh—and the groom, 31, and his best man donned kilts from McCalls. For bouquets, Stephanie didn’t use a single flower but rather gold-plated crystallized stems embellished with crystals and butterflies. (The only blooms on the day were lilies on the reception tables.)
After the ceremony at St. Machar’s Cathedral, the newlyweds made a quick detour to Codona’s Amusement Park for a few creative portraits with photographer Martin Leckie. “There were people asking if we were filming for TV!” laughs Stephanie of the colourful arcade backdrop. “We just wanted something different.”
The Ardoe reception was equally entertaining; there were two blackjack tables and one roulette station from Fun Casino, and Caledonian Pipers and music band Picture This had everyone kicking up their heels. There was a chocolate fountain from No. 1 Chocolate Fountain alongside a butterfly-bedecked, three-tiered cake from Angel Cakes, made in fruit, sponge and carrot cake. Guests enjoyed almond favours designed by Mary Borthwick (who also created the invitations and order of service cards) and a bouncy castle for the kids, with all the special moments artfully captured on camera by Alba Wedding Videos.
The only mishap? Instead of a pure white bus to transport guests from church to reception, a rickety double-decker blue bus showed up. But it rid the pre-ceremony butterflies in Stephanie’s stomach quite quickly. “When I saw it, I was more angry than nervous!” Fortunately, it’s now a funny story between the couple, rather than a sore point. Following their wedding, Stephanie and Raymond chose to honeymoon in a jacuzzi water villa in the Maldives—the perfect ending to a “fl-utterly” perfect day.
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