How did you find out about Sophia Grace Couture?

I’m a hairdresser and do bridal hair a lot as my job. Over the years my brides have always mentioned Sophia Grace Couture and their dresses were always that bit different and of course gorgeous. Since then I have always followed Sophia Grace Couture on social media so it seemed only right to visit as my first dress shop. Good choice I guess as the first dress I actually laid eyes on in the boutique was the one, plus, the boutique is literally every girls dream.

How would you describe your experience at Sophia Grace Couture?

From the minute my mum and I walked into the shop I instantly relaxed, everyone was so professional and couldn’t be nicer. As I planned my wedding very quickly I was worried my dress would not arrive on time, Naydene made me feel very confident with the timings and fittings and assured me the dress would be ready on time which of course it was.

How did you meet? Are you happy to tell us about the proposal?

Christophe and I were set up on a blind date when he moved back home from England back in 2017. He proposed to me on July 28th 2019 up Calton Hill. We had been to The Lookout restaurant up there then we went for a walk after in which he got down on one knee whilst looking out across our beautiful city where we met.

What was your inspiration for your wedding? Did you follow a specific theme or colour palette?

I love planning events maybe I’m in the wrong job haha!! I love Winter and have always wanted a romantic Winter wedding. Which worked out perfect as Christophe had a Winter break with work. (Who says you can’t plan a wedding in five and a half months! I always had an image of how I wanted our wedding to be like. The colour scheme was white and gold. I didn’t want many coloured flowers as I think it can be overpowering and sometimes less is more. So I went for very simple choices of flowers and decor. Also I wanted lots of candles and fairy lights to create a very dreamy look.

What made you decide upon your chosen venue?

Being both Edinburgh born and bred we had already spoken about getting married in the city centre. The Balmoral was always our top pick. I love how grand the room is and with it being Winter I wanted it to be nice and easy for all our guests to get to no matter what the weather. I guess we were lucky having a sunny day!!

Tell us about your wedding

Our wedding was just perfect. I’m still living in a wedding bubble. We ensured we had lots of entertainment as I always think there is a part of the day particularly as a guest that you can get very tired and bored. We had an amazing toast master Scott Wilson who has years of experience and is quite the entertainer. He gave the room a few laughs before the speeches were made. The singing waiters during dessert were a massive hit! It was only Christophe and I that knew about them and they got everyone off their feet and started the party which was just incredible. Our band started off the night who again were very different to your usual, it had more of an Irish live music twist to it. Followed by our sax player who kicked off the party after the buffet whilst playing alongside Scott Wilson who DJ’d for the rest of the night.

What was the most memorable moment?

It’s hard to pick the most memorable moment to be honest as I loved every minute. But the moment that sticks in my head is walking down the aisle and seeing Christophe when we saw each other for the first time that day.

Do you have any advice for future brides visiting Sophia Grace Couture?

My advice to fellow brides coming into to Sophia Grace Couture is enjoy every minute trying on dresses but don’t overthink it as I feel brides put a lot of pressure on finding the perfect dress. Try and decide what you definitely don’t like before going then work from there. But when you know you just know 🙂

Suppliers

Dress Calla Blanche from Sophia Grace Couture

Florist – Planet Flowers

Photographer – Catching the Moments

Videographer – Peony Films

Wedding & Reception Venue – The Balmoral Edinburgh

Cake- Liggys Cakes

Make up – Rosie Fraser

Hair – Emma Combe Hair

Venue decor – Beautifully Covered & 88 events

Wedding Graphics – Wedding Graphics UK

Do you have any advice for future brides visiting Sophia Grace Couture?

You will not regret choosing Sophia Grace. The staff were so lovely and helpful. They make you feel at ease and comfortable and the whole experience is so enjoyable.