Geoff Morrison and Neil James chose Comrie Croft in Perthshire for their summer wedding with their dog, Dash, the ringbearer – and surprise opera singers. Here they share their journey with Karen Peattie.

Unlike many couples, Geoff Morrison and Neil James didn’t start planning their big day years in advance and only booked the venue – Comrie Croft in Perthshire – last November.

“It all happened quite quickly,” explains Geoff, who runs his own visitor attraction in Stirling. “It was just lucky that there was a summer date available – July 16 – which meant we still had a good eight months to make our plans.”

Comrie Croft, a farm steading in the countryside near where Geoff grew up, was the perfect venue for the couple. The steading includes two barns, a courtyard, and a spacious family kitchen and living area while there are also 11 rustic ensuite bedrooms as well as a three-bedroom farm cottage which means there is space for close friends and family. “You get the steading for the full weekend (two nights) so there is a wholesome community vibe as everyone can help to get things set up, chill, rehearse the ceremony and help to decorate the venue,” says Geoff.

“The venue had some refurbishment carried out during lockdown and you don’t need to break the bank when it comes to decorating as there is already so much attention to detail. The cow shed has stunning lighting, staging, and all tables and chairs are provided as well as additional rustic furniture.

“There’s also a ‘prop store’ so you can dress your wedding without having to purchase too much yourselves. On-site there is a farm shop, florist, and café as well as camping and outdoor activity facilities. However, the steading is still very private and remains your own exclusive space.”

Although the wedding was planned in just eight months, Geoff and Neil were well organised.

“Neil, a social worker, loves a plan,” laughs Geoff, “and we made two lists. The first was a timeline for the wedding weekend which made sure we could consider everything that needed done, from breakfast duties to moving furniture, ushering, and lighting the fire pits at night.

“Everyone knew what they had to do, and our amazing grooms women were on hand with their clipboards throughout the weekend to make sure everything was on track. This made such a difference as we knew we didn’t need to worry about things going to plan.

“Our second ‘set-up’ list outlined the jobs that needed to be done the night before the wedding. Allocating a couple of small jobs to our closest friends and family, based on their own skills, made sure that the set-up was smooth and finished in no time.”

Were there any hiccups along the way? Geoff admits that there were a few but the couple didn’t let this get in the way of their big day which saw them wear matching suits with braces and bowties rather than
kilts which they felt were too traditional for what they wanted to be a relaxed. rustic wedding.

That relaxed vibe continued during the ceremony which saw 89 guests join them at Comrie Croft where they were married by a Church of Scotland minister who is “our great friend”.

“Although we are not religious, he really stole the show with such a warm, genuine and funny service which celebrated our love,” says Geoff. “Having that relationship with him also made the ceremony just that bit more personal.

“Our best friends and grooms women Eilidh and Jo happily took the lead in terms of rallying friends, family and suppliers to keep things on track. They loved every minute of it.”

But there was someone else taking a starring role on the day: Dash, the couple’s three-year-old Cockapoo, was the ringbearer and very much the centre of attraction, helping to create a “wholesome, relaxed, loving and fun” day.

Another highlight was surprising their guests with secret opera singers who were disguised as waiting/kitchen staff and provided a stellar 25-minute “hilarious and heart-warming” performance during the main course.

Everyone knew what they had to do, and our amazing grooms women were on hand with their clipboards throughout the weekend to make sure everything was on track. This made such a difference as we knew we didn’t need to worry about things going to plan.

Catering was by Edinburgh School of Food & Wine. “This is a small business but very professional and the owner, Nyssa Barron, was incredibly responsive, organised and dependable,” says Geoff. “The food was exceptional and the prices were fair. We would wholeheartedly recommend them as a hidden gem of a supplier.”

The couple also wanted to ensure that they found the right photographer and videographer for their wedding and chose Edinburgh-based Solen Photography.

“We were incredibly lucky to work with Solen Photography and have to say that Solen herself was an absolute joy to work with – she’s hugely creative and captures genuine moments in such an unobtrusive and innovative way. She’s also just so much fun and a really lovely person.

“In terms of our videographer, we hunted high and low and many suppliers blended into each other until we found Afterglow Wedding Films. Jason doesn’t just make a wedding film, he makes a laugh-out-loud, heart-bursting blockbuster. His approach is unique and truly exceptional and we couldn’t recommend him more highly.”

The couple haven’t been on their honeymoon yet as “we decided to give ourselves a few months after the wedding to decompress”, adding: “We want to go somewhere special but also gay-friendly and after speaking to the friendly team at Out of Office they’ve recommend a two-week trip to Greece.”