FOR Penny Stewart and Stewart Dunlop, their wedding preparations started early – as they had to be fitted in around when a wheat field would be drilled on Penny’s family farm in Aberdeenshire.
“I think I stressed my dad out when I told him I wanted to turn his wheat field into a wedding venue,” she laughs. “To his credit, he went with it and while we got married in July 2024, the preparations started the year before when we decided where the marquee would go. I chose the site as it overlooks Bennachie, which provided the perfect backdrop for our photographs.”
With the couple taking on much of the organisation themselves, it was a case of ‘all hands on deck’ to get that very special wheat field at Gunhill, Inverurie, ready for its starring role.
Penny and Stewart secured the services of marquee specialist Elegant Pitches, a well-known firm in north-east Scotland, to set up their marquee. “They were amazing,” says Penny. “They sorted out the marquee – the biggest size they do – as well as the bathrooms, catering tent, and the power.
“Harry Fraser Catering are in Inverurie and also have a great reputation, so they took care of the food – we were absolutely delighted.”
The couple had 190 guests at their wedding with another 40 attending at night. Penny’s mother Ellen, an interior designer, who has a business – Interiors Unlimited – in Inverurie High Street, was responsible for dressing the marquee. She also did the table settings and flowers while Penny created the table plans on wine bottles.
Stewart, meanwhile, a joiner who also works on the family farm Holehouse, Ochiltree, in Ayrshire, used his skills to make the wedding arch among several other items of decoration.
“I asked Stewart if he would make a 12-feet bridge for people to take photographs on and he initially thought I was joking, but he realised this was non-negotiable!”
Everything was perfect – including that most important aspect of any girl’s wedding: the dress. “I’d always had in mind that I wanted a lacy wedding dress but when I started trying on ones I liked, I changed my mind,” Penny explains.
“I went to the amazing Avorio Bridal in Fochabers and when the lady in the shop went to pick out some other dresses for me to try on, the perfect one for me turned out to be the first one that she brought to me.”
Another highlight for Penny was using her late granda’s Land Rover Defender for her wedding car. “We were very close,” she continues. “It was so well-known in and around Inverurie and it was always known as ‘Sandy’s Landy’ so it was a nice way to remember him on the day.”
Sandy Stewart, who died in 2021, was a stalwart of the beef industry and a much-respected member of his local farming community. His son Tom – Penny’s dad – runs the farm today and is also well known in beef circles as well as being a partner at Galbraith in Aberdeen.
Penny, meanwhile, has her own flock of Texels which are kept at Gunhill where she visits regularly, juggling her own busy job as a farm vet in Ayrshire.
So, she was delighted to relax with Stewart on their honeymoon over New Year, which started with a week chilling in Mauritius followed by a South African safari.
Email a photo of the happy couple to: weddingphotos@thescottishfarmer.co.uk with the couple's name, wedding location, and photographer credit (if applicable)
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